He's 17, grinds Rocket League and whatever else after school. His "chair" was a wooden dining chair with a pillow taped to it. I'm not joking. Tape. I sat in it once and lasted 4 minutes.

Got him an Athena Pro (his friends apparently know the brand from esports, which earned me more sibling cred than 17 years of effort). Set it up the night before while he was asleep — took 15 minutes, easiest furniture assembly I've done, only tip is tighten backrest bolts in a cross pattern.

His actual words next morning: "why does my back feel like it's in the right place." Out of the mouths of teens.

i'm starting to think practical gifts are seriously underrated

when i was younger i thought gifts had to be something exciting or surprising

but now if someone got me a really good pillow, nice bedsheets or even a quality water bottle i'd genuinely be happy

especially those everyday things you want to upgrade but can never justify spending money on yourself

what's a seemingly boring gift that turned out to be surprisingly appreciated?

Well my cousin is getting a ps5 but the box is so big it screams I’m a ps5. I want to disguise it as something else, I’ve already disguised my girlfriends purse as a toilet so I need ideas to disguise the gift into something else. The best I can think of is shaping it as a bus or probably the best option a mini sofa but let me know if there’s any other suggestions!

I know this sub has been getting busier with Christmas right around the corner so I thought i would share some ideas. I am a 26 year old female from Canada and here are some of the best gifts I've received.

A really nice towel. Seriously. I once got a quite expensive, fluffy, pretty towel. Just one. And you bet I use it for every single bath. We have a ton of towels but its nice having one that's fancy and all mine. If you know someone that likes baths there is also a nice fluffy housecoat (pajamas are always a great Christmas present), bath bombs, and candles.

Satin pillow cases. Its such a glam up and so good for your hair and face.

A heated blanket. Especially in Canada I think everyone should have one.

Any gift for my pet is a gift for me too. If someone gives me cat toys or treats I love it because it shows they know my cat is a part of my family and I will think of them every time I use it. Pet items are a huge area to explore gift wise. If you check out Etsy you can get pet portraits or clothes, anything with my cats face on it is an amazing gift.

Fill in love books. https://www.amazon.ca/Knock-What-Love-about-Journal/dp/1601067585 . This is an example. This gift brings me so much joy, and its so low budget. The meaning of it is so powerful and every time I open it I get warm and happy inside. From a partner to partner I think this is a fantastic gift.

Winter wear. There's nothing better than a nice warm tuque, or scarf, or mittens. If there's snow, you need these things and its good to have a few/

Fitbit. My first Fitbit was gifted to me, and I've had a smart watch ever since. If you know someone that doesn't have one you can buy some for a decent starting price ($75 Canadian, so less for the US).

A 10ft phone charger. It's a game changer being in bed and having the ability to completely roll over and use your phone on the other side of the bed. The freedom! I love it so much.

A bunch of nerf guns. This definitely depends on the person, but one day my partner came home with 4 different kinds of nerf guns and hid them all over the house. It was an incredible day full of shooting each other and hiding behind things. Now we keep them around the house and have random gun fights that really bring out the inner child in us both.

Those are some of my personal favorites but I also have a few more suggestions for people.

Photo centers and Etsy. Personalized gifts are an easy way to make someone feel special. At places like London Drugs and Wal-Mart Photo center there is a lot you can do! Make a snow globe, buy a teddy bear frame, make a family calendar, there is plenty to choose from. You can make your own puzzle! If you know someone that likes puzzles I guarantee they would be thrilled with a personalized one. Etsy is another way to give someone a very unique gift. Its not all jewelry there. Think of your friends favorite cartoon. There is probably someone on Etsy taking commissions to draw your friend in that cartoon style. Or if you know someone that likes to cook you could get them a wooden cutting board with their name carved into it. Anyways I highly recommend checking out personalized items, it can mean a lot to some people.

Food. Make a cheesecake. A cookie box. Assorted treats. Consumables are always a good idea for a gift, and it means so much more when its homemade.

Amazon lists. Most people have them and there is no reason not to ask them to share their Wishlist with you. It makes the guessing game much much easier, and you're pretty much guaranteed to get them something they specifically want and will be happy with.

Hobbies of course. I think gift cards are the way to go with hobbies. Its hard to tell what people want or need for their hobbies. For example, I like running. I already have the gear, the gym membership, the headphones, etc. For me, a gift certificate to The Running Room would be great. Then I get to pick out something related to the hobby I care that exactly what I want. I know some people don't like gift cards, and that's fine. But for me, a gift card forces me to spend money on myself I normally wouldn't spend. If someone gives me cash I will likely save it, but a gift card forces me to shop for myself, something I don't normally treat my self to which is really nice.

Thanks for reading! So what do you guys think, what are the best gifts you've ever given or received?

My dear husband got me a very expensive Dyson vacuum for my birthday.

I asked for either a massage or legos, but I was gifted a vacuum. We have a Dyson that works just fine.

What is a male equivalent of this gift? His birthday is coming up and I want to get him something equally nice. He has a lot of tools and purchases them as needed for work. Looking for some ideas. Looking to spend $300 ish

ETA: Thank you all for the hilarious responses. For everyone concerned about our relationship or saying to get a divorce, that is ridiculous, this post was meant to be funny and lighthearted. I did let him know how I felt exactly in the moment when he gave me the gift.

The final decision of what Im going to get him is a Ninja Creami! It's an expensive appliance and he can use it to make me ice cream for both of us :)

Theyre very maximalist so I understand it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. But maybe some could be made to match their home decor?

They're lantern jewellery stands and trinket trays. The lanterns light up, the bases hold smaller items, the flowers are for rings and there are hooks on the "stem" for chains and necklaces.

I have always been good at gifts, even as a little girl my mum would ask me what to get for grandparents, since I picked up on little stuff. I see a lot of veryyy general questions here with not much more info than gender and age. There are no personal gifts that are only based on gender and age. I figured I would make a little guide with examples to keep in mind throughout the year so you dont have to scramble last minute. Pick a category you think is appropriate for the relationship and just pay attention to these things.

Gifts create feelings beyond just "loved" and "celebrated", its good to consider what specific feeling you want to achieve, like being seen and heard, having your interests understood, feeling supported about insecurities, feeling appreciated for unseen actions, etc.

Category 1: Practical gifts (feeling supported, seen and improving comfort)

- note down things your person complains about (even in small ways, like an "ugh" or regular procrastination) or often asks help for. See if you can fix this for them. I got my roommates girlfriend a sturdy stepstool so she could reach the top shelf without help. Besides practicality, it let her know she is welcome and she is not just a guest here.

Other examples can be: complaining about backpain when cooking (worksurface too high/low = stepping box or heightened cutting board) or always running around to find the laptop charging cable (gift extras for the main rooms of the house so its always there)

Category 2: based on throw away comments (feeling heard and understood)

- note down anything they off handedly mention they like or miss. I once got a whole box of specific snack item cuz I once mentioned not being allowed them as a kid and always being jealous of the others, but still hadnt tried them as an adult.

Other examples are: nice editions of favourite childrens books, classes to something "theyve always wanted to learn" or think looks cool, trips to special places, new versions of something that broke, like special mugs.

The more offhanded, the more special. If someone straight up asks for a trip to paris, go for it, but the goal here is the "omg you remembered!!" Face.

Category 3: out of reach luxury group gifts (feeling like a valued part of a community)

Think of ways to give the person the thing they outright want but could never afford. I once got all my friends family and friends together to chip in for a week of holiday she could never take. The trade off here is that she only got 1 singular present, but it is a real wow moment, not only because its valuable money wise but also because it takes time and effort to organise and the person knows that.

I would recommend setting up a digital group card for this too, so everyone can write a personal message.

Category 4: homemade (feeling like they are worth other peoples time, feeling heard and understood)

I don't believe this one is restricted to children and artists. Learning a skill for someone feels special and makes them feel like they are worth your time. It doesnt have to be artistic. Learn to perfectly cook whatever their fav dish from grandma was, get them out of the house and wallpaper that wall theyve had the paper for for 3 years but never get to it, make a bunch of funny and heartwarming picture edits to display on their fancy framed tv, sow pillow cases that perfectly fit the colour theme that they could never find in stores, learn their language and translate your wedding vows to them on a nice print, etc.

Hopefully this helps people who see themselves as terrible gift givers get in the right frame of mind. Your problem isnt that you dont know them or cant think of anything, your problem is viewing thinking of gifts as a once a year activity instead of as an ongoing project.

My wife has always loved giving flowers as gifts, but hated that they only last a few days.

So she started experimenting with making something that looks like a bouquet but is actually a blanket you can keep and use.

She went through a bunch of versions trying to get the flowers, fabric, and folding right this is the latest one she made.

I thought it was a pretty cool idea for birthdays, anniversaries, or even Mother’s Day since it’s kind of both a bouquet and a practical gift.

Maybe you have seen the crochet version, but we personally thought it was less comfy and giftable.

But then it got me thinking: is this something you’d actually give as a gift?

My boyfriend has been getting me flowers lately and he always gets my door. He'll even pay for my dinner most of the time too. I want to do sweet "just because" gifts too! I will get him his favorite treats or drinks often. However, what are other small "just because" gifts men like?

My parents moved house earlier this year and have been adopted by the local peacock, named Malcolm. He's a very good boy & comes by 2 or 3 times a day where he pecks on the window to let them know he's there and waits patiently to be fed. He occasionally lets himself into their house & did eat the carpenters sandwiches the other day, but is otherwise well behaved!

My mum wants to buy him "something nice" for Christmas but what on earth do you buy a peacock?? Are parrot / other large-ish bird toys suitable? As well behaved as Malcolm is, I don't think he's very bright...

Malcolm: https://imgur.com/a/Bg2ivkj

Update post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GiftIdeas/comments/khliuu/gift_for_malcolm_the_peacock/ & with his new bowl which Malcolm seems delighted with: https://imgur.com/a/IQ0DOJM