or give rise to a 'but I wanted to buy something for you' situation

this is often difficult for me

when folks say that, i try to get them to say why. what is it they need?

do they need *me* to be happy? random stuff doesn't make me happy

or, do they need to see evidence of their love/affection? having a visual reminder, in my space, of their affection can be great. but they only get one - so mebbe a thing that can be customized or added to (candelabra with diff candles each year, picture frame with a new pic commemorating an event)