Christmas gift giving is hard, especially for that one mate that seems to have just about everything already. If you want to steer clear of the usual bottle o’ wine ‘n scratchie and go down a more personal route this year, here are some suggestions that may just spark the inner Christmas elf in you.
GIFT IDEA: Kitchen appliances.
WHY Give the gift that lasts – for at least as long as the 12 month warranty anyway – and give your mate something practical for the kitchen. Don’t be your well-meaning mother and go down the boring ol’ white appliances aisle though, pick something that speaks to your heart, like say, this relatively topical Darth Vader toaster?
You can not disguise your toast from me, Jedi.
GIFT IDEA: Cold press juicer.
WHY Green juice is just
not going to go away anytime soon so you may as well stay up to date.
The latest juicing craze is the cold press juicer and apparently it does
something about maintaining essential vitamins and enzymes? If your
mate’s into health food, they’re already going to know the merits of
this one. Don’t question it. Just buy it.
GIFT IDEA: Free lessons.
WHY If there’s something your mate’s always wanted to do, like learn to cook, snorkel or weld, get online and find them a class to suit. The Work-Shop in Sydney has some great, slightly more obscure classes. Otherwise, sites like Groupon or RedBalloon can get you a good deal if they’ve always wanted to recreate Step Up 2.
GIFT IDEA: The new Tamagotchi.
WHY Relive your childhood and get the latest in Tamagotchi technology. It’s basically the same needy, pixelated blob that it used to be but if you get yourself one too, your Tamagotchis can go on play dates in the park or go virtual shopping and they totally couldn’t do that in 1997.
GIFT IDEA: The gift of sound.
WHY There’s nothing worse than a park BBQ or a social gathering that has no tunes. Gift your mate with the biggest music library via the Bose SoundLink® Color Bluetooth® Speaker, to ensure you never have to sit in awkward silence again. Connectable to your musical devices via Bluetooth, it’s super portable, features quality sound and has a battery that lasts up to eight hours. It’s a
gift that gives to everyone. Plus, look at all those pretty colours.
GIFT IDEA: An instant camera.
WHY There’s still something nice about holding a physical photo in your hand. Gift your mate with an instant camera so they can shake, shake it don’t have to scout out the closest Kmart that still processes film.
heeeeeeey ya
GIFT IDEA: Natural sunscreen.
WHY That sun will be beating down pretty harsh come backyard cricket time on Christmas Day so do your mate a solid and look after their health. They’ll be thanking you for keeping them clear of the lobster look while their skin will be forever grateful for not harshing its vibe with nasty chemicals. Try these options from Aesop.
GIFT IDEA: Some sort of subscription.
WHY It’s the gift that just keeps on giving, duh. Easiest is to get them a subscription to their favourite magazine or throw caution to the wind and get them a year-long subscription for something completely left of field. You never know, they could end up learning a thing or two from Australian Woodsmith.
GIFT IDEA: Movie tickets.
WHY Don’t get your mate a book
of tickets to see the latest Hollywood blockbusters, broaden their
horizons and get them some vouchers for a specialty cinema. Think Dendy, Golden Age Cinema in Sydney or Cinema Nova in Melbourne. It’s time to get a bit of culture in ya.
GIFT IDEA: Something to fuel their celebrity obsession.
WHY Everyone has at least one celebrity they probably know just a little too much about. Get onto Etsy and fuel their celeb obsession with a completely unique (and questionable) gift. Like, if they’re into One Direction buy them this shirt. Or if Kim Kardashian brings a tear to their eye, buy this jumper. Or just get them one of these candles to add to their alter.
Bow down to a goddess..
GIFT IDEA: A life sized cardboard cut out of yourself.
WHY Why not? If you love yourself, surely your best mate does too. And now the two of you can be together forever. If you’re not quite down with a cardboard clone of yourself, try gifting them their fave celebrity or for ultimate zeitgeist’iness, find someone who’ll print this:
Mark Metcalfe via Getty Images
GIFT IDEA: A warm fuzzy feeling.
WHY Rather than buying
your mate a gift, buy a goat on their behalf and gift it to someone who
really needs it, like someone in poverty-stricken Mozambique. Goats not
your thing? Then perhaps some polio vaccinations? Charities like Oxfam and Unicef
have a huge range of practical goods for those that are less fortunate
than us privileged Aussies. Want to help someone a bit closer to home?
Then purchase some toys through The Smith Family’s Toy and Book Appeal to brighten a sad child’s Christmas this year.
GIFT IDEA: Bacon.
WHY If all else fails, buy them bacon. Eeeeeeverybody loves bacon. NB: This is not a good idea if your mate is vego.
