It is that time of year again…every year we plan on being prepared, shopping ahead of time, paying attention throughout the year to get that perfect gift! Some of you are so organized you can accomplish that and have your holiday shopping done before the season even begins!

Good for you, I am sending my applause, seriously there is some jealousy there, but I do applaud you! I wish I could be that person; I always plan to be that person to have it all done. IT. JUST. NEVER. HAPPENS.

For the rest of us, (the not-so-organized side) a panic begins to set in.

What is the perfect gift to get your friends, family, neighbors, clients, teachers?

The list can go on for days and it can become overwhelming! We all want to show our appreciation with that one special gift that makes the recipient’s eyes light up when they open it.

But where do you begin? How do you plan that perfect gift to get the “how did you know” reaction?
There are ways to get it done and take the stress out of it or at least some of it.

Sit down and plan a list. Don’t just write a list of names but get more in-depth with it. You do not have to do it all at once, give yourself time to think.

Separate your list into categories: personal, social, school/work, and clients. Then start on one category at a time and divide it into subcategories with questions for each. I love to use an excel spreadsheet. Yes, I know that does not seem very personal, but it does help me organize everything. I do this for all my clients, and it seems to help them tremendously.

Let’s start with the category for clients and move backward. First, make a basic list of clients you want to include. Secondly, divide them into pricing subcategories.

Think to yourself what type of overall budget you have for your clients and then break it down to different levels. It can be any range but try to only pick 3-4 ranges to make it easier for you to divide. I recommend having a 10, 30, 50, and 100. After you have your list of names and budget categories start assigning each name to a category.

An important question to ask yourself is the amount of business they have done with you throughout the year. You most likely are not going to put someone who spent 100.00 with you for the year into the category with the same amount. Reasonably they would go in the 10.00 range.

After you have put them into budget categories, you can break it down further or do one gift for each budget group. If you want to break it down more, ask yourself how well you know them, likes and dislikes, hobbies, etc.

Don’t drill down too much and make it more difficult than it needs to be. Everyone loves to get a gift and sometimes we can overthink it. You can do a low-budget gift for someone that still has meaning. A personalized ornament. for example, is inexpensive but personal and thoughtful.

Don’t overwork yourself to the point of too much stress. Gift-giving should be fun.

If you need to, seek out advice or help from a professional gifting company. They can help you simplify your gift-giving while still giving a meaningful gift that anybody would love to receive! Happy Gifting!