Sometimes, you just don't know what to give someone. In those cases, gift cards work great. You could take the easy route and get a mall gift card or a Visa gift card, but here are a few more specific ideas.

• A membership to the St. Louis Zoo (stlzoo.com), Science Center (slsc.org), Missouri Botanical Garden (mobot.org) or other institution can give your loved ones a year's worth of gifts.

• Give the gift of fun. Get a reloadable card from Chesterfield Sports Fusion good for laser tag, mini-golf, rock climbing and more (chesterfieldsportsfusion), or consider a yearly membership ($45-$75) to indoor tunnel playground Planet Fun in St. Peters (gotoplanetfun.com). Or try a gift of rock climbing with a gift card from Upper Limits (upperlimits.com).

• Netflix subscriptions allow you to have movies mailed to your home or streamed to your TV, computer or smartphone. One subscription offers unlimited viewing at only $7.99 a month (netflix.com/gift).

• A baby on your list would love baby music, yoga or sign language courses. Babymoon Boutique in Weldon Spring (babymoonboutiqe.com) has gift certificates.

• Give a gift card that gives back. At TisBest, you can buy charity gift cards that the giftee can give to any of 250 charitable organizations. You make the donation, give the gift card, and your recipient chooses which charity benefits (tisbest.org).

• Spa gift certificates allow friends or family to pick whatever services they want. Try laser hair removal at Metropolitan Cosmetic Laser Center (noshave.com) or an Espresso Mud Wrap at the Four Seasons (fourseasons.com).

• Consider theater tickets or annual passes to the Muny (muny.org), Black Rep (theblackrep.org), Fox (fabulousfox.com), Peabody (peabodyoperahouse.com), Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (experienceopera.org) and more.

• Give the gift of learning, such as craft lessons from Craft Alliance (craftalliance.com), gardening lessons from Missouri Botanical Garden (mobot.org) or skating lessons from the U.S. Ice Sports Complex in Fairview Heights (usicesports.com)

• Gas cards, available at Quik Trip and other area gas stations, are perfect for the college student or new driver.

• Consider a subscription to a magazine or newspaper (yes, we had to say it). Find a subscription to the Post-Dispatch that suits you at stltoday.com/subscribe.

While you're being so generous, give yourself a little treat in return

If you're planning to give gift cards this holiday season, consider one where you can snag a bonus card for yourself.

• First Watch: Receive $20 in Bonus Bucks for every $100 in gift cards purchased through Dec. 31. Bonus Bucks are redeemable Jan. 2 through Feb. 29. Firstwatch.com.

• Noodles & Co.: Buy $25 worth of gift cards, through Dec. 31, and receive a free sandwich duo. There are six Noodles & Co. locations in the St. Louis area. Noodles.com.

• Bravo Cucina Italiana, West County Center: Receive a $20 bonus gift with every $100 gift card purchase. Bonus gift is valid Jan. 1 through March 15. Bravoitalian.com.

• Wehrenberg Theatres: Get a free white cheddar popcorn (a $7 value) when you buy a $30 gift card, through Dec. 31. www.wehrenberg.com.

• Denny's: Buy a $25 gift card and get a $5 discount card. Dennys.com.

• Bill Gianino's, Joey B's on the Hill and on the Landing, Frankie Gianino's Grill & Bar, Frankie G's Grill & Bar, Pepper's Grill & Bar: Purchase $100 in gift certificates and get a $20 gift certificate free (valid Jan. 2 to Feb. 6).

• Chevys: Buy a $25 gift card and get a $5 coupon for yourself to use in January or February. Chevys.com.

• White Castle: Get a free $5 bonus card with every $25 gift card purchase. Bonus card valid Jan. 1 through March 31. Whitecastle.com.

• Applebee's: Buy a $50 gift card, get a $10 bonus card (to be used by Feb. 28) free. Applebees.com.

• Penn Station: Buy $30 worth of gift certificates and receive a coupon for a free 8-inch sub. Penn-station.com.