Haydee [00:00:30]:
Well, hello there. Welcome to Voluptuous Questions. I’m SO happy to be with you once again. My name is Haydee. And today, we’ll be talking about a VERY fun topic. But first, let me ask you something BEFORE I ask you the main Voluptuous Question. How confident are you when it comes to gift-giving? Not so much? Don’t worry. I got you.

Haydee [00:00:59]:
Today’s question is, what are THE best gifts you can get the special people in your life? I realized that the best gift is in the eye of the beholder. But I have been told that I’m a thoughtful gift-giver, so I’ll share my secrets. So without further ado, here are my secrets for gift-giving. Number 1. Buy useful gifts, but not the typical gifts. If you’re guilty of receiving gifts, but not using them right away, like me, hashtag I have a confession, then you KNOW that one of THE best things you can do is buy something that people WILL use. This is ESPECIALLY important when it comes to giving men gifts. The more practical but cool the gift is, the better. And to those guys listening, DO NOT fall into the cliché of buying your significant other something to do house chores with.

Haydee [00:02:13]:
That’s not the thoughtful and romantic vibe ladies like us are going for. Number 2. Buy tech gifts. Everyone loves technology. Most men, women, and kids. Who would say no to Apple, for instance? It’s one of my favorite companies EVER. And, no, I’m not saying that you have to buy EVERYONE in your life an Apple product, although you CAN if you can swing it. What I’m talking about is anything from a wireless speaker, a portable Apple charger, and any cool gadget that makes your home smarter, cooler, and just a pleasure to live in. Number 3. Buy them the toy they always wanted as a child but never had.

Haydee [00:03:11]:
No matter how affluent you were or weren’t in your childhood, it is VERY likely that your loved ones have a toy that they WISH Santa would have brought them, but Santa didn’t. Ironically, it’s probably VERY inexpensive. But if you got it for them, it would mean the WORLD to them and touch their heart VERY much. Just imagine how YOU would feel if you unwrapped a gift and that toy that you yearned for many years ago was FINALLY there, in your hands. Doesn’t it bring tears to your eyes just thinking about it? I assure you that despite its monetary value and how easy it could have been for you to get that gift for yourself, knowing that someone took the time to find out what that toy is and actually got it for you would mean so much. The reason for this is because Christmas is mostly about experiencing its magic through hope and love. And getting this type of gift as an adult would make you experience precisely that magic and FINALLY fulfill that hope in a very loving and unexpected way. Number 4, buy them an experience.

Haydee [00:04:45]:
You’ve heard it before. In a world that can be SO materialistic, many people DON’T want one more thing. Instead, they want to LIVE more. So buying someone a concert ticket is a gift when you open it, a gift of hope as you wait for the concert date to finally arrive, a gift of experiencing the concert, and the memories that going to that concert leaves you with. As a music lover, I can’t think of a more exciting thing to look forward to other than trips and having a baby, of course. My brother gifted me a concert ticket last Christmas, and it was one of my BEST highlights this year. But I realize that not all of us can buy concert tickets for ALL of our loved ones. That’s why things like Spotify subscriptions or magazine subscriptions can be the gift that keeps on giving.

Haydee [00:05:52]:
Number 5. Give them a gift based on a conversation you’ve had. Nothing showcases what a great listener and companion you are better than buying someone something they mentioned to you in a random conversation, but that you took a note of and surprised them with on Christmas Day. For example, if someone says that they would like to learn a skill or a language, you can give them an item, a subscription, or a class, whether in person or online, to learn that skill. You might think that this is the least exciting of gifts, but ladies, listen up. It’s SO RARE for men to feel as heard as this, that if you were to gift your guy this type of gift, they would be SO impressed. And guess what? It applies to ALL men, from those who have a modest income ALL the way to those that earn 8 figures or more. I suppose that it’s because in this gift, it’s TRULY the thought that went into it that counted.

Haydee [00:07:08]:
Because in the end, we all want to be seen, heard, and loved. Number 6. If none of the tips I’ve given you convince you, my BEST tip for buying someone a gift is to buy them something that YOU truly, truly, truly love and you honestly think they would too. I realized that we all want to be unique. Trust me, I know. And not to be twinning with people with our outfits or our belongings. But there are products that are WAY too good to gatekeep.

Haydee [00:07:56]:
Think about your best purchases this year, last year, and in your whole entire life. Then spread the love this holiday season, literally, and introduce people to some of the best products you’ve ever experienced. Everybody deserves that type of joy and delight. Now that I’ve told you my best tips, I want to share with you the gift-buying don’ts. Number 1. As much as possible, avoid giving clothes. I love clothes and fashion, but even I don’t like to receive clothes as gifts. Therefore, I try to stay away from giving clothes.

Haydee [00:08:47]:
The only clothes I’ve gifted have been bathrobes and pajamas because if they don’t necessarily love the fit, they can still wear them in the comfort of their home. One exception to this are ties because, well, obviously, those fit. The very thought of someone thinking about what size I am or me thinking about what size they are is very uncomfortable, in my opinion. Talk about checking someone out. Don’t you think? LOL. That’s totally an invitation to have someone check you out and you checking them out. And if they’re family members, well, that is kinda cringe. LOL! And asking someone what size they are might be a bit awkward, too. Giving kids clothes is probably the exception.

Haydee [00:09:47]:
Most of them aren’t truly affected by what their size is. And some of the baby and kids clothing is just too adorable to pass up. The unfortunate thing about giving kids clothes is, number 1, they’ll outgrow it very soon. And 2, if they’re older, they would MUCH prefer a toy than clothes, especially if, like me, they have an aunt who always gave them underwear. Yep. Totally cringe. Totally traumatized. LOL. Number 2.

Haydee [00:10:27]:
Just because someone likes an animal, a character, or a movie does NOT mean that you should overwhelm them with gifts of the same kind year after year. If you want to buy them a gift that represents their favorite thing, I would recommend a gift that represents their favorite show since it’s likely that it reflects a newer passion of theirs instead of something that they probably already have a huge collection of. Don’t make people regret sharing with you what their favorites are every time they open a gift, and it’s the same old, same old. Be unique. Everybody loves novelty, so don’t bore them with their favorite thing. Number 3. Try to stay away from scents. They’re SO subjective.

Haydee [00:11:24]:
This applies to perfumes, body sprays, scented lotions, room sprays, carpet deodorizers, fancy laundry detergent, essential oils, unless you’re gifting them for their proprietary benefits, and candles. The exception to this is if you know that they love a specific perfume, and you won’t mess up if you get it for them. Scents have the power to be a big turn-on OR a big turn-off. Don’t turn them off. It’s VERY challenging for even us to know what scent WE will like without ever smelling it. I’m saying this because very recently, I bought many of those products that I mentioned from a company, and I had to return the majority of that order because I couldn’t STAND the scents. And an extra tip I can give you based on that experience is that not all the home fragrances that are dupes smell good. And often, the names that are less pretty actually smell the best.

Haydee [00:12:41]:
I know. My mind was blown when I discovered this, but I’m passing that tip in case it’s useful to you in the future. Number 4. Don’t buy them food gifts if you can help it. Once they eat them, they’re gone, and they’ll have nothing to remember you by. So I wouldn’t buy food UNLESS you know that that person is struggling financially. In that case, buy them a whole entire grocery haul. The only other exception I can think of is buying them cake or desserts from my favorite bakery, which is Porto’s Bakery. It’s a famous Cuban bakery in California that delivers frozen treats to the continental US and that you sometimes need to bake.

Haydee [00:13:34]:
The exception is their cakes, which you simply need to defrost and are delicious. In a podcast episode about birthdays, I’ve mentioned that I have purchased my own birthday cakes, and this is the bakery I have ordered them from. So if they can make it to my birthday celebration, they’re worthy as gifts, for sure. I know that not everybody who is listening to me lives in the US. but if you have something like that in your country or better yet, a delectable local bakery, that would be awesome. As you know, buying gifts takes A LOT of time because you have to decide what to get, get it, unpack it or unload it, wrap it, tag it, and hand it over to them. So I’ll keep this episode shorter than usual so that you can go check out the gift guide by going to this episode’s show notes that you’ll find at www.voluptuousquestions.com/podcasts, and clicking the name of this episode. There, you will see the gift recommendations broken down by gifts for her, gifts for him, and gifts for kids.

Haydee [00:15:06]:
And if you’d love to share the best gifts you’ve gotten the special people in YOUR life or received from them, please write to me by visiting @VoluptuousQuestions on TikTok, sending me a message on www.voluptuousquestions.com/contact, OR leaving a comment on today’s show notes by visiting www.voluptuousquestions.com/podcast, right underneath the gift guide. Above all, enjoy the process of finding a gift for that special someone. One of THE best ways to do it is to start shopping as early as possible so that you can focus on the true meaning of Christmas and on the love that you have to share and on the people you want to share it with. Happy Holidays! 🎄🎁 Love you lots. Remember, YOU’RE the star of this podcast and the star of your life. Keep shining brightly, always. ✨⭐️✨