Buying gifts for someone you don’t know very well can be a tricky endeavor. Not only is it hard to get it right, but it is all too easy to get it wrong! You can also run the risk of turning a kind gesture into an inconvenience or a burden. “As professional organizers, one of the most common items we come across in our clients’ homes are unwanted gifts that are hanging around because our clients feel too guilty to get rid of them,” Ann Lightfoot and Kate Pawlowski, authors of the book “Love Your Home Again,” say.
“Of course it’s the thought that counts,” Lightfoot and Pawlowski say, “but we recommend giving gifts that get used up or can easily be regifted.” Their gift guide motto is “Eat It, Drink It, Burn It, Spend It” because presents that fall into those categories, once used, don’t have to be stored.
Jacqueline Whitmore, etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, offers some general — and very modern — advice when picking out a gift for someone you don’t know very well. “If you don’t know someone very well, try to find out something about the person,” she says. “You can do this by asking a mutual friend or family member or by checking their social media pages (if they are on social).”
Ahead, with the help of Lightfoot, Pawlowski and Whitmore, we rounded up 50 crowd-pleasing gift ideas for people you don’t know very well, and plenty of tips for avoiding a gifting gaffe.
Need more ideas? Check out our favorite gift ideas for women, gift ideas for men, Nordstrom gifts and Amazon gifts.
When we asked Bravolebrity DJ James Kennedy for his go-to gift ideas, he told Underscored he gives out JBL portable speakers to just about everyone he knows. We agreed that music on the go is a great gift, and this small outdoor speaker is water- and dustproof, so you can bring it anywhere, from the beach to the mountains.
Small plants, like this adorable Hoya Heart, are a great gift for someone you don't know well. If a heart-shaped plant feels too familiar, there are loads of other succulents and easy-to-care-for plants to choose from.
A trivet for setting down hot serving dishes is an eminently useful object, and this rectangular white marble trivet with negative space is so elegant it practically doubles as an objet d'art when not in use.
In a world obsessed with air frying, oil misters have become a hot kitchen accessory. Even if they're not an air frying enthusiast, this mister has plenty of uses, from dressing salads to working the grill, that makes it a great gift for just about anyone.
Levain Bakery's chocolate lovers gift set is packed with everything a chocolate lover could want: classic chocolate chip cookies loaded with chips and decadent, almost brownie-like dark chocolate chocolate chip cookies.
One way to get personal without botching a gift is with monogrammed gifts. A tip: If you don't know the person's full name, opt for a single-letter monogram.
Truly one of the most useful items we've found, Apple's AirTag can be attached to anything from your bag to your wallet, ensuring they never get lost.
These salt tins are so chic you'll want them just for the packaging! The set includes five flavor-infused salts — black garlic, rosemary, black pepper, lemon zest and habanero — and a tin of pure flake sea salt.
Tranomos Elastic Sleeves slide over toiletry bottles, so you'll never worry about liquids making a mess of your bags again. Read our review to find out why we love them so much.
This 10W Qi charger perched over a plastic bowl got high marks in our review of wireless chargers for its good looks; one reviewer said it's "perfect for dumping your pocket’s contents at the end of the day, and the fake wood grain and golden underglow give it a certain je ne sais quoi."
An extra-long phone charging cord is one of those “how did I ever live without this?!” items. This 6-foot charging cord comes in red, blue, silver or gold, elevating it from an everyday tech accessory to a holiday-appropriate gift that also happens to be super useful.
A practical gift, especially one that you can personally vouch for, is a smart way to be a thoughtful gift-giver, even when you don't know the recipient terribly well. This cotton sleep mask is one of those gifts people won't know they need until they have it.
Hand sanitizer is a must when it comes to travel, but it doesn’t have to be boring, smell bad or dry out your skin. Noshinku's sanitizer mist is small enough to pass through airport security regulations, and the blend uses essential oils and alcohol derived from organic cane sugar to soften and sanitize hands simultaneously.
Matches are always a handy thing to have around. This set comes with three waterproof striker cases with 25 stormproof matches that are perfect in an emergency — plus, they look very, very cool.
If the person on your gift list lives in a cold climate, or is a fan of cold weather activities, a set of hand and toe warmers will be a very welcome gift indeed.
Disinfecting wipes are getting a makeover! Typically, cleaning products do not make great gifts, but an elevated example of the form can be something that is truly welcomed, such as this attractive hand sanitizer wipe dispenser kit.
Hot honey is a super-versatile condiment, making it a great gift for anyone at any time. We especially love it for drizzling on pizza, and for dressing up cheese and crackers to make a charcuterie board that will blow your guests away.
Fly By Jing's super-popular Sichuan Chili Crisp is the hottest (sorry) gift going right now. The sampler gift set includes shorty jars of the brand's fan-favorite flavors: Sichuan Chili Crisp, Mala Spice Mix and Zhong Sauce
This handy, bendable neck light has three color modes (yellow, warm white and cool white), three brightness levels and up to 80 hours of power from the included rechargeable battery, giving book lovers much-needed light to read wherever they may be.
Gifts of food rooted in a place, or places, make for good conversation starters with someone you may not know very well, when the occasion requires a gift, like this set of 10 chocolates from around the world.
This sturdy, food-grade stainless steel bowl comes with a nonslip and nontoxic matching mat that has raised edges to protect the floor from spills. It's available in four colors: lilac, tan, black and a limited-edition spruce.
There's no rule of gift-giving that says you can't acknowledge that you don't know someone very well! A conversation-starting game like the Icebreaker Deck is a good way to start to build a relationship with someone you'd like to get to know better.
Any pup will absolutely love the treats from Bocce’s Bakery that come in flavors like duck and blueberry, and pet parents will love that they're made from all-natural ingredients, and are oven-baked in the USA. Bocce's Bakery also makes treats for cats!
This baking-focused cookbook is filled with stripped-down, simple cakes, making it perfect for beginners as well as experienced bakers. For more cookbook ideas, check out our guide to the most giftable cookbooks, as selected by cookbook authors and experts.