What to Get Someone Who Has Everything This Christmas

The trouble with gifts for people who have everything is that whatever you pick has probably been bought, considered or deliberately avoided already. So hand the choice back. The All-in-1 Choice Gift Card lets them pick brand gift cards themselves, on things they would happily have bought anyway. The balance can be split, so one card can become a new book, a lunch out and a replacement for the one thing that finally broke. You choose any amount from $10 to $1,000. It takes the guessing out of it, which is a relief when the last three gifts you chose ended up in the spare room.

At Christmas, the Merry Christmas Gift Card gives exactly the same choice with a festive design, also from $10 to $1,000. It suits the relative who would never ask for a gift card outright but will quietly enjoy spending one.

The gifts that work for someone with a full house often take up no space at all. A day spent doing something new gets talked about long after another scented candle has burned down. A Redballoon gift card covers activities across New Zealand, from a hot air balloon ride or a skydive to a spa day, and comes in $25, $50, $100, $150, $200 and $250. An adrenaline rush or a very quiet afternoon, they get to pick.

If you are wondering what to buy someone who has everything and loves live music, a Ticketmaster gift card from $10 to $250 goes towards concerts, comedy, sport or a summer festival. They choose the show. It is the difference between meaning to go and actually going, and the evening out is theirs to plan.

For someone who likes to get away, the Global Experience Card goes towards a hotel or a holiday somewhere new, with amounts from $25 to $250. A trip is one thing nobody claims they already own.

Gifts that get used up suit people who need nothing, because they are enjoyed and then they are gone. Nothing needs dusting and nothing needs a spot in the cupboard. A long lunch is a good example. The Restaurants and Dining Gift Card goes towards a leisurely meal out, with amounts from $50 to $250. It works especially well for a couple who never quite make the time to go out together.

For the tea drinker, a T2 Tea gift card from $5 to $250 goes on loose-leaf blends, teaware or a tin of something they would not buy for themselves. A smaller amount makes a thoughtful add-on to another gift, and a larger one keeps the pantry stocked for a good while. Either way it disappears one cup at a time, which is exactly the point.

Summer is when even the most settled people want to be somewhere else for a few days. An Airbnb gift card from $25 to $250 goes towards a bach up the coast, a beach house for the family or a cabin with no phone reception worth mentioning. They find the place and fit it around their own plans. For some that means a week in February with friends, for others a quiet weekend once the school holidays are over.

If a hotel suits them better, HotelCheque is one of our own cards, with any amount from $10 to $1,000 towards a hotel stay. It suits the couple who would never book a night away for themselves but will happily use one someone else has paid for. Coming home to a full house feels better after a couple of nights away from it.

Christmas gifts for someone who has everything mean more with a few words attached. Add a personal message on the product page and say why you chose it: the lunch they keep mentioning, or the concert they nearly went to last year. At checkout, decide whether the card comes to you first or goes straight to them. It is sent as soon as you order and arrives by email within minutes, so there is nothing to queue for in the week before Christmas. You get the order confirmation either way, so you know it has gone. For more ideas, have a look through our Christmas gift cards.

Even the person who has everything will be glad you did not listen.