Gifted at gifting

I have found it amazing how some people are exceptionally good at picking out gifts. I try my best.

The pre requisites- give or take a few :
Money- Not always a deterrent, some of the best gifts I have received would have cost nothing
Taste- Not yours. You must try to appreciate the recipient's tastes.
Time- That is tough, particularly if you work in the back of beyond and are dependent on hubby for transport
Thought- You need to apply your mind. Imagine if you gift a hair style gel to a bald man or a cat to a rat lover.
Heart- you should want to make it special- respect the person and the occasion enough to make an effort

Here are some gift types which I dread:
Merry go round- This is the gift which is not wanted. Poor thing, it keeps changing hands. Possibly ends up with the first giftor. The wrapper alone keeps changing.
Oops, Guilty again!- This is the recycled gift that is a give away. Somewhere lurking inside is the evidence that the current giver was a receiver not too long ago.
Ouch! By Force- Aka the collection envelope in office for the multiple farewells and weddings of people you hardly know. In our office it is not seen well if you do not contribute. you actually have the "gift police" monitoring that.
Embarrassment of riches- Too much of a good thing. So expensive that you need to plan and save so that you can return the favour when it is your turn

Miscellaneous
On Gift wrap- Conserve paper- reuse gift wrap. Nothing wrong with that I hope.
Bows and Strings- Have you seen these really cool satin strips that you just pull out and viola they turn into lovely bows.
Cards- In this time of email they seem obsolete But I am m sure some of you will agree that they have their own charm.

*************Googled on gifts and found this*************
It is said that on an occasion when the Buddha was teaching a group of people, he found himself on the receiving end of a fierce outburst of abuse from a bystander, who was for some reason very angry.
The Buddha listened patiently while the stranger vented his rage, and then the Buddha said to the group and to the stranger, "If someone gives a gift to another person, who then chooses to decline it, tell me, who would then own the gift? The giver or the person who refuses to accept the gift?"
"The giver," said the group after a little thought. "Any fool can see that," added the angry stranger.
"Then it follows, does it not," said the Buddha, "Whenever a person tries to abuse us, or to unload their anger on us, we can each choose to decline or to accept the abuse; whether to make it ours or not. By our personal response to the abuse from another, we can choose who owns and keeps the bad feelings."