Christmas Present Ideas: Top 5 Tips For Buying the Right Present for the Right Person

‘Your expert opinion on choosing the Right Present for the Right Person.’ ‘An infallible guide to gift giving. ‘No problem,’ I reply, ‘And then I’ll sort out world peace, the meaning of life and the secret of eternal youth, all before teatime.’

The trouble is, I am an expert at buying the Wrong Present for the Wrong Person. (Worst disaster: giving a copy of ‘How to Eat’ to an Australian friend of my husband – how was I to know she had recently put on three stone, had never heard of Nigella Lawson, and thought I was giving her a diet book?).

Occasionally, I even manage to buy the Right Present for the Wrong Person. Like a tasteful Liberty print shopping bag for my new sister-in-law. My mother would have loved it. ‘Are you saying I’m a bag lady?’ said the future sis as she opened the package, wondering why I thought she’d turned into a librarian.

But sometimes I do get it right, and there is nothing to compare with that feeling of beneficent smugness: you love it, they love it – ergo, they love you. Hurray. So, for what they’re worth, here are my five top tips for buying the Right Present for the Right Person:

1) Never do the Spice Girl thing by asking, ‘Tell me what you want, what you really really want.’ Asking for present ideas a) is a cop-out, b) puts them in an impossible position - they will inevitably end up spluttering something about socks or hankies (yes, even the girls) because c) what they really really want, might seem a bit greedy. My husband wants Hereford United football club; my harassed sister-in-law wants an uninterrupted night’s sleep. And – thank you for asking – I would quite like George Clooney in his ER scrubs, but an expensive scented candle would do. Tricky, isn’t it?

2) Concentrate. Think inside the box: what do they like? What do they have? What might they need? The best present-buyer I know is my sister’s friend Jooney, who specializes in small, thoughtful Christmas present ideas like favourite childhood sweets – you can’t beat a year’s supply of Sherbet Dibdabs. My amazingly organized friend Bex keeps a present ideas page in her diary, and makes a note when she sees a brilliant present idea because, ‘You might think you’ll remember, but you won’t’.

3) Avoid present ideas which could possibly come under the ‘Novelty’ heading. Even if you think something is hilarious, it probably isn’t. (Just typing this makes me cringe about what we gave my father-in-law last Christmas. Just because he spends hours on his ride-on mower doesn’t mean he wants a bobble hat emblazoned with the words ‘The Lawn Ranger’).

4) Think about whether your present ideas fall under the category of Stuff. We all have too much Stuff. Stuff is bad; means of organizing stuff – beautiful albums, journals, storage boxes – are always good.

5) Start a present cupboard. I know, I know – this is totally unspontaneous and too grown-up for words, but having a small, gorgeous stash of emergency presents guarantees that even if you don’t have the Right Present, you’ll have something: instant smugness.

Aaaahhh. See, you’re feeling a bit smug already. That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now, where did I put George’s phone number?