Personalized gifts are a great way to show a person how much you really care. A gift that is personalized shows that you put time and thought into picking a gift. Anybody can go to the local department store and buy a shirt or picture frame, but it takes effort and some amount of forethought to buy a customized gift.

As personal as it can be, the act of giving a personalized gift can be a little tricky at times. You really have to know the person the gift is for. You have to know their likes and dislikes and even some of their hobbies. You need to know what the person is interested in. You don't want to buy a gift for someone that they are not going to like. Just because you like it, does not mean that they will. For personalized gifts to be effective, you should use your own likes and dislikes only to help you decide between a few items. It is ultimately about the other person. When buying a gift for your mother who loves to cook, you might think about buying her a personalized cookbook that she can fill with her recipes or stationery with pots and pans on it. You also have to think about whether or not the person would actually use the gift you are contemplating. Your 80-year old grandfather may really like to watch surfing on television, but a surfboard with his name on it might not be a good idea.

There is one downfall to a personalized gift. Even the most thought out, heartfelt gift might not be liked by the recipient. With personalized gifts, there is no option to return the gift or exchange it for something they would rather have. What then? The person is now stuck with a personalized gift that they don't like and they can not do anything about it.

It all goes back to making sure you know the person you are buying the gift for. If you are not sure what the person would like, go with something non-personalized. And remember, if you can't decide between personalized and non-personalized, there's always gift certificates.