Is a gift still a "present" when they ask exactly what you want?

Well yes. They have to hunt for it.

It’s a gift, and the idea is that it’s something you wouldn’t have bought for yourself. The way I see it if they paid for it it’s a gift.

I prefer surprising friends and family with gifts I gleaned intuitively from my interactions with them. I rarely do gift cards.

I enjoy it when they ask me how did I know? Then they realize it’s because I cared enough to listen to get to really know them as a person.

Yes it is.

I usually try and get the person something that they would like without them having any clue, although sometimes it’s something pretty normal like a book because I know they really like to read. The sad thing is I find it harder to do this more and more with my family because we don’t get together much and it’s hard to know what they’re interested in.

^^Same here! About not being able to get together as often as we would like.