How to pick out the perfect gift for men

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

How to pick the perfect gift for men is the art of knowing their personality

If you’re struggling to come up with interesting gift ideas for men for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll learn how to pick out the perfect gift for anyone by following some advice gleaned from a study that was conducted and published in the mid ’90s.

Through a series of interviews, surveys and various other data collection methodologies, it was discovered that a “perfect” gift has to meet six different criteria. These criteria go beyond the traditional “what are their interests and hobbies?” questions that many of us ask ourselves when shopping for gifts and get down to the root of what makes a gift special.

#1 Sacrifice

First, whoever receives your gift needs to know that you made a sacrifice to get it for them. This can be a monetary sacrifice or it can be a sacrifice of your time and effort in seeking out something unique and appropriate. Obviously, re-gifting a sweater that you got last Christmas but never wore involves no sacrifice, which is why gifts like that rarely, if ever, succeed.

#2 Dedication

Second, giving the perfect gift requires dedication on behalf of the giver. More than anything, they have to be set on making the gift recipient happy. So, consider the man you’re shopping for and ask yourself what makes him happy. Also keep in mind that people find much more joy in unique experiences than they do in material objects, so don’t forget to consider experience gifts when you’re shopping.

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#3 Luxury

Third, the gift that you purchase needs to be something that the recipient views as a luxury. This means that gifts that are practical will never be perfect – no matter how practical they are. The gift should be special, and if it’s a common gift like an article of clothing or piece of sporting equipment, it needs to be something that is above and beyond the quality that he would buy for himself. Alternatively, it can be something that they’d never buy for themselves but that you know they want deep down.

#4 Unique

Fourth, the gift needs to be unique to the individual. This does not necessarily mean that you can’t shop for the more popular Christmas gifts for men, but it does mean that if you buy them a popular gift, you need to make the extra effort (remember the sacrifice discussed above?) to make the generic gift more unique. For example, if you buy him an iPad, take the time to set it up for him – maybe add a few apps that you think he’ll like, add a couple of new books for him to read, find a neat game, etc. – before you give it to him so that it isn’t just a regular iPad when he opens it up – it’s his iPad.

#5 Surprise

Fifth, perfect gifts are surprises. One could argue that any gift that comes wrapped is a surprise, but what is really meant here is that the gift you give should be something the person is not expecting. Even if you buy them something that you know they want or that they’ve been asked for, take the extra steps to ensure that something about the gift is a surprise – whether it be the luxurious nature, the customization, etc.

#6 Desire

Finally, the perfect gift can’t be something that comes out of left field. It needs to be something that the recipient desires. Now, whether that desire is explicit or not is another question – but you need to know that the gift you give is something that they’ll want to have (or do in the case of gift experiences) before you give it.

Armed with this scientific knowledge of how to find the perfect gift, you should be well on your way to identifying and giving amazing gifts for the rest of your life. The old adage of “It’s the thought that counts” certainly applies – the more you think about the gift and put effort in to making it unique and appropriate for the recipient, the more perfect it will be in their eyes.