by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: August 28, 2009

Finding gifts for people that you don't like may seem like something that you will never have to worry about, but that is not always the case. Why, you may inquire, would a person ever buy a gift for someone that they don't particularly care for? Well, this situation can arise in a number of circumstances. Maybe it's your baby brother's wife's birthday or maybe it's your boss' retirement party.

For me, it was the Christmas gift exchange at work that brought me to near insanity with the gift choosing. We had to draw names and if there was one person whose name I didn't want, it was hers. Of course, I drew it, that's the way my luck goes. After weeks of trying desperately to figure out what on earth to get for her, since I didn't really know her that well, I hit upon a goldmine of information.

There may not have been much that I knew about her, but there was something. I knew why she annoyed the heck out of me at the office. It was the fact that she was an incessant complainer. The biggest complaint was always that it was too cold. While the rest of us could be sweltering hot and miserable, she would be cranking the heat up when heads were turned.

I went online and did a search for "gifts for people who are always cold" and actually came up with quite a few results. There were many options that I had never thought of. Of course, there were the typical sweaters and jackets, which wouldn't work since I didn't really know her size or what she'd like. I ended up being redirected through my initial search to www.amazon.com, where I found the perfect gift. I happily, and with much relief, ordered an electric neck warmer and slippers she could put on those cold little feet right under her desk.

I will admit, I was still a little nervous about it. The incessant complainer may not be happy no matter what she received. The day finally came, though, for the exchange of gifts. When she opened it, she was absolutely thrilled. So was I, since no one wants to be the giver of the gift that is less than appreciated.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, you can do exactly what I did. Think about why it is that you don't care for the person and use that to your advantage. The best part of the story is that in buying that gift, I learned that she wasn't actually what I had thought her to be at all. The gift opened the way for conversation where I learned that she had real medical issues that made her not only cold, but a bit on the moody side at times. Today, she is my cold and occasionally moody friend.

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