My sister once dated a guy for almost seven years while she was in her 30s, and each year Christmas was punctuated with a heated discussion about the gifts he would gaily wrap and place in her hands.

For someone who is methodical and hyper thoughtful about what she gives the people in her life, my ‘brother-in-law’ gifts increasingly maddened and disappointed my sister.

She would say long after she placed every single one of his gifts into a donation box.

It’s not that his gifts were cheap (although if you ask me, they were that as well as thoughtless ) but his gifts always seemed like he ran to a market on Christmas Eve just before it closed because he suddenly remembered he had a girlfriend.

Did my sister really need a polka dot dress that was two sizes too small or plastic eggs that wobbled precariously when you placed it down on a hard surface; that was supposed to be a feel good, laugh out momento for her car’s dashboard.

You get the picture! Needless to say the relationship belly upped at year 7.

Now I’m already hearing the empaths.

Ok. Ok. But come on, try facing bobbing eggs on your dashboard as someone’s sign of love for you. Thumbs up if my sister was 12!

I asked my friend, Sheena Thorpe, purveyor of gifts at her specialty store The Gallery  what do you give someone you love? She says what you give matters, and that a gift should be thoughtful, considered

That’s why you’ll love our Holiday Gift Guide complete with some pretty unique gift ideas for all price points. You can share this list with your partner if you feel that he still misses your Christmas love language or let’s face it, you can share it if you feel he is completely clueless, even after all the years.