I'm ~20 years old and usually when I'm buying a gift from someone its for a close friend who I know well, so I don't have trouble thinking of something for them.
However I have this distant relative / friend who I've gotten really close to since he's been really helping / guiding me for the last year with my academics / professional life.
His birthday is in ~three weeks and I want to get him something. I've plane tickets but still no present.
I wanted to get him a bottle of good scotch or tequila, but it's a pain in the ass to get it delivered / i cant buy it myself, etc etc...
>What are some good birthday presents for someone you don't know that well?
I've been thinking a piece of clothing, or a set of rocks for drinking scotch without ice, etc. How do you pick gifts for 30+ people?
>>16984775
If he has been advising/helping you, you have to have picked up some hints about what he likes or is interested in - writers, musicians, philosophy, sports, something.
Buy him a book about his interests.
>>16984855
I don't know how to pick a book, its a good idea though, i'll look in the /lit/ wiki
>>16984775
You can never go wrong with gift cards or money.
>>16984937
You can go wrong with gift cards.
I asked my dad for American flag sweatpants and a trump hat for christmas.
My stepmom bought a subway, dominos, and olive garden gift card. Like she specifically picked the most terrible places to eat and made me eat there. I still have money on the subway one because that place is fucking terrible.
>>16984775
Giving gifts is kind of gay.
What's the occasion?
>>16984996
Birthday present
>>16984937
It feels really lazy
>>16984775
>I wanted to get him a bottle of good scotch or tequila
Alcohol is an "okay" gift at best. It doesn't even get close to "good" gift status.
It's okay in that most people enjoy a drink, and most people will drink most kinds of alcohol, allthough at christmas it's fairly common that people recieve a bottle as a present then give it to someone else as their gift.
There is a problem with it though. Let's say you want to buy me a bottle - I drink brandy at home, allthough not often (three bottles will do me for two years), so you get me some of that. There are two ways it can go. You either buy me a different brand to my usual one, at which point I smile, say thankyou and start trying to work out who's going to get it as a christmas present. Or, you buy my preffered brand, at which point I smile, say thankyou, and start trying to figure out if there's enough room to store it with the rest that I allready have (there was an offer on las time I bought some whereby you got 5% off if you got six bottles - I currently have enough in stock to last me up to the summer of 2023).
>>16985048
Most people think it's a good gift if they entertain. People that like having people over stock a bar with midshelf alcohol and usually wouldn't bother to buy themselves anything top shelf. That's why it's a good gift. It's a luxury you wouldn't notmally buy. Like good cologne. Givenchy colone is something I've never bought myself but love as a gift.
A luxury that one wouldn't normally buy because you want it and don't need it is always a good gift.
>>16985048
I see what you mean, this guy buys mostly whiskey and scotch, but he drinks pretty much anything, so like >>16985057 said I think a good bottle of tequila would be something that he would normally never buy, but would really enjoy.
The main problem is that you can't have alcohol that you bought online delivered in PA, and I can't bring the bottle with me because im 20 and i'm flying into the US from another country, so they'd take it from me in customs.
>>16985140
Get someone to buy some Patron for you to give them here. Or one of those really fancy ones that come in colored skulls.
>>16985263
>gay
Na man liquor is ok like that other anon says but at 30 you are usually out of the drunken stupid stage. I say for someone 21 to 24 it's perfect then it goes down as you get older.
It's hard because at 30 you can get just about anything you really want and need.
Ask around what his hobby is. If he likes history you can get him a range of things that are related to that.
If he likes poetry get him a poetry book
He likes hunting get him a good knife.
He likes fixing cars get him a gift card for an auto parts place.
The reason gift cards are good is because if you spend 50 bucks on something mediocre, he could have gotten it himself and probably something better.
If he's got an awesome hobby like playing cards get him about awesome deck of cards.
If he writes by hand a lot get him a great set of pens.
These are cheap enough ~$100 for something that would be the best of what it is.
If he's into collecting coins get him an ancient roman coin or a Greek one. These are one of a kindish things.
>>16985287
Gays know how to give a gift though. They have better tastes than straight men who never try at anything.
