This Christmas, many people are out shopping for the perfect present for their loved ones.
This is often a trying experience as you can never be quite sure that the gift you purchase is the one that your friend or family actually wanted.
So what is a person to do? This doesn't have easy answers and many people have come up with their own suggestions.
However most of them fall into the same categories.
I'll try to mention some of them and hopefully they will help guide your holiday shopping this holiday season.
The first general approach is simply to ask.
This can be interpreted different ways for different people.
In most cases hearing directly from the person what they want will guarantee the gift choice will be perfect and exactly what they wanted.
However the downside is that there is a risk that the element of surprise is diminished.
So another approach is to find out in a roundabout way.
This is tricky because it requires you to have really great observation and listening skills.
Otherwise the result will be that you mishear what the person wants and your gifts are returned after the holiday season.
Either way it depends on how well you know the person.
It is generally easier to buy something for a loved one or close friend than for someone you just have a passing acquaintance with.
The next approach is to look at the latest trends.
There are certain items that everyone wants to get either to be considered trendy or simply because they are just that good.
So a good idea is to look for items that are new innovations on previous products.
Merchandise of popular celebrities and entertainers is another great option to look at.
The most important thing to realize however is that what is trendy is not always immediately obvious.
Sometimes an item that you would not have looked twice at yourself will become the hottest thing since sliced bread.
This makes it important to pay attention to the news and other publications so that you can get the first scoop on such developments.
Go for the classics or goods that are perennial favorites.
There are some gifts that are so great and popular that they pop up every year.
In the past you would have to look them up in consumer guides and similar publications.
However the internet and the growing popularity of online shopping makes doing this research a lot easier than in the past.
For example on Amazon.
com, many categories of items are ranked according to which item is selling the most.
Looking at lists like this will allow you to find quickly the items that are the most popular for their given category.
For your children simply pay attention to the commercials that come on during their favorite shows and the things they put down in their holiday wish list.
This will make your choices for their presents that much accurate.
A commercial will often shape what they want in some way or another.
Also the wish list is the simplest and most direct way to find out what your kids want without being too obvious about it.
Something special you can do for your kids this holiday season is to have them receive a letter from Santa.
This will surely make their Christmas all the more special.