A professional gift selector has shared her guaranteed strategy for choosing the ideal Christmas present that will truly delight recipients, while also revealing the common purchasing mistake everyone should avoid.
The Art of Thoughtful Gifting
Lizzie Scholes, 31, has turned her talent for finding perfect presents into a career as a gift selector at gifting company Needi, where she holds the title 'Head of Feel Good'. Her role involves carefully choosing Christmas gifts for people based specifically on their interests and personal needs.
Lizzie emphasises that successful gifting isn't about how many presents you buy, but rather selecting the right gift that carries meaning. She insists there's absolutely no need to overspend recklessly during the festive season.
"People want connection and not more clutter," Lizzie explained. "The key with this type of gift is understanding the person you are buying for and ensuring that it's still going to be something they will use."
What Makes a Gift Truly Special
The professional gift picker advocates for choosing quality over quantity, an approach that works equally well for both adults and children. This method also helps manage escalating costs during expensive periods like Christmas.
According to Lizzie, certain types of gifts consistently feel more valuable than expensive hauls. These include experience-led gifts, interest-based presents, and time-based offerings that create lasting memories rather than adding to household clutter.
She particularly recommends this approach for people who seem to "have everything," as thoughtful experiences or personalised items can still surprise and delight them.
The Perfect Gift Pairing Formula
For close family members, friends, and partners, Lizzie has developed what she calls "the perfect formula" - combining an experience with a small personalised item.
"This type of gift carries emotional weight and once again, doesn't have to break the bank," she noted. "It can also be supplementary to an experience or voucher-based gift."
For the experience component, she suggests considering a day out together such as brunch followed by a leisurely walk, a voucher for their favourite nail salon with lunch, theatre or concert tickets, a dinner for two, a spa day, or creative classes like pottery painting or jewellery making.
For the physical gift to unwrap, think about framed family photos or personalised items related to their hobbies. "Adding personalisation takes it from a basic gift to something that truly means something," Lizzie explained. "A mug that you have picked up from Sainsburys and a mug you have had personalised with text or photos are two extremely different gifts."
The Major Gift-Giving Mistake to Avoid
Lizzie offers one crucial piece of advice about what not to buy: duplicates of items people already purchase for themselves.
She cautions that these routine purchases "rarely deliver the wow factor a gift should have" and can make the present feel "more like a routine restock than a thoughtful surprise."
However, she does acknowledge one exception: "The only exception is when it's an item they genuinely need but can't always afford or is hard to get hold of; in those cases, the practicality becomes part of the thoughtfulness."
Lizzie's Step-by-Step Guide to Perfect Presents
The professional gift selector breaks down her approach into a simple, actionable process that anyone can follow:
Start by considering what type of person you're purchasing for - whether they're sentimental, enjoy staying at home, or have particular hobbies and interests.
Next, think about how you want to make them feel - whether you're aiming to create excitement, or help them feel cherished and valued through your gift choice.
Then, ensure the gift aligns with their lifestyle by asking: "What do they actually need right now? Is it a £50 beauty set that will just end up in the cupboard? Or do they actually need a night out with no stress - like a £50 dinner voucher to their favourite restaurant?"
Finally, Lizzie recommends removing the concept of "gifting for gifting's sake" and always considering how your present will be received. "Give with purpose – aim for your gift to bring joy or happiness," she advises.
By following this method and focusing on the meaning behind the gift rather than the quantity, anyone can become a more thoughtful and successful gift-giver this Christmas season.
