Birthday gifts are definitely the most fun kind of gift to buy for someone. For one thing, unlike other holidays, a birthday is all about one person who you know and love well enough to buy a gift for – this isn’t about checking off a list of names and choosing socks for an uncle you see once a year! But if you’re getting someone a birthday gift, of course you want it to be a really good one! And sometimes, even the best intentions turn into bad birthday gifts. So we’ve put together some of our top tips for buying the best birthday gifts, to help you become a great gift giver and give your friends, family and loved ones the best birthdays they could hope for!

Know your audience. Really, spend time thinking carefully about the person you’re buying for. Yes, you know that they play golf and love dogs, but what about the smaller stuff? You want to do better than an annual golf-related gift right? What’s their favorite color? What makes them laugh? When are they happiest? If they had three wishes, what would they wish for? These are the questions you should ask yourself about them. Make a list and keep it in your mind, and you’ll start to see gifts that you might not have previously considered. These are the gifts that show you’ve really considered the person you’re buying for, and they’re the gifts that make people feel most loved and happy.

The 5 p’s – Proper planning prevents poor presents. You may know the birthday girl or boy more than you know anyone else in the world. You might have the best idea for a gift for them, one that you know will make them cry with joy and feel completely loved – but you need to give yourself time to get it. Many a birthday and Christmas gift is ruined when shops sell out of certain items, or internet delivery means that there’s no way a gift will arrive in time. Be organised.

Taking little notes throughout the year is a great idea. When you see something online that you know someone will love, bookmark the page. Make a special ‘gifts’ folder. Likewise if you hear someone talk about something they love or would love, write it down, and it’ll help you when their birthday draws near.

Consider the occasion. Is it a sweet 16th, 21st, 30th etc? If it’s a big birthday, go a little bigger with the gift than you would for a regular birthday. If this means pooling resources with a friend or two, do it. Give the birthday girl/boy something to remember their big day with!

Finally, if you know lots about the person you are buying for, and you feel confident to do it, by all means put together a little birthday gift set. Five or ten smaller items that you know they’ll really love in a nice basket or box shows that you’ve really put some time into them and their gift, and that’s what makes people happiest of all when they receive a gift!