Yummy smelling candles. It’s so rare I buy a gift like this I had to think back hard. I remember that was my standard birthday gift for the constant office parties back when I worked.
For a guy, a nice pocket knife is usually well accepted.
This gift has a particular benefit in that any guy who already has one will most certainly not object to an interesting new addition.
For a woman, I defer to my wife for the appropriate gift.
Oh yes! Years ago when I was more active in my woodworking hobby, I would make cool little wooden boxes of species like Zebrawood and Purpleheart. Every once in a while I am at a distant relative’s home and I recognize one of my boxes, reminding me of the gift I had forgotten that I gave 
For females with a back yard, my wife often goes with a gazing globe (a colored mirror ball the size of a basketball.)
If a guy is at all handy I go to Lowes and get a weird tool. Something that looks well made and possibly useful, but so new or so obscure that he’s unlikely to have it.
I make them a pen. How much I like them or how well I know them determines the type.
Books. If I know of a specific interest someone has (Civil War history, art pottery, whatever,) I try to find them something on that topic. For kids, I love “crafty” stuff, similar to what delphica mentioned. If I don’t know an adult recipient terribly well, I try to find something interesting about my region. (For example, I took host/ess gifts when I visited friends recently: A cookbook from a famous local restaurant for the cooking half of the couple, and a history of a local college football team for the football-watching half.)
For those who absolutely can’t use a book (mainly due to poor eyesight or failing comprehension levels,) I go with locally-produced delicacies - cookies or candy from one of the local stores, gourmet preserves, a nice basket of fruit from the farmer’s market, etc. Even if it turns out that I choose something not to her taste, the grandmother in the nursing home can always offer the treat to her visitors, or re-gift the preserves. She hardly needs another tchotchke for the shelves!
Some females also appreciate nice pocket knives or multitools. I get a lot of use out of my Leatherman. I think it’s called a Micra, it’s the kind that goes on a keychain and has a pair of scissors among its tools. I have had many people admire this gadget, and many women say that they need to get one of their own.
[shill]May I point out that Cecil’s books make fine gifts for adults? You wouldn’t want to give them to a 10 year old, obviously, but many adults have not been exposed to Unka Cecil and it would do them good to know that, for example, pigs have corkscrew shaped penises.[/shill]
A nice container of nuts or dried fruits is usually well received, too.
A nice bottle of wine. For something like a wedding, or other big event, a picnic basket with stuff in it.
See’s Candy. Who can’t enjoy that? And F&$# em’, if they don’t!
For kids… at least say under about 8… I do a bath basket. Licenced character bubble bath, sponges, crayon soaps, (or soap that looks like roll on deodorant floaty toys or foam rubber letters…in a handled basket that has holes in the bottom so the water can drain out. Face it, kids have enough “toys” generally, and parents don’t want more. But bath stuff is both fun for the kids and utilitarian, and for a few weeks (days) anyway, it makes bathtime a little less stressful for children or parents alike.
Oooh, I like this! In fact, I may have to steal this!
But yes, generally consumables are great. Most of us have too much stuff, and not enough room for our stuff, and no great desire to dust the stuff we currently own, much less to dust new stuff. As the mother of 2 kids with too much stuff, I heartily endorse this idea!
Which reminds me: Another “go-to” gift that I fall back on - especially for older friends and relatives - is grocery store gift cards. I started with my grandmother, when I realized that (a) she has far too much stuff, and (b) her income is not always in line with her needs. If I were to give her money, she would be embarrassed, since she would not like to think that I knew of her financial straits. However, if I say “Well, Grandmother, I knew that you didn’t need any more knick-knacks, but I know how much you like to cook for friends and family,” we’re both able to maintain the facade that I’m offering her a gift, not a necessity. When the gift card is wrapped up along with new pictures of the great-grandchildren, it also seems like “just a little something to go with the photos.”
Two other occasions for which I have Go-To gifts: For a new or soon-to-be mom and dad, I give a gift card for a food delivery service in their area, along with a couple of big, honking bags of disposable diapers (or a month of diaper service, for the types who will never use disposables.) And for a bereavement, instead of bringing over a casserole or a ham or a peach cobbler, I bring the stuff others usually don’t think of: paper towels, tissues, bath tissue, ground coffee & filters, paper plates & cups, aluminum foil, etc.
For adults - books (cooking, usually), wine or a movie (tickets), if I know their tastes. For really good friends, kitchen stuff, like good knives or the like, or a single malt.
For kids, it’s educational toys (those mini-science kits), or Lego or Zoob.
I like windchimes too, particularly for people older than myself. I gave a set to my best friend’s parents last Christmas when they invited me to spend it at their house, in fact.
Other than that, umbrellas. Everyone can use another umbrella and it’s not hard to find suitable ones for people. stuff like this tends to be popular with people my age, as are the tiny compact ones that come in groovy patterns.
For kids: books and a yo yo. Yo yo’s are one of those things that the kid stares at it and goes…uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh over this strange non-video game item and then, quietly, it is stolen from him or her by a parent and it suddenly becomes cool.
For adults: a knitted hat or scarf. ( If they are worthy.) If they are not knit-worthy, then they get a wad of flowers.
You guys are giving me such great ideas, especially giving candles. I’ll have to keep that in mind as it’s a good in the unisex department. Now if only I could knit…
My go-to gift is usually wine or nice chocolates from a particular local chocolaterie.
If they’re a foodie then some extra virgin olive oil infused with parmesan and rosemary. I originally thought it was overpriced and gimmicky but then I tried some and oh my GOD. Every time I open my bottle I start drooling and looking for bread to dip in it.
If I’m feeling particularly fancy I’ll pair it with a nice crusty loaf of bread wrapped in a pretty (unused) tea towel.
My grandma keeps spare wrapped packages around at Christmastime in case we have unexpected guests, so they don’t have to sit around with nothing while we open gifts. They all contain picture frames.
Actually crocheting is easier, only one hook to keep track of instead of 2 or more needles.
You can make an entire afghan for someone knowing a single stitch … of course making every row a single chain stitch would make a very dense afghan … but it can be done <evil grin>
You obviously don’t hobnob with any bigwigs or fatcats.
It depends on who and for what. For weddings I tend to give wine glasses and some wine, for graduations I’ve been defaulting to online bookstore gift certificates (also something I give to people I live far enough away from that I’m not aware of what books they currently own/like).