Special Gift Ideas | Gift Ideas for People Who Are Hard to Buy For

Special Gift Ideas to Kick-Start Your Imagination

Special gift ideas are on a different level than your typical, run-of-the-mill birthday card or retirement gift. When you really want to make your gift matter to the person who's receiving it – even if they're notoriously difficult to shop for – you'll need to put more thought into it than a grocery-counter impulse purchase.

In fact, you'll want to start coming up with your special gift ideas today; if you're going to be ordering something that needs to be custom-built in advance, there's really no time to lose.

So where do you start? After all, if coming up with special gift ideas was a short order, every gift would be special. Getting your gift together will take time, consideration, and most importantly, imagination. Being thoughtful about your gift means that you were willing to sacrifice time as well as money. If you're buying a gift for the person who has everything, you have to give them something they'll enjoy and they couldn’t have imagined receiving.

This sounds difficult. But it doesn't have to be.

Special Gift Ideas – In a Box

The quickest way to make a gift idea "special" is to have it customized. Before going further I should explain “customize”. It is doing something, usually one at a time, in collaboration with a client. Years ago good cars often were made to a customer’s wishes. Even now many houses are built from plans that are the result of the interaction of the client and architect. But now few men have their shoes built on a last of their foot and few women go to Dior or a local seamstress to have a dress made from scratch. Luxury items can be beautiful but usually they are not made specifically for a customer. The maker-client interaction is too expensive. But, when it works, the customized object is terrific. Customized puzzles from J. C. Ayer & Co. are good examples.

What is a customizable jigsaw puzzle? Well, many of us are already aware of the store-bought puzzle, boxes with landscapes and puppy dog faces on the front labeled "1,000 pieces." Those can be great gifts, but a customizable jigsaw puzzle takes the gift to the next level: what if you can have a picture or message added into the jigsaw puzzle itself?

You can. J.C. Ayer & Co. puzzles can include photographs – digital or otherwise – commemorating family events, celebrating an achievement, or even capturing a silly moment. Customizing can take two forms: the picture and the puzzle design. It used to be that cameras never lied. Now cameras can and do lie through their teeth. An altered picture can make a very challenging puzzle. A standard puzzle design can be altered by adding special pieces, changing shapes or adding drop-out-lettering, such as a date or a name. Jim Ayer will work with you to make a puzzle of your off-the-wall ideas.

If you think of a customizable jigsaw puzzle as your starting point, some special gift ideas become a little easier to come by. For the retired grandparent, putting together a jigsaw puzzle of his/her grandchildren makes an excellent way to spend a Saturday afternoon. For the puzzle nut, a puzzle with a picture and a well-wishing birthday message can become an instant obsession – until the next puzzle arrives, of course!

How to Put Together Your Special Gift Ideas

Of course, putting together a completely customized puzzle doesn't happen overnight. Even before you contact J.C. Ayer & Co., you'll need to get a few affairs straight. Let's take a look at some of the steps you'll want to take before you see that customized puzzle arriving in the mail.

First, ask yourself what the recipient would like a puzzle of, not necessarily what you want. For any special gift idea, this is a frequent problem: remove yourself from the equation and figure out what would really pull on the heart strings of the gift recipient. They don't exactly need to spend time putting together a puzzle of your own portrait, but a parent or grandparent might appreciate a picture of the entire family.

If you need a little help with coming up with special gift ideas even when you know you're going to buy a customized jigsaw puzzle, do a little research. You're buying the gift for someone specific, so find out more about their interests and their passions. The sailing buff might love to complete a puzzle featuring a picture of them waving from their sailboat; the proud grandparent will enjoy seeing all of their grandchildren in one place – even if it's in a few hundred pieces!

Second, start generating some really special gift ideas by taking the concept from the step mentioned above and adding something to it. You can incorporate two of the recipient's interests by photo-shopping two photographs together, or you can put together a humorous picture that pastes their head on someone else's body. If you're buying a puzzle for your boss, a running joke in the office can make a great concept for a puzzle. Now, how can you incorporate it into a puzzle?

Third, be sure to plan in advance. Special gift ideas often require more customization, so you can't exactly pick up your jigsaw puzzle from J.C. Ayer & Co. at Wal-Mart. Instead, be sure to start planning several weeks ahead so that you can be sure about availability and estimates. There's nothing that limits your options for special gift ideas so much as having no time to accomplish anything. Two weeks are often enough but think three to be on the safe side.

Fourth, make sure you have everything you need to send J.C. Ayer & Co. Make sure you know what kind of puzzle you'll want and how you can have J.C. Ayer & Co. put it together for you. Different options are available, so make sure you get familiar with the different choices you can make. As in the third step, remember that one of the most important commodities you'll have is time in advance.

Approaching Gift-Giving from the Right Frame of Mind

Learning unique, special gift ideas also helps shape your perspective: giving gifts isn't about flaunting the amount of spending money you have available, it's about giving a gift that actually has a positive impact on someone else. Whether you're giving them something with a great emotional impact like a custom jigsaw puzzle, or spending money on something they've wanted for a long time, the best kind of gift comes from the heart.

Remember that giving a customized gift shows that you put a more extra thought and effort into a gift than many people give. The compliment that comes with a customized, unique gift idea can often mean more to the recipient than an expensive gadget or a fancy new toy.

What does your gift say about how you feel?

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