In order to give yourself plenty of time to come up the right gift for any occasion you should set up a calendar with your special dates listed on it. Then at the beginning of every month check the calendar and start preparing. Getting an experts advice is usually a good idea and you can call your gift shop or florist to get recommendations for the special date. Using this method you can find out what they have in stock and what has been popular recently. If you consistently use the same suppliers they can even remind you what you gave last year to keep your gifts fresh and changing.
Following your calendar, make a list of the likes and dislikes of all of those close to you. Take things into account such as their personality, careers, hobbies and personal style. With each person take into consideration the following tips.
Is it a specific artist or musician they like or a genre? You could give a gifts basket and include a small piece of art or concert tickets. Another possibility could be a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant. 
If you are thinking in terms of their hobby, what kinds of items do they use for it? If they collect pottery, you might give flowers in a vase made by a local artist. They will still have the vase when the flowers are gone.
Think of other things the person likes doing. Do they like to take relaxing baths? If so, you should consider adding spa and bath items to a basket. Bath items such as bath salts, soaps, facial products or sponges.
Gift giving does not end with just holidays. You should consider other personal events such as graduations, birthdays, anniversaries or even special achievements. These special days are ones where gifts are given so make them memorable by giving the perfect gift.
Other days can be an event for gift giving such as I miss you, first day of school, congratulations or in honor of a friendship. On days like this, when the gift is a surprise, it can be even more special.
The most common reasons for sending flowers are to say congratulations, in sympathy, get well wishes and to say sorry. For each of those occasions, here are some suggestions.
When you want to say you’re sorry, choose flowers that have colors of warmth in them. Colors with shades of lavender and pink are good. It is a good gesture to call them after delivery to personally express that you are sorry and they may just forgive you.
When saying thank you pick a simple arrangement, possibly using wildflowers that look fresh from the field and make sure to express something special in the card.
When trying to say congratulations, give them something in a container that is reusable. It could be a basket containing supplies needed in the home or a bowl that holds popcorn.
When giving get well wishes send cool colors such as blues or greens and add reading material to pass the time such as a book by the person’s favorite author. If they are staying in a hospital make sure to get the correct address and room number so the gift gets to the right place.
A time of sympathy can be awkward and colorful flowers to bring cheer to a sad time are often sent directly to the funeral home. In cases where the death was very sudden condolences can be sent instead of flowers.