By Val Amiel Vestil
Christmas is just around the corner and other than blinding lights, reuniting with friends and family, and celebrating the birth of Christ, we all know what this means: gifts. I’m sure, as early as now, you have listed down in an absolutely “kept-away” piece of paper the people and the corresponding gifts that you have planned to buy for them. And since the conventional Filipino family dictates a huge web of Ates, Kuyas,Ttitos, and Titas and that there are too many Christmas parties going on that require you to give a gift with a minimum of P150 for your manito/manita, I’m also sure that your list is as long as Santa’s list.
Deciding on the right gift for your recipient is one of the most difficult tasks one needs to go through every December. The process of screening gifts goes through a myriad of factors.
You have to consider his or her interests, you have to think of a gift that has never been given to him or her, you have to make sure that he or she will not dislike your gift (trust me, I’m sure that person will be thankful but in the corner of his or her mind, he’ll think: you could’ve done better.), and of course the biggest consideration of them all is your budget.
To help the frustrated little Santa inside of you, here’s a list of awesome tips and neverthought-about gifts that you can give to a specific group of people:
MOTHERS
The person you need to impress the most. Moms like it personal, with a touch of you. You can go ahead and buy your mom one of those adorable aprons if she’s the family cook! To make it more personal, you can even customize it and put a text such as: Best mom ever. You could also try giving your mom a mini-garden set complete with a spade, a rake, and some seeds too.
FATHERS
The last time I noticed, they couldn’t care less about what you give to them because most likely, they’ll just pat you on the back and say thanks for the gift. For the working dad, a ballpen would do. And no, not just any ballpen of course. To make it more classy and professional, buy him one of those Parker© ballpens you will find in National Bookstore. Siblings Brothers don’t need much thinking. You could buy them something as useful as boxers or briefs. Sisters on the other hand are hardcore gift-givers and you need to give them something equally as hardcore. This is where the reliable gifts called books come in. Nothing is as hardcore as Nicholas Sparks novels. Whether it would be The Notebook or The Wedding, sisters always love to imagine that they’re the woman in a happy love story.
AUNTS AND UNCLES
Grandparents To save more time thinking about what to give to each of them, and to save more money of course, you can give them a 2-in-1 gift, something couples would appreciate. Text portraits are really the trend nowadays. Instead of paintings, you can try giving them a portrait of a quotation, saying, or inspirational text. They come in different sizes, fonts, and colors and don’t exceed Php500!
MALE COLLEGE FRIENDS
Forget about backpacks and slingbags for your friend; small messenger bags are the new thing. They’re not too big to make you look like a backpacker, and they’re not too small either.
They’re just enough to place the essential things your male friend needs to finish the academic year. These essential things are the following, but not limited to: a pocket notebook, a ballpen, a perfume, and the I.D.
FEMALE COLLEGE FRIENDS
Girls like everything organized and the perfect Christmas gift to give to your female college friend is a 2014 planner or an everyday planner. Please don’t buy one of those plain black, leather planners that are too heavy to carry. Buy her one of the more quirky and colourful planners, those with themes like Paris or stripes, or something creative.
ANONYMOUS MANITO/MANITA
Here’s a demanding one. When they say buy anything that’s unisex, it’s not as easy as it sounds. With this kind of recipient, you have to widen your horizon. Think universal. First, everyone loves earphones. They use it all the time and want it unconsciously. Surprise your manito/manita with this item. Gift Checks/Cards better known as GCs are a good purchase. That gives your manito/manita the liberty to buy what he wants whenever he wants to. At the end of the day, only you will be able to determine what your recipient really needs or wants. No matter how expensive or resourceful your gift is, never forget that it’s always the thought that counts. Giving gifts don’t just stop on Christmas day. You continue on being a gift to others by inspiring them and being inspired by them. HappyChristmas!
