# People who are impossible to get Christmas presents for **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 4, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737 "2008-12-04T20:37:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/1 "2008-12-04T20:37:15Z")
Does anyone have any good ideas on what to get someone who has everything they need and few hobbies? In my experience, it is usually the men in my life. My dad when he was alive and my Father-in-Common-Law now are about impossible. I can get a jazz CD or food, but I’d love to have some idea of something they’d actually think was neat. Ditto the teenage boys - a son and two nephews. They like World of Warcraft and play this rather than a purchased game. As far as I can tell,WOW is a self-contained thing and one can’t get “add on packs” or some such. And they’re too young for booze. ---
**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/2 "2008-12-04T22:44:09Z")
My dad’s like that too. So no suggestions from me, but I know how you feel! ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/3 "2008-12-04T22:50:02Z")
I have a friend who is a control freak. No matter what anyone gets her, she either returns it for cash or exchanges it. She picks out her own Christmas gifts from her husband and then gives them to him to wrap up. Then complains that he never gets anything thoughtful. I don’t blame him. I once bought her an iron wine rack out of the blue because I saw it and knew she needed one. She called me later and asked me for the receipt because she wanted to pick one out herself. The one she picked out was very similar to the one I picked out. Whatever. I don’t bother getting her gifts anymore because she’s impossible to please. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/4 "2008-12-04T22:50:46Z")
I have family like that too. Dispair has driven me to get them [Omaha Steaks](http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/redirect?fromUri=/home). Gift passes to the movies? Gift card to iTunes? ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/5 "2008-12-04T23:06:02Z")
> [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](#): > > Ditto the teenage boys - a son and two nephews. They like World of Warcraft and play this rather than a purchased game. As far as I can tell,WOW is a self-contained thing and one can’t get “add on packs” or some such. And they’re too young for booze. You can go to this site ([J!NX](http://www.jinx.com/world_of_warcraft)) and get them a WOW T-shirt, hat, etc. I got my husband the “quest-giver” hat with an exclamation point on it last year. There are two expansions to WOW, and one just came out (called Return of the Lich King), but if your boys are as obsessed with the game as my family is, they probably already have it. ---
**Author:** ![jade7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jade7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jade7)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/6 "2008-12-04T23:16:23Z")
I have two words for you: SkyMall Magazine If you don’t typically fly Southwest Airlines and therefore have not yet been exposed to the life-changing world of SkyMall, there’s a website ([www.skymall.com](http://www.skymall.com)), along with other websites/companies of the same cloth (try [whatonearthcatalog.com](http://whatonearthcatalog.com)). You can find something for literally anyone in there. It’s my go-to guide for getting my dad any sort of gift. Good luck not getting sidetracked though and looking through all of the products for hours on end- and prepare to be amazed in the sort of “who in their right mind would actually need this/ want this/ think to invent this” sorta way. It is the best kind of ridiculous there is. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/7 "2008-12-04T23:27:02Z")
Give them stuff. My father-in-law is 93, and we are giving him tickets so that he and his girlfriend can go to a concert in Philadelphia. We’re including transportation. He’s a composer and former music teacher, so this works really well. How about museum memberships? I gave my wife (and me) a subscription to a local theater group for her birthday. When you get to a certain age you don’t want more stuff, so giving experiences works well. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/8 "2008-12-04T23:28:59Z")
> [@jade7](#): > > I have two words for you: SkyMall Magazine > > If you don’t typically fly Southwest Airlines and therefore have not yet been exposed to the life-changing world of SkyMall, there’s a website ([www.skymall.com](http://www.skymall.com)), along with other websites/companies of the same cloth (try [whatonearthcatalog.com](http://whatonearthcatalog.com)). > > 🙂 You lucky (generic) guy. We get the catalogs for just about every company in SkyMall already. You are clearly not on enough mailing lists. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/9 "2008-12-05T00:01:06Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > When you get to a certain age you don’t want more stuff, so giving experiences works well. This usually works great for my Dad, at least for Father’s Day, but the stuff he’s into (Beerfests, Bluegrass Festivals, and the like) generally much harder to do in winter, so I’m completely stumped. I’m calling my mother tonight to beg for ideas… again. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/10 "2008-12-05T00:33:54Z")
If he’s into beer fests, I would buy him an assortment of craft beers. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/11 "2008-12-05T00:45:06Z")
Something ubiqitous, that most people need or use, but could use an upgrade. USB memory sticks do it for me - like the 4 gig kind. They’re always useful, and they seem to look like you’ve thought out their present. On the high end, you can’t go wrong with a GPS device. Other than that, gift cards, and a personalized hand-written card. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/12 "2008-12-05T01:07:27Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > If he’s into beer fests, I would buy him an assortment of craft beers. Or a bottle of nice booze ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/13 "2008-12-05T01:14:40Z")
> [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](#): > > Does anyone have any good ideas on what to get someone who has everything they need and few hobbies? A gift receipt, and instructions. When men want something, they buy it, and by the time they have adult children, they have a lot of stuff. Look, gifts don’t have to be original, they just have to be useful, desirable, or exchangeable. So, go ahead and buy the matching tie and socks, wrench set, or boxed set of old movies. Just include a gift receipt, “in case I got the wrong size”. Your goal is not to prove that you are the most observant and perfect gift-giver in the world; you just want to show you were thinking of them. If all else fails, donate to their favorite charity, and let them take the tax deduction. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/14 "2008-12-05T03:09:37Z")
Give them a gift certificate good for some kind of quality time together, like dinner and a movie or a concert. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/15 "2008-12-05T12:56:51Z")
Everyone says that I am hard to buy for. But I contend that they don’t listen. As a for instance: 5 years ago I picked up a nice beer mug at a bar. I spoke to the owner, told him my story and he gave it to me. I told everyone I knew how much I liked it and I said: _If you ever see a set of these, buy them and I’ll pay you for them_. Note that I didn’t say: _These would make a great Christmas present_. I figured if people were paying attention they would figure it out. Just before the football season this year I bought a set for myself. I figured after 5 years people weren’t going to figure it out. I laughed when a friend said: _wow, that would have been a great Christmas present, why must you always buy stuff like that for yourself?_ So this year I’ll get the usual Borders gift cards. That’s OK. I love them too. Why not a nice gift card? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/16 "2008-12-05T13:19:53Z")
My wife says I’m hard to buy for. “Everything you want either costs a fortune, involves being in a foreign country, or you need a gun licence for. Or some unholy combination of all three.” This is despite my protestations that all I want this year are the next two _Flashman_ novels that I haven’t read yet. 😉 My Mum is really hard to buy for. She has expensive taste and is very picky. My Dad, on the other hand, is happy with a WWII Aeroplane Calendar and some decent coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/17 "2008-12-05T13:43:04Z")
A box. Nothing else. A box in a box if they’re really good that year. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/18 "2008-12-05T20:37:59Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Everyone says that I am hard to buy for. But I contend that they don’t listen. Ain’t that the truth. You know all that crap that I look at while in hardware stores, or everything that I have pointed out that looks “cool” or “neat” but I always say that we don’t need it or that it can wait for whatever. That is the kind of stuff we want for Christmas or our Birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Sanity\_Challenged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Sanity\_Challenged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanity_Challenged)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/19 "2008-12-05T20:59:13Z")
I once received an “introductory flight lesson” (pretty much just a plane ride) as a gift, which I thought was pretty cool. I’ve given out a hot-air balloon ride, massage gift certificates, and tickets to sporting events as gifts as well. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737/20 "2008-12-05T21:35:06Z")
> [@Madd\_Maxx](#): > > Ain’t that the truth. You know all that crap that I look at while in hardware stores, or everything that I have pointed out that looks “cool” or “neat” but I always say that we don’t need it or that it can wait for whatever. That is the kind of stuff we want for Christmas or our Birthday. I was the only one that paid attention to dad doing that. He didn’t hint that much, but I did buy presents that he liked and used. I couldn’t have told everybody what to get, because he didn’t give enough clues for everybody. I learned when with a certain person to always follow up with don’t get me one though, when pointing out neat stuff that I didn’t want. Most neat stuff I pointed out didn’t get that disclaimer though, and I might find it come Christmas. Although I never received Sea Monkeys for Christmas, it always was a possibility. It’s the possibilities that make presents fun, not the predictability. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-impossible-to-get-christmas-presents-for/475737.md?page=2)