Inspiring Gift Ideas With Tatyana Shestopalova From GiftOn! by Donna John

The holidays are fast approaching and many of us are still wrestling with what to get the special people in our lives. To help us find inspiration – and get our shopping done – we invited Tatyana Shestopalova from GiftOn to share real-life gift stories to inspire your next gift idea. Read on to get ideas to help you deliver that perfect gift this holiday season!

Q: What on earth do I get everyone in my family this holiday season?

No one knows what to get your loved ones better than you do. Sometimes we just need to wake up that inner elf. Our community's stories taught us that sometimes, all it takes to be a great gift-giver is being a good listener. For example, one of our favorite stories was an e-reader pre-loaded with all the titles the person had wanted to read. She loved it because that extra step of pre-loading the right titles showed her partner had been listening to her.

Q: What are some things to listen for when we need gift ideas?

Hobbies and interests are a great place to start! Then it just takes a little creativity and inspiration.

• One woman shopping for someone who liked whiskey got him whiskey stones as an addition to his bar.
• Another got her man 50 pounds of coconut products because that was his favorite food. Hint: Less would be OK, too!
• As a Christmas gift, one woman baked her brother his favorite cookies every month for one year because he loves her cookies!
• Another favorite story: Pulling together a calligraphy starter set for someone who wanted to start this new hobby.

We've seen gift stories based on kids' hobbies and interests as well. Such as tickets to purse-making and pottery classes. We just spoke to someone whose dad loves surfing. She’s making him a photo collage of his favorite surf spots!

Q: If we don’t know much about the person’s interests, what are some other gift trends to follow?

We’ve seen gift stories based on memories and shared experiences, or in the spirit of creating new ones.

• One day while shopping with a friend, a woman noticed a wine bottle candle that she almost bought but didn’t. Her friend remembered that day they were out together, and gave her that candle as a birthday gift!
• We also love this story about a snow globe and a book for a teacher to commemorate her experience working abroad.
• A personal story of mine, my significant other is not a fan of tangible gifts, so for his 30th I gifted him a helicopter ride!

Q: OK got it. Some people are extremely thoughtful and crafty. To make the rest of us feel better, got any gift fails?

Oh, so many!

• Someone got chocolates in the shape of her face! They melted a bit. The visual was terrifying.
• A DIY gift fail was cutouts of Nicolas Cage’s face saying, “Your my national treasure.” Sweet or creepy, you decide!
• A personal story of mine: Last year my significant other got me an XL cat calendar for Christmas. I like cats. Not that much.

Be sure to following @letsgifton, follow them on Facebook, visit LetsGiftOn.com and check out Tatyana’s 30Seconds page!