Gifts for people who have everything

Everyone has one person on the list who answers “I don’t need anything” and means it. Their shelves are full, and if they want something they buy it themselves in November. Buying them one more object rarely helps. A better plan is to give something that doesn’t need a place on a shelf.

Give something that gets used up

Consumables don’t have to be stored, dusted or returned. Choose a nicer version of something the person already uses every week.

• Olive oil, vinegar or honey from a small producer
• Coffee beans or tea, matched to how they brew it
• A bar of soap or a hand cream they would call too expensive
• Candles made from beeswax or soy
• Stationery: thick writing paper, envelopes and stamps
• Seeds or bulbs for a gardener, timed for the next planting season

The test is simple. Would they enjoy using it, and will it be gone by spring? If both answers are yes, it’s a good gift.

Replace something worn out

People who have everything often keep using everyday things long after they should have been replaced, because the old one still works. Look for the thing they touch daily and never think about.

• Dish towels and oven mitts
• A vegetable peeler or a pair of kitchen scissors
• A phone charging cable that is long enough to reach the sofa
• A sturdy umbrella to replace the one with the bent spoke
• Wool socks or slippers
• Pillowcases

These are not exciting presents, but they get used every day. Write on the card why you chose it: “You have been fighting with that peeler since 2015.”

Give an experience

Tickets and gift cards are easier to use when they are specific. A gift card for “a restaurant” can get lost in a drawer, while a reserved table on a named Saturday has a date attached.

• Tickets to a concert, a play or a game, with a date
• A class in something they have mentioned: bread, pottery, a language
• A membership to a museum, a garden or a local theater
• A subscription that arrives monthly, such as a magazine, coffee or flowers
• A day trip you plan and drive

If you can, come along. For many people, the company is the part they wanted.

Give time or skill

Some of the best presents cost very little.

• Scan a box of old family photos and put prints in an album, with names and dates written underneath
• Cook and freeze four dinners
• Do a job they have been putting off: clear the garden, fix the gate, set up the new phone
• Write down a family recipe properly, with photos, and print copies for the whole family
• Record an hour of them telling stories, and share the file with the family

Put it in writing. A handwritten card that says “One Saturday of garden work, redeemable in March” makes it real.

Give in their name

A donation to a cause they care about suits people who truly want nothing. Choose a charity connected to their life rather than yours, and print the confirmation to put in the card.

What to avoid

• Gadgets that solve a problem they don’t have
• Decorative objects, unless you know their taste very well
• Novelty versions of things they already own
• Anything that creates work, such as a pet, a plant that needs daily care or a complicated machine

A shortcut

If you are still stuck, ask their partner or closest friend one question: “What do they keep meaning to buy and never do?” The answer is often something small and specific.