Christmas Day is less than a week away and every year I tend to lean towards buying the same thing for certain people. Apart from buying the inevitable Christmas cards I usually buy: a bottle of the latest designer perfume for my mum; a tie, a belt, or a bottle of Eau de toilette (fancy term for ‘perfume’) for my dad; and for my two sisters I’ve so far gotten them the latest albums of their favourite artists, jewellery/accessories or some good ol’ trusty perfume (by now you must have realized that buying perfume is usually the easy way out for me). Surely the best gift to buy would be the kind that the recipient actually wants (which is why your antenna needs to be permanently switched on for subtle hints).
This year I’m daring to be different. I want to be less predictable and I think people generally should be too when buying presents. This of course is heavily dependant on how much you are willing to spend and how many people you plan to buy gifts for. Well I’ve compiled a list of things that are thoughtful, from the economical to the insanely expensive.
The ‘I can easily afford this’ list
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5 yards of fine print fabric – Ideal because the recipient can have a tailor sew it to his/her taste. Make sure you choose the ‘right’ colour!
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A novel/book – This has to have been written by a renowned author or be about a famous person.
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CDs – Great thing is that you could buy more than one and it wouldn’t empty your piggy bank.
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Cable/Satellite package – Some people still watch only local television. DSTV is now N9,500 and for more variety StarTimes is N10,000!
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A bag of rice – Who doesn’t eat rice? That’s like staple food in Nigeria and would be appreciated by the whole family.
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A live turkey or chicken – I prefer chicken because turkey isn’t really that tasty in my opinion.
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A carton of juice – Simple and costs only N2,200 at most shops.
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Perfume – A box set including lotion (and aftershave for the men) would be better but don’t make this a habit every year like me!
Phew! Now that I’ve got the boring economical list out-of-the-way, let’s go on to the next one…
The ‘I’m stretching my budget a bit’ list
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A Blackberry Torch
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An I-Pad
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An Apple Mac
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A Playstation 3
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A Ralph Lauren Polo shirt
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Gucci shoes/Nike Trainers/Clarks Sandals
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Louis Vitton Handbags (for the ladies)
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Movado wristwatch (for the men)
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An HD Flatscreen TV
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A puppy (only if the recipient doesn’t have allergies and is ready to pay for dog food, vet bills, etc).
Such gifts are ideal for people who mean a lot to you. But if you’ve got tons of money and you want to completely blow someone’s mind away then consider this…
The ‘You must be out of your ****ing mind’ list
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A Toyota FJ Cruiser
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A 5-bedroom house
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Anything from Cartier
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A night at the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel
- A space-shuttle trip to the moon (return trip, of course)
I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. There’s only 4 days to go now so hurry and get your last-minute shopping done or else you’ll probably be buying a lot of perfume 🙁