"One of my best-ever Christmases was the year I just got Nordstrom Gift Cards ($5 - $1,000) from literally everyone. My loved ones didn't just get me gift cards, they got me the experience of being able to walk into Nordstrom and buy just about whatever I wanted to. If you go this route, be sure to do your shopping spree in the middle of the day on a weekday (schedule permitting, of course) so that you can really live that empty store, Pretty Woman personal shopping montage fantasy." — Beau Brink, senior SEO manager