What gift did you usually buy for special occasions?

i'll buy something useful.. and less expensive..

For me the safest way is gift cards! Work on everybody. My niece and nephew prefer the giftcards. Except for my own family, my daughters like clothing or toys. My hubby either electronic gadgets or clothing or something for fishing.

Unless I know the person really well (my husband, son, in-laws); I usually get them food or beverage - chocolates, fruit basket, gourmet coffee, etc. It is always appreciated and gets used. (I do make sure that I am not giving them something they cannot or will not eat - i.e. I don't give meat to a vegetarian or nuts to someone who is allergic.)

I usually get them a gift card, but if I cannot get one, will buy them a book, or a cd or a dvd. If I cannot afford anything, my husband and I get something for the house, but it all depends. We also go out for dinner and whose birthday it is does not pay, and there is usually a fight between the others as who gets the privilege of paying. Me? I stay out of it.

It's really depending on the person I am sending the gifts to. If they are my girlfriends, I would pick something girly like makeup, skin care products, clothes or accessories. They love them and the gifts would be really useful to them. But for guys, I always find it really hard to buy things for guys. I usually end up buying computer games, softwares, wallets and stuff like that. Of course, I do talk to them and kind of trick them to tell me what they wish to have or buy just before the special occasions so I wouldn't buy them something not wanted.