You have pretty clear plans for your friends CC!
I don't usually buy gifts for any person I know either. This year I have no idea... Sometimes I know what to buy, but it only happened few times *sigh* My strategy is very simple and banal: I start walking around with money in my pocket and see if there's anything inspiring. This means I always buy gifts too late! Then it also happen you know some people who don't like anything! And that's a great problem when you're in a hurry!