SOME people have long, long Christmas lists to work through and by the time they get to the bottom few names, Santa's already cleared for takeoff.
Others do their very best to ignore the whole proceedings for as long as possible before relenting at, well, the last minute.
Rounding up a half dozen gifts on Christmas Eve evening is no mean feat, and can easily lead to hours of wide-eyed, panicky wandering through thoroughly plundered malls.
Here's a helping hand, with a handful of trinkets you can get together in short order and spare all concerned some awkward Tree Day morning moments.
- Gift cards. Everyone loves to sneer at gift cards, but no one can deny how popular they are. They're also easily tailored to any relationship, from a coffee shop card for a coworker to clothing store for a cousin you don't really know to a nice meal out for the in-laws - it better be a pretty nice meal though. Gift cards can get people things, they can get people experiences, and they take minutes to get. Most places will even wrap them for you.
- Magazines. Widely available at fine 7Elevens, drug stores and tobacconists, magazines marry easy accessibility with flexibility and at least a suggestion of a personal touch. Everyone has an interest and there's a magazine or journal out there for that interest, guaranteed. Fishing, wedding dresses, model trains, baking, celebrity gossip, you name it. If you suspect they may already read your first glossy choice, pick something peripheral. Train modelers could probably get something from any scale model magazine, and folks who like wedding dresses generally have some interest in fashion generally. For something a bit more substantial, get a subscription for them. Put the confirmation in the envelope with a nice card and you are done.
- Food. Again, there's food everywhere and everyone has some interest in it. There's nothing wrong with ye olde box of chocolates for a passing acquaintance, but the recipient is a bit closer to you, consider one of the innumerable gift baskets available. Or if you have a tiny bit of time, think about doing some real quick baking. Making cookies these days isn't much harder than squeezing a tube and twisting a dial. Toss 'em in some Tupperware, wrap that fragrant tub up and you're a hero.
- Do someone a favour. To make this a sincere gift, you have to write down a promise. Mock-contract language is usually good for a laugh. Then you also have something to physically hand them. Think about offering to wash someone's car, mow their lawn, fetch them coffee, do their laundry or their taxes, whatever you think they could really do without doing a couple of times. Make sure it's something you wouldn't otherwise do, something you're actually willing to do, and something they'd be comfortable with you doing. Babysitting or back rubs may or may not be appropriate. Use your judgment.
- Pictures. This applies almost exclusively to friends and family. In the digital age, we all have loads and loads of nice pictures of great moments than we look at once and then warehouse on our computers or devices. Remember when people printed photographs and framed them and hung them on the wall? Find a nice old forgotten snap and get it nicely printed. Any major drugstore will do this for you in the time it takes you go buy a frame. Last minute and thoughtful! - A thoughtful letter or card. The card is really indispensable. It pads even the weakest gift and lets you express an affectionate, you know, thought. If the card is all you've got though, pen a quick handwritten note on a separate piece of paper thanking the person for being a positive presence in your life for whatever reason. It's best to keep it light, especially if they aren't an immediate family member. But just saying you noticed that nice thing they did that time goes a long way. Well, some way.
Next year start earlier!
