The Spirit of Giving

For a while there, when people asked me what my dream job would be, I said, gift consultant. I love Christmas shopping. In fact, I love it so much I start in July. Starting early has some benefits. You get to recce a whole lot more. And by recce I mean listen. That way you hear what people want when they're not conscious of telling you. Of course, some of these ideas may make it to the birthday list. And sometimes, I do Christmas in themes.

Like the year (actually, last year) when I decided to include a book of handpicked stories, a CD of my favourite Christmas selections, a DVD (The Alastair Sim 'A Christmas Carol') and Christmas-scented candles. Also my first ever batch of wassail. Finding a recipe. Finding the ingredients. Borrowing Mum's crockpot. Those sort of things.

If I find a book I like I buy a few copies. If I find a Christmas book I like, I buy a few copies. Sometimes I buy a whole bunch of stuff at TUT. The calendars, the mugs, the diaries. All special. All limited edition. All stuff you can't buy in a shop.

eBay is great. But you have to monitor it all year. Also you need a credit card. Which I don't.

Of course sometimes you can strike it lucky. The way I did when my friend Esther dragged me all over The Curve looking for a particular Christmas album that had just been released by a particular Korean group. Of course we didn't find it. So I went back and eBayed it and ordered it to be sent to her house. The thing was from Taiwan and it was still November but she only got it on Christmas Eve. She was thrilled and couldn't figure out who sent it until her niece said...which of your friends orders stuff online?

Me.

Just me.

Another time a friend spoke about this book she used to read in college in India..it was about this priest who used to talk to God. That's all she told me. She laughed as she talked about it - but couldn't remember what it was called or who wrote it. A few months later I stumbled on one of the stories in a Comedy Collection. Which gave me the name and the author's name. And then it was a hop, skip and jump to Amazon.com to get the book. Of course it had to be a special edition since they were no longer printing that book so of course it arrived after Christmas and had to be saved for the birthday.

But point of the story which has no point? She loved it. She screamed out loud and said, how did you know, how did you know? And as she'd been having a shitty day so far, I'd say it was a home run.

But the thing is, to listen. Don't get people what you like. Get them what you'd think they'd like.

A friend of mine shops on Groupon a few months before Christmas. She puts a lot of thought into it. So she manages to combine great deals with well-thought out gifts.

And if you're late and last minute, instead of picking out any old thing from a departmental store and trying to make up for the lack of thought in pretty wrapping paper, write out a gift voucher. Put a little thought into it. Write a voucher for the future, for some service you can render.

The point of the gift is to make the person who's receiving it happy.