i suck at this- i always figure out what i want and buy it myself. my parents are too lazy to buy what i can buy myself anyway, or look for themselves. I don't really have a big family either. so i haven't really opened a present (some decoy presents like socks..) since i was 15 =( I just get lots of checks and cash. its useful and i get what i want in the end, but its sometimes sad when i read about people getting all this cool stuff for their bdays and christmas that they either picked out or were surprised with.
my family is like this too. we're not big on the gift giving, so i'm always surprised if i get anything at all. they're general rule of thumb is we all get together and go to the mall (usually after christmas) you get a limit, and then you pick out what you want. most of the time, i just buy the items on my list for myself, and then pick up impulse purchases as "gifts" from my family. i would love to be surprised.