A birthday gift is the opportunity to show your loved one precisely how much they mean to you and how special you think they are.

A little thought into your friend or loved one's personality will help you to understand what kind of gift they would really love for their birthday.

What does your friend or loved one like?

It sounds obvious to buy a birthday gift that your friend or loved one will like but many people buy gifts that they think that their friend/loved one will like. This often translates into what you think they should like, which might be very different from what they actually want.

If you don't know then there are a number of things you can do to find clues.

• Listen to them for verbal clues as to gifts they may like
• Observe what they do, movies they watch, sports they play etc.
• Look at what they already have and think of complimentary gifts

What makes them so special to you?

Think of this birthday gift as your way of showing your friend/loved one how special they are to you and how much they mean to you. Thus your birthday gift should represent your love for the special person in your life. Buy them a naff gift and you'll be in the dog house for a long time!

However if you spend the time to buy a really special birthday gift that they will love, your relationship will truely benefit, both from the gift and your greater understanding of your other half.

Find a quality birthday gift at a great value

Each person is different so you are the best person to decide what kind of gift would be best for your friend or loved one. Nevertheless there are shops out there that will sell the ideal birthday gift, whatever they are into. If they love there food then a box of choccies are always popular. If they are altruistic then they might like a charity gift. There are activity gifts for the adventurous or concert tickets for music lovers.