Gifts for someone who has everything

11 November 2026

The best gift for someone who has everything is something they could never have bought for themselves. That usually means something personal, such as a real star named after them, an experience you have planned, or something that gets used up and adds nothing to the clutter.

Why is the person who has everything so hard to buy for?

Usually it isn't about money. People who have everything tend to buy what they want as soon as they want it, so anything you find in a shop, they could have found too. The useful question is not "what do they need?" but "what couldn't they have got for themselves?"

That points to three kinds of present: things that get used up, experiences, and things that only exist because you made them happen. The last group is often the most memorable, because the most important part of it is what you know about them.

What kind of gift works for someone who has everything?

• Something they won't already have. A present that depends on you, not on a shop.
• Something that adds nothing to the pile. Nothing to dust, charge, store or return.
• Something that shows you listened. A detail only you would know means more than an expensive present.
• Something to do. A new experience, even a small one, can surprise someone who has done most things.

A star named after them

A named star ticks every box above. Few people would ever name a star after themselves, it is a few documents and a page online, the name is chosen by you, and finding it with binoculars on a dark night is something new. In each of our registers a star can only be named once, so nobody else has theirs. We run two star naming brands, each with its own register and documents.

The Star Naming Co.

Name a real star. A heartfelt gift they’ll cherish forever. The Star Naming Co. dedicates a real, catalogued star from the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 catalogues under the name you choose, and the star is named for eternity on our database.

• Printed gift pack. Five A4 documents on fine cream stock, posted free in the UK: a personalised certificate, a welcome letter, a co-ordinates sheet with a sky chart marking the star, the story of its constellation and a sealed extract from the register.
• Digital gift. Delivered within minutes, any hour of any day, with an e-gift reveal you can send by WhatsApp, email or text.
• Twin Star Gift Pack. Two neighbouring stars in the same constellation, named together on one certificate, for brothers and sisters, grandparents or best friends.

It is a natural Christmas star gift for the relative who says they want nothing, and every gift option is on The Star Naming Co. website.

Intergalactic Star Database

Intergalactic Star Database registers a star from the Hipparcos catalogue under a name of up to 60 characters, printed exactly as you type it, with its own Database Number. The posted gift pack comes in a full-colour gift envelope with a Certificate of Registry, a Star Area Co-ordinates Sheet, a welcome letter and a fold-out star chart; a print-at-home version is ready as soon as you have paid.

For a family that likes doing things together, up to ten stars can go in one order, registered side by side in a small patch of sky. Its page on a star for someone who has everything has wording ideas for people who are hard to impress.

What should you call a star for someone hard to impress?

For this person, the wording is the present, so give it time. Their oldest friend or a brother or sister will often have the best ideas.

• Admit the problem. A name that jokes about them having everything else.
• Something only you know. A holiday, a nickname from years ago, the name of a first car or a boat.
• A running family joke. The thing they have been saying for years, finally in writing.
• An achievement. A first prize at the village show, or a long-awaited retirement.
• Simply their name. For someone more moved by plain things than they let on.

Who might a star not suit?

It is better to be honest about this before you buy. A keen amateur astronomer will know that only the International Astronomical Union gives official star names; if they would enjoy the gesture, go ahead, and if it would irritate them, choose something else. Someone who likes a physical object may find a pack of paper slight, so a frame for the certificate, or a pair of binoculars alongside, helps a great deal.

Other ideas for someone who has everything

Our sister site Great Gifts has a full guide to gifts for someone who has everything. In short, its ideas fall into four groups:

• Things that get used up. A really good version of something they use every day, or a bottle or hamper with a story behind it.
• Experiences. A tasting, a class, a tour, or a night away that you have planned entirely.
• Things only you could give. Your time in specific, dated promises, a collection of messages from friends and family, or something from their past.
• Giving on their behalf. A donation to a cause they care about, for someone who genuinely wants nothing.

Which occasions suit these ideas?

• Retirements and big birthdays. See our birthday gift ideas.
• Ruby and golden anniversaries. See anniversary gift ideas.
• Grandparents. Something made or named by the grandchildren is the kind of present that is kept. See gifts for grandparents.
• Christmas. For the relative who claims to want nothing. See Christmas gift ideas.

How quickly can a star gift be ready?