As the holidays approach, picking out a gift for your new girlfriend or boyfriend can be a stressful experience. Rach's buddies Colby and Gretta offer their "He Said, She Said" approach to gift giving so you know what kind of message your gift might be sending.

Jewelry: Bracelets, necklaces and earrings get a total vote of confidence from Gretta who says, "No problem with jewelry no matter what you get." Rachael points out one warning for the guys who might consider a small item for their lady. "You have to be careful," she cautions, knowing that engagement rings are often on a woman's mind this time of year. "It's got to be in a box that's bigger than 'the' box or you are going to be in trouble."

For women who are considering jewelry for their man, Colby has some advice. "There is a certain signal that's sent when you give jewelry to a man," he says. "I'm talking about a really nice watch, nice cufflinks that sort of thing. There's a degree of commitment that's coming with that gift I think."

Tickets to an event: Gretta and Colby both think this is a great idea for men or women, as long as the gift giver is clear about who is supposed to use the tickets. "When it's a sporting event, you run the risk of the guy going, 'Wow I've got a hall pass. I get to take a buddy to this game,'" Colby explains. So, Gretta suggests, be clear about whether the tickets are for the two of you or for the recipient and someone else. "You can't make assumptions. No way," she says.

Gift certificates: "I think it's a no-no," Gretta says. "It's a really lame gift, I think, for a girl." If you are still determined to buy a gift certificate for a woman, find a way to personalize the slip of paper. For example, she suggests attaching it to a bottle of perfume or finding a way to make it more unique.
When it comes to guys, Colby says this is actually a great gift. "There's a lot of guys that would much rather have a gift certificate to a Home Depot as opposed to a crocheted cardigan that I'm never going to wear."

Clothing: Gretta warns against giving a blouse or a dress to a woman. She spoke to ladies who say the number one gift blunders they've received came in the form of clothes. "We're never going to get the size right" Colby admits. He says if guys want to buy lingerie they should make it an outing or a date. "How fun would it be to go actually shopping for the lingerie together?"

Music: Now that they've reviewed the do's and don'ts about gifts, Rachael asks her buddies for one fool proof suggestion and Colby says for the guys it's an iPod. "There's no way you can go wrong with music," he says. "Get him a gift card to an online music source somewhere where you can go download music. You want to personalize it? Download some of the music that you've been listening to since you met."

"I think that's so nice to have it already pre-downloaded," Gretta says.

"Even if he's already got an iPod ... he can take this specific one, take it to work, leave it there," Colby says. "And it's very personalized because it's got your music on it."

Experience gifts: When it comes to women, Gretta says the card is often more important than the gift. But the best ideas don't come in a box. "I love experience gifts," Gretta says, suggesting guys make a reservation for a cooking class, a night of dancing or whatever activity you enjoy. "It's like a built in date time."

And, if you're still not sure what to get your guy or girl, relax. "At the end of the day we're talking about gifts," Colby reminds. "This is fun. It's not stressful. It's not something that should become so taxing."