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" How does someone learn to give good gifts? My dad bought me gifts only at Christmas, but they were always perfect--the thing I never knew I always wanted. Nothing fancy, just spot-on from his knowing me. I try to be observant and buy gifts the same way for my husband. Gifts aren&amp;#039;t a superbig deal to me, but he feels guilty because his choices are never as on the mark as mine. He keeps asking me how he can do better, and I have no answers. Do you? --A.J.H., 27, Fairbanks, AK I do! You&amp;#039;ve come to the right place, for I am an ace gift-giver. You&amp;#039;re already ahead of the game because your guy genuinely seems concerned about your happiness. What a sweetie pie. Anyway, you know how it works, because you&amp;#039;re doing it yourself. You pay attention when he talks about how he always wanted to be a black belt, and come his birthday, there are the six introductory kung fu lessons. Basically, he just needs to do what you do. So coach him. Be utterly transparent. The next time you see something you&amp;#039;d like, elbow your guy and say, &amp;quot;Hey, hon, see that jeweled handbag with the basset hound on it? That&amp;#039;s just the kind of thing that would be perfect for my birthday.&amp;quot; You&amp;#039;re right, though, in feeling that all this gift stuff isn&amp;#039;t a superbig deal. There are a lot of folks who can zero in on the perfect present, but are otherwise lacking in the giving department. Reassure your guy that his sensitivity to the matter is the best present ever.   Award-winning writer Karen Karbo is the author of How to Hepburn: Lessons on Living from Kate the Great. She&amp;#039;s also a mom, a writing teacher, and a horse owner. Send your questions to her at: The Hard Stuff, REDBOOK, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019 or karenkarbo@redbookmag.com. Letters may be edited for clarity and length, and must include your initials, age, city, and state. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/love-sex/relationships/advice/a1582/bad-gifts-hs/>