It’s official–Christmas Day is less than a week away. That means that you have less than seven days to get the last few bits of your holiday gifts to purchase. Just to put that into perspective, that’s less than 168 hours. Or if you prefer, less than 10,080 minutes. More specifically, Christmas Day is less than 604,800 seconds away! 604799 seconds… 604798… 604798…
What are you still doing here? Those 605k seconds are ticking away every… well, second! Those gifts aren’t going to buy themselves. Although, perhaps the reason you still haven’t finished your Christmas shopping is that you’ve become stuck at figuring out what to get your loved ones. It happens–particularly when you have family members who are a little difficult to buy for. Those wonderful loved ones who seem to have everything they need, and grateful for anything you get them, and yet you still feel like you’ve short-changed them on the big day.
Well, luckily, despite it being a little close for comfort; below are some tips and ideas to help you complete your 2020 Christmas shopping.
Think: who are you buying for?
Firstly, you should think about the person who is going to be receiving the gift. Are they younger or older? Identify as a man, woman, or non-binary? Do they have any hobbies or interests that need financing or help to equip for? These are all useful questions to ask yourself in the early going. A great gift is one that compliments the recipient, and will certainly be one that is remembered for years to come. But with a week left, you might be hard-pressed to source something like that, so it will have to have a back-up plan in place.
Therefore, you can never really go wrong with clothing, particular attire of the more “fancy” variety. Suit jackets for men, blouses for women, and all of the fancy accessories go a long way for anyone. If it’s of any help, then check out White House Black Market’s Christmas sale. WHBM goes the extra mile to ensure that their range of ladies’ clothing is designed to help the wearer feel confident, is of high quality, and is completely affordable. Plus, their staff–despite being online-based–go out of their way to make sure that you are making the right purchases for whatever the occasion may be. So, if you are still a little stuck figuring out what to get your loved one, then have a chat with their advisors and take their advice.
Is a gift still a gift, if it can’t be unwrapped?
The big wrapped boxes under the tree might appear to be more alluring, but that doesn’t automatically mean that they have as much value to them. After all, $100 fits nicely into a small envelope, whilst a garbage can takes up a lot of space. The point here is that a gift is still a gift, as it has been given with the intention to enrich someone’s life and happiness. An experience also enriches someone’s happiness, as does a great memory, and yet these are things that cannot be wrapped up and put under a tree.
Remember the point about thinking about the person you are gifting, and particularly asking yourself if they have any hobbies? Well, this is where that comes in. Hobbyists, particularly ones with creative endeavors, tend to have a very narrow focus when it comes to the materials in their lives. They get their favorite experiences through the craft that they enjoy, or with creating something. Photographers, in particular, enjoy the composition of a great shot and love the fact that they were the ones that captured it even more.
Ever heard of an Aputure 300D II? Unless you are that photographer in the family then you are not likely to have. It’s a portable light, designed to really enhance the visual quality of photos taken in darker settings and environments. It’s also incredibly expensive (as in, you could easily expect to pay over a grand for one), and probably well and truly past the budget of any amateur photographer, including the most committed ones.
However, there is the option to rent one, via BorrowLenses; a company that leases out video and image-making equipment and accessories. If you have an amateur photographer in your life, you can help them with their hobbies, by renting equipment for them as part of their Christmas gift. They may not be able to unwrap a lease but they’re bound to enjoy it all the same.
You can’t gift a house… can you?
Of course, with the New Year hot on the heels of Christmas, and therefore Spring only a little bit behind that, your thoughts might be turning to all of the plans you had for your home this year but never quite carried out. So, rather than making a resolution to get that done–who even follows their resolutions, anyway, why not gift yourself and your family to starting your home makeovers.
There’s a ton of ideas out there to help you on your way without requiring you to break the bank doing it. Kitchen transformations, as suggested by POL Home, can be as simple as a good clean paint job, and a replacement of some of the crockery. So this Christmas, don’t just lay your gifts under the tree–lay 2021’s tree under a gift(ed renovation!)
On a more serious note…
One of the many reasons for getting stuck with Christmas gift ideas is that ill health or a medical condition is causing you to second-guess yourself. Rightfully, you don’t want to be getting a gift for someone if you feel you are putting them into a position that they can’t use it, enjoy it, or worse, don’t know what it is. The frightening thing about conditions such as Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia, is that such a scenario is a very real possibility. Obviously, it’s difficult, but nor do you want your loved one to miss out on the spirit of Christmas.
Don’t give up. There is advice available from support groups, and help is only a few clicks away. Argonaut Newspaper is an example of this, as the online magazine has plenty of ideas for holiday gifts for loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s. They’re available online and can help you in many matters when a loved one has been diagnosed with this disease, meaning you won’t have to feel you are making any wrong decisions going forwards.
On last, very tiny but super important detail:
Let’s not forget that we still have the unwanted guest of Coronavirus this year, and whilst many places have opted to heavily restrict movements and interactions of people, you can still help yourself and stay safe while shopping for Christmas. Be extra vigilant, and safe, as no one wants the gift of ill health during the holiday season.
What are you still here for? Christmas is only 604,625 seconds away! You’ve shopping to do!