It’s the most wonderful time of the year, filled with festive cheer. There’s just one part of the Christmas season that’s a little irritating: finding any gift, let alone the perfect one, for your loved ones. “Don’t worry, there’s not really anything I need,” they say. Yet they’ll still be expecting something memorable and unique come December 25th.
Lucky for you, you really needn’t worry – we’ve put together the ultimate guide of top tips for Christmas gifting.
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Make Their Gifts an Event
Too often a Christmas gift is simply viewed as one material thing. It’s not. Gift-giving is about the whole experience – creating memories right from the moment the recipient begins unwrapping their present.
Get creative with the presents you give – maybe you could order the gifts in terms of the sequence in which they should be opened. First might come a pair of driving gloves, before the certificate for a luxury driving experience by Porsche 911 Turbo.
Some like to make the process of finding gifts more fun by turning it into a treasure hunt with clues to find the hiding places. Just remember, the process of unwrapping is very much underrated. Make play of it – perhaps with a ‘pass-the-parcel’ type theme.
Pique Their Interest
This one might seem obvious, but it’s amazing how dissecting the process of what one’s interests really are helps the Christmas gift finding process. One method the Truly gifting experts use is to make a list of someone’s personality traits. They can then match each trait up with potential gifts.
Suddenly there are a whole plethora of magical presents from which you can choose the most suitable. Even for the more enigmatic recipient, it’s always possible to deconstruct what they might want.
Are they a busy worker in the City? They could probably do with more time to relax. Help them find it with a trip to the spa. Someone whose house is filled with everything they could ever want? Send them to space (or something else unique but less tough on the pocket). Find solutions to problems or desires they might have.
Play On Nostalgia
Nostalgia is one of the most powerful human emotions. That’s scientifically verified. Everyone likes to look back on their fondest memories. And this can be channelled into gift-giving. One favourite example is the granddaughter who asked Truly’s concierge to send a copy of a newspaper from her grandad’s first Christmas along with his festive present.
Another romantic Christmas gift was courtesy of one gentleman who had us recreate his and his wife’s first date for a special fine dining and theatre experience. Tap back into that special someone’s past to find the moments that make them smile the most – if you can relate to those in your gift you’ll have struck gold.
Include A Gift Receipt
Different to an actual receipt, a gift receipt allows the recipient to take the gift back and exchange it for a different size, colour or even something of a comparable price all without them knowing the price of the item. It means any awkward situations are avoided on the big day as well. All of Truly’s gifts can be exchanged for a different experience no questions asked.
Personalise It
Do something creative as part of your Christmas presents. Show your artistic side by hand-crafting the card that goes with it, or adding something unique and creative to the wrapping.
Capitalise on their sense of humour by playing on an in-joke between yourself and your recipient. For that Scotch whisky lover, present them with a cocktail recipe book that holds a certificate for a premium whisky tasting inside.
Make It Memorable
At this magical time of the year, the best type of gift is one that creates lasting memories and promotes shared joy. So why not give what has been proven to be the best kind of gift: an experience? Gifting expert, Amit Kumar, told us that, while people often deen material gifts worthwhile because they are tangible, in actual fact, it is experiential gifts that provide more satisfactory presents.
This is because they form lasting memories and help foster social relationships between the giver and recipient. Luckily for you, we have a number of luxury gift experiences for him and for her for your perusal.
The Christmas period and gift shopping can be more stressful than it ought to be. Use these handy tips to ensure you master the art of Christmas gifting this year.