LEILA FADEL, HOST:
OK. Steve, not to put you on the spot two days before Christmas, but are you a good gift-giver?
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
(Laughter) I make an effort. I make an effort.
FADEL: And for me, it's hit and miss. Sometimes I'm just like, here's cash.
INSKEEP: Yeah.
FADEL: So good news for us - there are people who can help. Enter the holiday personal shopper. Peggy O'Brien co-founded the company Poppy Gifting.
PEGGY O'BRIEN: We were really inspired by this concept of helping other people who don't necessarily have the same passionate drive or savvy for gift shopping to start a service that would make it easier for people to give gifts and connect them with really meaningful ideas.
INSKEEP: OK. A service for people who need someone to help them be thoughtful about their loved ones.
FADEL: Yeah. You know, in case they don't know how to think.
(LAUGHTER)
FADEL: Or they're just bad at gifting. They try, Steve.
INSKEEP: Yeah, I know. I know. That's been me sometimes.
FADEL: The company's co-founder, Willa Callahan, says they want to keep you from giving presents that fall flat.
WILLA CALLAHAN: We are sourcing very unique, meaningful gifts that don't feel like swag or something that's going to be put into a closet or a drawer or the trash can, something that can truly be enjoyed in the home or with family and friends.
INSKEEP: OK. A gift consultant.
FADEL: But Callahan and O'Brien say most clients don't pretend they spend hours shopping.
CALLAHAN: The collaborative nature of the process of finding the gift, they have just as much skin in the game as we do.
O'BRIEN: There's not so much a shame around it, if you will. It's kind of like, oh, you know, like, actually, I did this to go the extra mile.
INSKEEP: (Laughter) I paid extra to get someone to get you this gift.
FADEL: Well, I mean, they were involved.
INSKEEP: Yes.
FADEL: They had ideas, too.
INSKEEP: True.
FADEL: They just get really stressed out around this time of year, I think, probably...
INSKEEP: True.
FADEL: ...Steve. Gabby Gonta says she gets it. She runs Gabby's Gift Guide.
GABBY GONTA: People will often say, you know, gifting is supposed to be thoughtful and personal, and you're supposed to put in the effort. So, you know, how could you outsource it? Does that mean you don't love your partner - you don't know them well - or your kids?
INSKEEP: Critics might say, yeah, it does mean that.
FADEL: On the other hand, Gonta says sometimes you just need to bring in another creative mind. She says her clients often want to give a gift that's special, but the pressure of finding the perfect gift can be intense.
GONTA: If something's a burden or if something is stressful for you, outsourcing to someone else who actually finds joy and is really good at it, it's really just, you know, very efficient. And I work so closely with my client that I know exactly what they want. I'm doing the work, but it's still coming from their brain and their heart.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GIFTS FOR ME")
MEGHAN TRAINOR: (Singing) This year, I'm buying gifts for me.
INSKEEP: Two shopping days until Christmas. This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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