And then these acquaintances ask you to come over for their Christmas party, and you know you have to go. Relax, breathe, and let us take you through the best presents that will leave an impression:

1. Wine

Everybody loves wine, let’s get that out in the clear. Wine is not only the classiest alcoholic beverage, it is also the grown-up version of a picture frame birthday present – if the recipient doesn’t like it, he can always re-gift it without lowering its value. But as you grow older, the chances you will re-gift a solid vintage wine grow ever so slim. The winery Kendall-Jackson has put out a handy infographic that will help you match the gift wine bottle to the gift recipient flawlessly, whether you are a full-fledged connoisseur or you regularly get lost in the alcohol aisle at the local supermarket. The designers at Wine Folly did even more infographics. Trust us when we say that these are possibly the most important things you found online today.

2. Flowers

If there is a lady in the house where you are headed, whatever the reason, some nice flowers will put you on their list of favorite guests. Everybody loves flowers – they are beautiful, bright, they smell nice, and they are the universal way of saying. “I care. Have something pretty, sweet person”. Because they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, you only need to consider these things before buying flowers. Now that we have become much more in touch with our feelings as a civilization, you can also get flowers for men, though they will feel more comfortable around potted plants than budding roses, because men just haven’t learned to deal with colors yet.

Now you are thinking – flowers? Nonsense, it is wintertime, and there is not much I can get other than poinsettias, and they are so fragile and pointless. Well, you are wrong, so let us guide you into the Waters of Rightness. The 21^st century brought about this amazing revolution in online flower purchasing. You can now order beautiful bouquets all year long, and you can also choose from a variety of seasonal flowers that may not be available in every florist’s shop.

3. Fruit Basket

Movies have taught us that fruit baskets are only sent to people in hospitals, and to business clients. Life has taught us that everybody loves fruit, not only business clients and sick friends. An easy way to make your fruit basket more interesting is to incorporate something personal inside as well, like a personalized card (handwritten of course!), or at least some additional things you know your acquaintance will like, which won’t spoil over time, like novelty pasta, or a bottle of champagne, or a nice chocolate. Fruit baskets don’t need to be big, they just need to be lovely.

4. Stationery

Office supplies! Calendars, notebooks, lighters and pens with your logo printed/engraved on them are probably the worst, most cold, least personal presents you could give somebody, but from personal experience, this is not entirely true. The thing is, most business owners have their merchandise lying around the office, ready for situations such as last-minute invites. And as much as you would initially hate getting just a pen for a present, you realize that there is nothing you need in life more than pens. Half of our stationary consists of Christmas party company-branded packages, and we use it on a daily basis, and we won’t share it with our colleagues because they never remember to return the pen we lent them. So yes, stationary will win you some hearts.