Giving someone a thoughtful gift is a wonderful way to show how you feel about them. But in order for that meaning to shine through, it’s important to select the perfect gift — one that is significant to both the giver and the recipient.

Swipe through to learn how to choose truly meaningful gifts.

Sometimes, no matter how well you know someone, it’s helpful to sit down and write up a small paragraph describing that person. Even though you know they’re into baseball, taking the time to organize your thoughts and write them down helps you gain insight into what might make a truly meaningful gift.

Start shopping early. If you take your time to carefully shop for each recipient, you’ll select thoughtful gifts that will be treasured by their recipient. If you wait until the last minute, placing a next-day Amazon order, your gifts might not be as meaningful.

It’s important to note that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to give the perfect gift. Sometimes a small trinket that catches your eye in the checkout lane might bring to mind a loved one; go ahead and pick it up. If it perfectly sums up your relationship, the price tag doesn’t matter (as much).

Keep notes. You know your group of friends pretty well, but you never know what nuggets you might pick up when the four of you go to lunch, for example. You might discover a friend has been working on her golf game lately. Take a note, and when gift-giving time rolls around, boom, a new golf glove or two will be most welcome.

Think of your friends when you travel. If you’re like many people, you spend a good amount of time in little local shops when you’re on vacation. Take advantage of the opportunity to pick something special to the place you visit—maybe handcrafted by a local artist—as well as something that’s reminiscent of your loved one.

Consider using a gift to introduce your loved one to something new you think they’d enjoy. If your friend is crafty, for example, but has never tried crochet, maybe get her a beginners’ crochet kit.

If your giftee has hit a rough patch financially, instead of giving him another tie, perhaps a gift card to Target would make more sense. He can use the card to purchase groceries or other necessities, and he’ll be incredibly grateful.

Photography: Target

Perhaps your loved one has a thrifty streak, and would never consider purchasing a crystal stemware for herself because, they don't think it's practical. You can do the splurging for her and treat her to that special something she’s too disciplined to buy for herself.

Photography: Amazon

Rather than presenting a purchased object, why not treat your giftee to an experience? Maybe a massage, a horseback riding lesson, or a cooking lesson, for example. Maybe your friend would love nothing more than an afternoon spent lunching and museum-gawking with you, her best friend.