Is it nearly Christmas again already?
Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. The tree decorating,
the purchase of festive pyjamas, the traditional baking of the Christmas cake,
the annual attempt to make the cat wear reindeer antlers… all are beloved family
traditions in our house.
But does anyone else struggle with buying presents?
Every year I dither over what to buy for the loved ones in
my life. Especially for my parents. My mum and dad are both in their eighties.
They literally have everything. What do you buy a couple who’ve
celebrated more than 160 Christmases between them?
I tend to go for things I know they’ll use: clothes, spa
treatments, restaurant vouchers and the like. (After the embarrassment of
buying them the same presents two years in a row, I now keep a list.)
The most successful present my sister and I ever bought for
them was Amazon Alexa. Once we’d all got over the trauma of setting her up and
activating her, Alexa is now like a daughter to them. Their favourite daughter,
probably, as she never causes a mess and is always happy to discuss the most
trivial and random things for hours on end without wandering away for a cuppa.
My dad is particularly hard to buy for – he’s diabetic and
partially sighted. I can’t even get him a good book and some choccies. If
anyone has any bright ideas – and I really mean that – please let me know. This
year I’ve settled on a hamper of low-sugar goodies from Diabetic Hampers UK
which will be delivered just before Christmas (www.diabetichampers.co.uk since you
ask).
My daughter is easier. Anything from a cool brand is fine by
her. Of course, her definition of cool is very particular. It doesn’t include
Debenhams or Marks and Spencer, apparently.
But Urban Outfitters and Brandy Melville are in.
Have you seen the clothes in Brandy Melville? Everything is
one size, as long as that size is a twiglet.
But on a serious note, Christmas isn’t fabulous for
everyone. I know you know that. If you want to help make Christmas better for
the less fortunate, and give yourself a warm fuzzy feeling, here are three
ideas:
- Donate a Christmas present on someone else’s behalf. Lots of charities do this; Build Africa has a ‘shop’ where you can buy much-needed ‘alternative gifts’ that help families in Kenya and Uganda, like a school desk or a life-saving vaccination https://buildafricashop.org/
- Secure a place at a shelter for a homeless person over Christmas. Crisis UK is running a campaign so those without a home don’t spend Christmas on the streets. It’s £28.87 per place https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-involved/reserve-a-place-at-crisis-at-christmas
- Don't forget the elderly. A quarter of a million elderly people will spend Christmas alone. Many will go the entire Christmas period without seeing or speaking to anyone. Age UK has a list of things you can do which don’t cost money and don’t take much of your time, but could make a huge difference to a lonely person. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/
Have a fabulous festive season everyone. See you on the
other side!
No comments:
Post a Comment