Finding gifts for tricky people!

Everyone knows someone who's an absolute nightmare to buy for, from the Relative Who Has Everything to the person who seems to have no obvious tastes in music, clothes, films, or anything else! But fear not - our tips will assist you in ensuring their gifts match their wants and needs every single time.

Ensure that whenever they're talking about something they feel enthusiastically about, that you're paying attention and on the look-out for anything you could use as a gift idea. If they're going on and on about how they want to play Cheeky Bingo on the move, think about a smartphone or a netbook, or even a laptop! They may be pricey, but when you count the cost of a load of hedge-bet gifts to cancel out the risk of total disappointment, it's a wise move on your part.

You're also going to need to think about what they really would enjoy, and although it's tempting to just assume that your tastes would suit everyone, your parents may not enjoy that paintballing weekend idea as much as you do.

So think from their perspective - what do they do for a living, or in their spare time? Do they have a blog, Facebook or MySpace? If so, what are the listed interests? Finding their online profiles can be a great way to find good gifts, and it shows you made the effort by doing your research!

Last but most certainly not least, don't ever think about buying them something they "might" find funny. Sure, if they do, it's laughs all around and everybody goes home happy. But the risk that they might absolutely despise the gift or may even become offended is something you want to avoid!

If you're not sure about that tasteless card or a book on intimate positions, then don't do it! Better to be tame than to be the Person Who Buys Gag Gifts, as there's no real emotional value in those.

We wish you the best of luck in your gift hunt, present-purchases! May you find and wrap up everything that will make that person's day, week, year or lifetime!