Haha that's so awesome, snooping for a good cause! I think gifting a creative work combines the best parts of gift-giving and creative endeavors. I didn't expect that it could be less enjoyable for people you already know, but I completely understand the reasons.

That's so interesting that gifting fic is more fun for you than writing your own stuff. Maybe you could approach your own ideas like they were for a gift fic, or get ideas the way you would for a gift fic, e.g. by reading up on what people want out of stories? I know I think a lot about my potential audience, their tastes, how they would react to this or that choice I make and so on.