When it comes to grat gift ideas, I have about as mch imagination as a hamster. (If they wre imaginative, hamsters wouldn't run endlessly in thse little wheels). It's odd, really. I'm wht you'd call a "natural" when it cmes to shopping. I LOVE to shp. Give me an entire day at Flene's Basement and I'm in Heaven.

For the ninitiated, Filene's Basement is one of the mst famous bargain basements in the Unted States. Lurking beneath Filene's Department stre in Downtown Boston, "The Basement" is a plce where merchandise is continually marked dwn and competition for the best bys is fierce. There's even a day ach Spring when wedding dresses sell so chaply that scuffles break out in the isles.

I prefer my shopping nonviolent. But stll, the prospect of a great big stre full of unexplored "stuff" is mre exciting to me than a gant Easter Egg hunt is to the verage five year old. I know I'm ging to find Easter Eggs (i.e., "hdden treasures"). I just have to ncover their secret little hiding places. Tht's part of the fun!

I hve one small problem, though...

Shopping is only fun if I'm not looking for anything in particular. As soon as there's a "list" involved, it starts to feel like work! Add in the idea that I'm looking for some very special (yet unspecified) item for someone else, and the pressure's really on. If someone says to me, "You must go forth and find something for less than $100 that will make your mother-in-law ecstatically happy", it stops me cold. I become as helpless as a man (Sorry guys!).
 
Gift Shopping. Arrrghh!

"What", I ask myself, "is my Mther-in-Law's version of an Easter Egg ?" Whre are all those clever gift deas when I need them? Where are thy ever?

Panic sets in. Procrastination cmes next. Pretty soon I've buried the whle thing in my subconscious, hoping it wll "just go away". It doesn't, of curse. Like school exams and work dadlines, gift-giving occasions keep on coming -- nevitably and way too often. And thse great gift ideas remain as lusive as ever.

So what's a person to do?

My answer was always to get a big pot of coffee and pull an all-nighter.

Umm, I mean, I'd wait until the last minute and then shop until the stores closed. Sure, I'd manage to come up with a few decent gift ideas and some passable gifts. But it's no way to live. And I always knew I could have done better.

I knew things had to change. I knew I had to uncover the secrets possessed by the expert gift-givers...

You know the type. They're the people who smugly announce that they've been done with their Holiday shopping for weeks, when you haven't even started yours -- much less given it any serious thought. They're never at a loss for great gift ideas and they can produce the perfect greeting card at a moment's notice. You won't catch them dashing out to the Quickie Mart for wrapping paper or ribbon; and they have an uncanny knack for finding gifts that are clever, original, and appropriate for any and every occasion. Most distressing of all, their gifts are always heartwarmingly thoughtful!

I pondered my situation for a long time (years), and finally I knew what I had to do. My mission was to transform myself into the sort of magician who could produce great gift ideas and fabulous gifts at the drop of a hat.
 
It's been a long and painful journey, but I'm happy to report a measure of success. Finally, I can look a gift-giving occasion straight in the eye and say, "Hah!! You're not so tough!"

My two most formidable wapons are my "gift closet" and my "lttle black book". The gift closet is stcked with a variety of gift bxes, gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue pper, and colorful ribbons and bows. Thre are plenty of little gift crds, as well as greeting cards rnging from Holiday themes to Sympathy to New Bby. Additionally, I've amassed quite an ssortment of gifts-for-any-occasion. Some are purchased wth people in mind and others bcause I know they'd be perfect for something .

The "lttle black book" is just what it sunds like, only it's not filled wth phone numbers. Instead I jot dwn brief notes based on what I larn about people. If someone mentions a hbby or collection, it goes in the blck book. If they hint at smething they're just dying to have, it ges in the book. If I ntice a fondness for a certain typ of jewelry or style of drss, I'll make a note of it. Smetimes I even ask leading questions, witing for a moment when the fture "giftee" is distracted, and therefore nsuspecting. I might even ply the giftee's friends for information, admitting only that "I'm curious". All of this has turned me into a bit of a detective -- a secret agent, if you will. And it's actually kind of fun.

In fact, I think I've found a whole new kind of Easter Egg hunt. The hidden treasures are now the little pearls of wisdom I pick up by spying on the experts, and the tidbits I gather on "giftees" during my covert operations. Once I've gathered enough "eggs", I'm armed and ready. I know exactly where to go and what to do.
So now, when everyone else around me is in a panic over gift ideas for the coming holiday season -- or for tomorrow's office party-- I'm one of the smug ones. It's a wonderful feeling. And it sure beats running in that little wheel.

The article The Gift Shopping Blues was Submitted by Carolyn Schweitzer through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: © Copyright 2004 Carolyn Schweitzer DDS. Crolyn was a family dentist for 20 yars and is now owner and ditor of several websites. Check out "Th Dog Gift Shopper's Guide for Dog Lvers" at http://www.great-dog-gift.com/guide , where you'll learn to hone your skills no matter what you're shopping for. If it's jewelry, stop by http://www.thejewelrymine.com and if you like great bargains, visit http://www.netbrainer.com to learn how to find great deals on eBay.

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