If there is one thing the pomp and hype leading up to Christmastime endorses, it is the importance of picking the best gifts out of everything on sale for the important people in your life. From the most practical and useful, to the most novel – we bring you a list of gifts you may (or not) want to consider purchasing as your next stocking stuffer.
Good
Box sets – Whether it is a set of films or books, or CDs even, box sets are comprehensive gifts that show you understand the recipient’s interests and go a long way to giving them year-round Yuletide happiness. Get a set of Harry Potter films or books for that Potterhead you know, or make your own box set of Christmas Magic Films – featuring Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, and Curtis’s Love Actually.
DIY Craft Projects – Granted, not everyone is a Martha Stewart, but Christmas is the one time you can mess up papier-mâché art and get away with it! Whip out your craft scissors, trawl Pinterest for (p)inspiration and step-by-step instructions, and get creative – if anything, you get brownie points for creating one-of-a-kind originals you cannot purchase off retail shelves.
Bad
Gift cards – If ever there was a cop-out gift, it would be gift cards! Is she a Topshop fan? Drop the vouchers and get her those cute earrings that would go with her cropped hair instead! He reads thrillers? Forget the Kinokuniya gift cards and get him the latest novel by John Grisham. There must be something you can get for your intended recipient that shows that consideration has been put into buying the gift, instead of simply opting for a generic voucher that has laziness written all over it.
Candles – From fancy coloured candles in glass jars, to apple-scented tea candles from Ikea. You could write a string of accompanying words to atone for your gift – “You light up my life”, or “There’s a light that never goes out” – but not even The Smiths can detract from the fact that your gift will gather dust on a shelf at best, or vanish at the melting point of wax.
Cheesy
Novelty gifts – Novelty gifts are supposed to be just that – novel! They have no ostensible functional purpose other than to make your loved one amused, or serve as a conversation starter in a round of Secret Santa. Amazon is a hotbed for novelty gifts, from mistletoe headbands to bacon-flavoured dental floss (here’s hoping you do not get both for the same person). A word of caution though – novelty gifts are best for people whom you know will enjoy the novelty.
Christmas sweaters – With all the rainy sweater-weather days we have been having, a comfy pullover would make for a wonderful gift. In true Yuletide fashion, get a kitschy Christmas sweater for your loved ones! Draw inspiration from those on myuglychristmassweater.com—which has sweaters so artful in their ugliness–and let the reindeer and assorted glitter festivities on the sweater speak for itself.
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After all is said and done, all the warmth and fuzziness of Christmas camaraderie cannot be wrapped tight with a glitter bow on top. Ultimately, get your loved ones a meaningful gift they would love, and one that would not get re-gifted in subsequent years. Have a happy Christmas!