There Are 6 Types Of Gift Givers. Which Are You?

When done right, good gift giving is close to an art form.

Not to go all Hallmark on you, but pick the right gift — which almost always means choosing something thoughtful — and you’ll strengthen your relationship while creating a meaningful shared memory.

“The ultimate goal of gift giving is to offer a gift that delights the recipient, while making them feel seen, special and appreciated,” said Alyse Dermer, the founder of Mr. Considerate, a luxury gift concierge service.

We live in an increasingly impersonal world ― so much of life feels automated now ― so it’s no surprise that thoughtfulness and attention to detail is going to land, Dermer said.

“Being a good gift giver is about listening and paying attention,” she told HuffPost. “As a professional gift concierge, I encourage my clients to share as much information as possible about the gift recipient — no detail is too small. Often, it’s the smallest detail that sparks the perfect idea.”

Those of us without personal gift giving concierge services tend to default to six different styles of gift giving: the materialist (or status hound), the sentimentalist, the projector, the procrastinator, the listener or the convenience seeker. Read below to find out which type you fall under.

You can always count on the materialist ― or status-conscious shopper ― to buy the hippest or hardest to get trending item: Hermes sneakers, a Loewe Flamenco bag or that “Bluey” Supermarket Playset every kid’s been coveting.

“This type of gifter typically works in a client-facing or image-conscious industry where appearance matters. They live by the motto: You have to look like a ball player to be a ball player,” Dermer said.

But just because they’re drawn to the newest, most shiny thing in the store doesn’t mean their gift isn’t coming from the heart.

“Luxury gifting works best when it’s earned by thoughtfulness,” Dermer explained. “Price alone never creates awe, but precision does.”

Ever get a gift that’s so thoughtful, it almost makes you cry? Chances are, a sentimentalist gave you it, Dermer said.

A sentimentalist will gift you something like a John O’Hara custom vinyl painting with your favorite song, or a gold pendant with all your children’s initials engraved in it.

“This person is thoughtful, nostalgic and relationship-driven,” Dermer said. “They care deeply about the feeling their gift will evoke, far more than the brand name. They pay attention to both the big things and the little things — and they get them all right.”

The only real drawback with having a sentimentalist in your life? You’ll have to up your gift-giving game or you’ll start to feel like a real slacker.

The projector either buys something they’d actually want for themselves, or gets you something to subtly encourage a lifestyle change. Maybe it’s an aunt or uncle who bought you “The Purpose Driven Life” because they thought you were purposeless as a teenager. (Not true! Your purpose immediately became finding out the return policy at Barnes & Noble.)

“Generally, this is someone who needs to check their list twice before giving a gift that could potentially be hurtful,” said Jodi R.R. Smith, president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting.

“For example, a gym membership, when specifically requested, is a great gift. But if you didn’t ask for it, it can be seen as an overt hint to lose weight,” she said.

The projector doesn’t always have an unkind ulterior motive with their gifts, though.

“For instance, one of my in-laws would consistently give me cookbooks, which for many years I perceived as a commentary on my cooking,” Smith said. “It was only later that I learned it was because they so loved cooking and wanted to have a common interest.”

Look, the procrastinator has every intention to get themselves to the mall and battle it out at Popmart for that Crybaby: Crying to the Moon figurine you wanted. Unfortunately, time slipped away and now you’re getting another candle from Target.

“This person is often busy or distracted and doesn’t think about giving a gift until the eleventh hour ― usually 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve,” said Jacqueline Whitmore, an etiquette expert and the author of “Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work.”

“They also tend to overspend because they waited too long or they are forced to buy something not quite right because all the good gifts are picked over,” she said.

The listener is almost certainly keeping a running Notes app list of all the clothes, books, jewelry and beauty products you mention wanting throughout the year. (They have one for everyone else in their life, too.)

Come Black Friday, they already know exactly what to get you.

“This is someone who understands the importance of the thought going into the gift,” Smith said, adding that her grandma was the perfect example of this kind of gift giver.

“She would spend the months leading up to the holidays having deep conversations with each of her grandchildren so that she could divine the ideal gift to give,” Smith said.

The convenience seeker opts for the easy solution: a recycled (but new) scarf originally from their mom that’s been tucked away in their closet since last Christmas or whatever lingerie the harried employee at Victoria’s Secret throws in their bag.

“It is easy to paint this giver as being lazy or indifferent, but they knew enough to give you something ― and for them, that may need to be enough,” Smith said.

She gave an example. Years ago, she had a boyfriend who was so overwhelmed by the choices, he feared a bad gift would result in a breakup; instead of attempting to be creative, he consistently defaulted to chocolates or stuffed animals.

“Instead of making gift giving a gauntlet for him to pass, I started asking if he would like me to give him a wish list,” she said. “Thirty years of marriage later, chocolates still occasionally make the list, stuffed animals do not.”

Your gift doesn’t have to be pricey ― a listener who’s broke at the moment might know you need help with your new puppy, and make a coupon on Canva for dog sitting. The present also doesn’t have to be showy to be a hit, Smith said.

“I’ll share the secret of good gifting with you: Buy something the receiver would really like,” she said. “The tricky part is finding out what they want.”

To do this, the expert gift giver also has to be a bit of a detective. Start to listen. What do they talk of often? What do they do when they are not working? Do they have any new burgeoning hobbies? A cause that has an associated charity you could make a donation to?

If the person isn’t giving you any clues, you’ll just have to investigate harder.

“Start asking questions, ‘What did you do this weekend?’ ‘Have you gone on vacation recently?’ ‘What is your favorite restaurant?’” she said. “Then, use the answers to guide your gift selection.”