5 Gifts to Buy For People You Don’t Know Well

Gift cards and winter accessories make the list.

Each holiday season countless Americans face the challenge of buying Christmas gifts for people they don’t know well—be it someone they’ve recently started dating, coworkers for a Secret Santa exchange or in-laws. It’s no easy task to buy a present for a person you’ve just met or have never spent time with outside of the confines of the office. Still, it can be done. Below are five gift ideas for the acquaintances in your life.

Gift Cards: It’s hard to go wrong with a gift card. Just make sure the gift certificate isn’t to a place that sells very specific items. Instead, purchase gift cards to major department stores; online merchants that sell a variety of products, such as Amazon.com; or to retailers like Target—where people, no matter their age, gender or background—can find something to their liking.

Picture Frames/Photo Albums: A nice picture frame or photo album makes a good gift for an acquaintance, as most people hang pictures in their home or would appreciate an album to collect the variety of photos they’ve compiled over the years.

Winter Accessories: Consider getting a glove-scarf-hat set for a new acquaintance. Err on the conservative side, though. That means opt for dark-colored accessories and skip any wild or bold prints since you likely don’t know the person’s style preferences enough to make that call.

Baked Goods: Unless the person you’re buying a present for is a diabetic or otherwise ill, it’s pretty safe to assume that your acquaintance will appreciate a gift of holiday cookies, holiday pie or another baked good. After all, most people decide to watch their waistlines after New Year’s Day.

Beverage Basket: Wine and cheese baskets or coffee and tea baskets make excellent gifts for people you don’t know very well. If you’re not sure what a person’s drinking habits are, casually ask the acquaintance if they indulge in wine, coffee or both. Find out what kind of coffee or wine they like or if they’re fans of tea instead. The more variety the gift basket has, the higher the chance the recipient will enjoy it.

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