How to find the perfect Christmas gift.
Is there such a thing as the perfect Christmas gift? And if it does exist how exactly do you go about finding it without loosing hours of your life to the high street shops? Every single one of us wants to give a gift that will be received with love, which will be cherished, and which will put a smile onto the face of our loved ones. But is that just too much to expect and to ask for? There is nothing worse than seeing a disappointed face or being asked for the gift receipt so that something can be exchanged. We’ve all been on the receiving end of that odd, slightly misplaced gift at some point in the past, but how do you ensure that you aren’t the one sending out those gifts? How do you ensure that you give the right gift every time?
Set some boundaries for yourself
This might sound like a strange one to begin with, but boundaries when you are gift buying are so important! Set yourself a budget, and I don’t just mean a financial budget. Make a list of all the people that you want to buy for, take a look and decide if that is really achievable for you. Then take a look at your finances and set a budget for each of those people – use whatever criteria feels right for you in regard to the budget but be realistic on what you can actually afford. Don’t go putting yourself in debt for the sake of a gift, I’m sure the person you are buying for wouldn’t want that.
Don’t leave it to the last minute
Is rushing around the shops on Christmas Eve scrambling for gifts and having to opt for whatever you can find in that moment, really what you want to be doing? You probably won’t find the ideal Christmas gift for everyone this way, you might end up having to pay more that you had budgeted for, and it could be a pretty stressful Christmas Eve. Planning ahead and starting your shopping sooner rather than later can help to take all of that stress away. Christmas should be a time that you enjoy, not a time where you feel like you are tearing your hair out.
What do you want your gift to say?
Gifts are a form of communication and when chosen wisely they can show a loved one or friend just how much they mean to you. That doesn’t mean that the gift has to be large or expensive, it just means there should be an element of thought behind it. Something that connects the gift to you and the receiver. This could be giving something that has nostalgic meaning, giving a quirky gift that only the two of you know the meaning behind, or giving a gift that connects with hobbies and interests the other person has. Each of these allows you to share a deeper connection and show your love and respect for the other person.
Take your time
Don’t always rush in and buy the first thing that you see, if you have planned ahead and given yourself plenty of time then you may want to look around a little more to ensure you really do have the perfect gift. Of course, there will be times where you see something incredible that fits your budget and the other person perfectly – in those instances don’t hang around and procrastinate, just make the purchase.
Think outside the box give a personalised gift
Other than making something yourself, and let’s face it we’re not all creative wizzes, what could be more perfect than a personalised gift? A personalised gift shows the receiver that you have really put time and effort into what you have decided to gift them and you can really give something that carries a lot of meaning. There are so many options now for items that you can personalise from clothing to candles, to mobile phone cases, to pictures, to jigsaw puzzles, to mugs, to bags. And that is just a small list of the items you can customise! You can add pictures, photos or text. There really is so much that you can do nowadays that this could be the perfect way to get that perfect gift every single time.
Don’t overlook why you are giving a gift
Try not to get so caught up in the process of finding the right gift that you forget why you are buying it in the first place. Christmas is a time of celebration, a time to appreciate the friends and family that you have around you. Even if you choose not to celebrate Christmas or your religion sees you celebrate at other times, this is still a magical time of the year where memories can be made and cherished.