I explicitly ask for gift cards, because the last thing I need cluttering up my house are random gifts that people got me. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t really care for surprise gifts, and I feel like a jerk telling people exactly what to get me. So I just ask for gift cards, and I use the money to buy my own gifts.
My wife and I don’t really buy each other gifts anymore. We just buy ourselves something we want and say, “This is my Christmas gift from you!” Repeat for birthdays, etc. Not having any expectations of buying/exchanging gifts is liberating for us.