How to Pick Gifts Even Better Than Santa, Using Science

This post contains affiliate links. This means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase. Read the full disclosure here.

Ah, the holiday season. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, the winter solstice, or Kwanzaa, you know that this is a special time of year. And it’s important to get gifts for everyone on your list—not only because it’s nice to give gifts but also because people feel obligated to reciprocate with a present of their own.

Gift-giving is an art, but it’s also a science. There are rules that govern this process, and if you’re not well-versed in them, then your Santa Claus game will suffer. The best way to improve your gift-giving skills is by studying the science of it all: what makes for a good gift? How do you know if someone likes something? How can you tell if they haven’t already gotten something similar from another person? All these questions and more are answered in this article on how to pick gifts better than Santa himself!

So what’s the best way to pick something that’ll make both parties happy? We asked an expert in gift-giving behavior. She shared her top tips for picking out great presents no matter who you’re shopping for:

Get to know your audience

You can’t go wrong with a gift that reflects your loved one’s interests. Think about their hobbies, favorite foods and entertainment, work schedules, and more when deciding on an appropriate present. And if there’s something you’re not sure about? Ask! The most thoughtful presents are those tailored to each person’s individual tastes—and asking for input is the best way to get it.

Avoid negative stereotypes.

When you’re shopping for a loved one, it’s easy to fall into the trap of making assumptions about that person’s interests and personality. But your loved one is an individual with their own unique quirks, so don’t assume anything!

Stereotypes are especially prevalent when shopping for certain types of people: men and women, old people and young people, white people, and black people. If you’ve ever been on a date with someone who claimed not to be racist but then proceeded to make racist jokes anyway or made fun of someone based on the color of their skin or where they were from (or both), then chances are good that they have some stereotypes in mind too.

As a result, they might mistake your friendliness or interest as flirting rather than friendship because they’re expecting something else entirely. The best way around this problem is simply not worrying about it—just focus on getting to know them instead of worrying about what kind of person they are at first glance based solely on these kinds of topics.

Consider cultural differences in gift-giving

If you don’t already know the person, it’s worthwhile to find out what their culture says about gift-giving. We’ve all been there at some point: You want to buy a gift for someone, but you’re not sure what they’ll like. Fortunately, there are ways to find out before making a purchase.

First, take into account the cultural differences between yourself and your giftee. If you live in an area that isn’t heavily populated by people from other places—say, if your town is largely homogeneous—then chances are good that most of the people around you share similar backgrounds and beliefs about gift-giving practices.

But if this isn’t true for where you live or work (or whatever situation applies), then consider asking around until someone mentions something helpful and relevant to your situation (e.g., “I’m going shopping today; do they give presents here?”). You might even get lucky enough as a stranger asking around at random!

Next up: What do people in general think of giving gifts? As we’ve learned throughout history (and will continue learning until humanity reaches its inevitable end), it’s important to understand how others perceive their own actions before doing anything else; otherwise, we risk coming off as rude or insensitive (or both!).

Gifts have long been given during holidays such as Christmas or Hanukkah because these celebrations were used by early civilizations as an excuse for mass consumerism–but today’s society has begun using them less often than ever before due primarily because cost containment measures introduced several years ago means that most products sold now are either useless junk or cost way too much money compared with their actual utility value.

Final Thoughts

If you’re curious about how to pick better gifts than Santa, we hope this blog post has given you some ideas. Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to gift giving, and that it’s okay if not everyone loves the same things as you do. If all else fails, go with what brings joy to your heart—and remember that the best gifts are the ones that come from within!