Most People Want This for Christmas

As gift-givers, we get the biggest high when we put a lot of thought into a gift that has special meaning and it makes the receiver laugh, cry, or jump up and down.  But the best gift, apparently, requires no thought at all.

We can save ourselves the trouble of spending hours searching for the perfect gift this Christmas because the most-requested one is something that we can grab on our way out of the grocery store.

The National Retail Federation says gift cards are requested this year by 59 percent of people surveyed.  So if we have ten people to buy for, it looks like gift cards are a safe bet for six of them.  Those who don't put gift cards at #1 would rather have clothing or accessories, and then books or other media, according to the survey.

And here's an interesting note.  Women are 67 percent more likely to ask for gift cards than men.  And I think I know why.  Because guys forget to spend 'em!  Give a woman a gift card and she will combine it with three coupons and a cash-back reward, and suddenly that gift card's value has doubled.  We do not mess around.  Guys stick a gift card in their wallets and forget about it until next Christmas.  Or, until we find it and offer to spend it for them.  That works out well too.

I've already stocked up on tons of gift cards for my sister and two nieces, and for the mailman, the dog groomer, teachers, and my manicurist.  They're an easy gift, and if we don't end up giving them away as gifts, we'll use 'em ourselves!  Oh, and I got the gift cards at a store that was offering big fuel points as a reward for buying gift cards and ended up with over a thousand points for a dollar-per-gallon off a tank of gas.  There are bonuses in it for the giver too if you do a little research.

Gift cards make Christmas morning a little less fun because unwrapping them is a tad uneventful, but they make most people happy so there will be no shortage of them under the tree this year. And there are usually some monster sales right after Christmas so it's the perfect time to shop.  

Win some gift cards right here on the website too.  Good luck!