gift guide 2013

Putting together gift guides at magazines are generally laborious undertakings. Hundreds (literally) of products are called in, scrutinized, rejected, asked for in an exclusive color, tested, and carefully considered so that when you look through the pages, you feel like everyone that you might have to shop for is represented in the product mix. I always liked working on gift guides, so as I mentioned before, I will be sharing gift ideas* over the next few weeks—though I will admit my process will not be quite as rigorous.

When reviewing a product, aside from other factors we considered, one of the most important questions we always asked was, "Is this special enough?" We want the wow! factor of finding the gift, and frankly, that's the point, right? Finding just the right thing for each person, so they feel like you really know and understand them and the things that make them happy. 

That's my favorite part about gift-buying, when they open the gift and you can tell immediately it's just right. So, I will share as many ideas as I can to help you find just the right thing for the people you love to (or have to) give gifts to.

*Most days I'll be suggesting individual gifts, but I hope to also provide at least a couple round-ups organized by a theme. Either way, by selecting the gift category from the menu on the right side of this page, you'll be able to see each item I've suggested all in one place.

image via pinterest

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