by Charlise Powvalla

Created on: December 12, 2008   Last Updated: January 09, 2009

You can spend hours walking through the mall or surfing websites looking for that perfect gift for the perfect woman in your life, or you can spend a few minutes thinking about your loved one in order to come up with a gift that will bring sparkles to her eyes, and make you a holiday hero. The biggest mistake men make when choosing a gift for a girlfriend is believing that they need to spend a lot of money to impress her. Most women care less about the money than the time spent, thoughtfulness, and presentation of the gift. Some of the best gifts given and received may cost nothing at all. So how do you find the perfect gift? The answer is in what you already know about your girlfriend.

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens-What are a few of her favorite things? If you're drawing a blank, start a conversation with her one day. Ask questions like "What 3 comfort items would you take with you on a deserted island?" "If you had a store and could sell anything in the world, what would it be?" "If you won a $1,000 shopping spree, which store would you spend it in?"

Make the Sacrifice-What are the things you know your girlfriend loves to do that you absolutely hate to do? The perfect gift could be the answer to this question. Often in a relationship, people give up activities that their partners don't like. Surprise your girlfriend and show your commitment to her by holding her purse while you go shopping, taking her to a chick flick, or getting tickets to a boring (in your opinion) museum or the zoo.

Share your Talents-Do you write? Play the guitar? Create websites? Draw? Are you a carpenter? Sometimes your skills and ambitions are the things that attracted your girlfriend to you in the first place. Make her knees turn to butter with a poem about her. Encourage a tear to fall down her cheek when you show her a photographic website devoted to your relationship with her. Write her a song, or make her a piece of furniture with your names on it. Gifts like these are guaranteed to earn you tons of brownie points.

Personalize Something-Take a common gift and add a special touch. If you know she wants wine glasses, have your anniversary date etched into them. Buy a nice frame or shadow box and put your favorite photo of the two of you in it along with a napkin from the restaurant you visited on your first date. Get a simple silver ring and have your pet names for each other inscribed on the inside. Personalizing a gift turns something ordinary into a tribute to your relationship.

Let Her Know you Listen to Her-Women drop hints for gifts all year round. When you see her dreamily running her hands over a scarf in the mall, make a note of it for later. If she casually says "you know what I could really use?" Pay attention when she answers her own question. Your girlfriend will be astounded when she realizes you've just given her a pair of shoes she mentioned three months agojust make sure you don't wait so long that things go out of style!

There isn't one perfect gift for your girlfriend. There are many wonderful ideas just waiting for you to discover. The problem is that most of the time gifts are bought and given in such a hurry that there isn't much thought behind it, and so you end up spending more money to show you care. Put the money back in your wallet, start listening to your girlfriend, and your relationship will be much richer for it.

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