Who are your hard-to-buy-for people? Can we share ideas?

[MackerelOfFact]

For me, it's my uncle.

I have a close relationship with my aunt, she is more like a second mother, but her husband I am not that close to, and he can be a bit grumpy and snobbish (just setting the scene really for the reason I buy him a gift - I buy for my aunt and see them both Christmas Day so can't not buy for him too!)

I would probably spend about £25-£30 on them each as they are generous with their time and money towards me during the year. Aunt is easy to buy for usually, but I struggle with uncle.

He is in his 60s and likes:

• Food (but doesn't really cook)
• Alcohol, particularly ale
• Engineering and science
• Rugby, cycling and F1
• Jazz music

Previous successful gifts have been a craft beer club subscription, vouchers for a tool shop, and vouchers for an artisan cheese shop. Unsuccessful gifts have been books about sport, items of clothing or jazz CDs.

I am toying with the idea of a Mussel Pot and seafood tools but suspect he might have the tools already.

Does anyone have any ideas? And would anyone like to share a person they are finding hard to buy for so we can suggest things?

Parents always insist they don't 'need' anything - they're getting vouchers for a posh afternoon tea at a lovely hotel near their favourite holiday destination (Norfolk - we don't do exotic )

If your foodie likes his seafood how about a build your own hamper from www.scottishhampers.co.uk/food/smoked-fish-meat.html ? Can always add some nice oatcakes, pickles etc?

Those look lovely mumonashoestring but I'm never quite sure how to manage the refrigeration aspect of hamper gifts. At Christmas there tends to be precious little fridge space as it is!

My adult son, mid twenties, has a beautiful home so nothing I could buy for there. Interests sport, exercise (he has a gym in his house so no gym membership), TV, holidays and work.
Have bought one of those football cartoons from the men thread which he will love, a George Foreman grill that I had to give to him as he had ordered himself one and I'll need to fill his stocking as well. So looking to spend about £100. He doesn't read, doesn't drink at home and his bathroom is like a boots perfume counter so can't really resort to aftershave and he is so fussy with clothes I wouldn't dare buy clothes for him.

Insane how about indoor skydiving we did this for my sister for her birthday. She enjoyed it so much she did the real thing.

Sorry insan looks like my phone autocorrected itself

How about these rugby beer glasses Mackarel with a couple of fancy ales

Just started a thread about my hard-to-buy-for DM. I find her very difficult to buy for as she buys everything she wants. Her main interests are golf, bike rides, cooking/baking, reading. And she also likes making jewellery. Any gift ideas would be gratefully received. I also need to buy for my DMiL.

My dad can be hard to buy for as he is not materialistic in the slightest so really doesn't want anything. He's in to his science so I'm getting him a book about bacteria called "I contain multitudes". He quite likes another science writer called Richard Dawkins and a book called "Do no harm" about the brain.

For the uncle- make hamper/ basket of ales. If you are anywhere near a Booths then that'd be easy, or google your local brewery. You don't need to reinvent the wheel every year! You could add in some nice cheese or coffee. That's what we're doing with DHs uncle.