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Christmas 2016: Gifts You Might Consider When There Is No List

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 03:36 PST, Nov 17, 2016

Christmas 2016 is coming, and gifts are usually the first thing on most shoppers’ minds. No matter what your financial condition might be this year, in the United States, the holiday season is a time for giving.

Retailers are well aware of this, hence the creation of such events as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For the wealthy, there might not even be an issue of what to buy. However, many of us are not in that tax bracket and must choose carefully or see those relatives taking our well-meaning gifts back to the store in exchange for what they never told us they wanted.

First off, there is the practical level of gift giving, where you forego the things they might want in favor of what you know they’ll need. Clothing is often the choice of parents with growing teens since they grow in spurts and tend to need new clothes every six months at least.

However, there are other gifts which could be very welcome under the tree. For the car enthusiast, anything from bumper stickers and air fresheners to hydraulic floor jacks and impact wrenches, are welcome. For the home-based chef, quality knives are always welcome, as are stove and oven cleaning supplies.

Best Products has a list of items for almost everybody in your family, so you won’t need to resort to the usual gift cards, which often tell the recipient, “I don’t know what you want and didn’t want to ask.” In some cases, there is no better choice, but you could always take a chance and put some thought into it.

For Dad, you might consider a place to store his shoes, especially if he’s the business type constantly on the go. Nothing looks more professional than perfectly spotless shoes and storing them correctly is the easiest way to preserve that shine. You might even consider exercise items like flex bands, dumbbells, or a water bottle mount for his bicycle if he’s into cardio-based sports or exercise.

Of course, Dad might just want something to unwind with. In this case, there are several Black Friday deals you might find at Best Buy on HDTVs and video game consoles. As for games, if he’s into that kind of thing, there are several remastered versions of older favorites, as well as new releases, such as Watch Dogs 2, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and Dishonored II.

For Mom, you might consider something which will save her money on laundry. Dryer balls might just replace the sheets as a way to eliminate static cling, and they last a long time, so she might never need to buy dryer sheets again. Bookmarks and bookends will keep those precious volumes in order, so when she goes back to her favorite reading material, she’ll think of you. Of course, she might also be into the eBooks, in which case an Amazon Kindle might be the way to go, and perhaps you might consider an Amazon gift card, so she can get a head start on collecting her own portable library.

You might even consider one of those electronic picture frames so she can keep those cherished memories in regular rotation for all to see.

The children in your life are likely more focused on entertainment items, and sadly, most of Dad’s video games probably aren’t meant for that age group. In this case, a Nintendo DS might be a great option or an official Spalding ball to keep them active in sports. For the rest, an art set might help them enhance their creativity, while a set of high-quality headphones will let them enjoy a full range of music, so you don’t have to.

If you have that person in your life who is always misplacing something like their car keys, Time suggests a Slim or Mate device. It’s a Bluetooth-enabled item about the size of an iPod Shuffle which plays a little tune when it’s activated.

When in doubt, always ask for a list. Even if they say they only want one thing, it’ll give you a clue what else they might secretly want. Google is always there if you’re undecided.

[Featured Image by Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com]

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