Whether you’re badly organised, have landed a last minute guest or just clean forgot about a member of your family, it’s safe to say that if you haven’t got your presents yet, you’re kind of in trouble…
Or are you?
Here’s a selection of guaranteed winning gifts, that you should be able to knock up yourself or pick up at any good convenience store…
An A-Z or street map of your local area
Mark pages with the best take-away for a 4am kebab, the only pub you know of near your house that serves that whiskey they like, the really great organic bakery that makes stellar croissants on a Saturday morning, nice parks to sit and have a picnic in, the bridge with the best view over the city….
A book you love
Get one off your shelf and write a nice message in it. You can always buy another copy!
Food
Bake biscuits, stick them in a nice tin or box. Make a cake! Buy loads of cheese, whack it on a chopping board with some grapes and crackers, call it a cheese platter. Easy.
Lottery ticket or scratchcard
Always good, even better if they win
Personalised gift basket
Film night – a DVD, box of popcorn, bottle of coke... Night-in basket – nice bath stuff (recycled unwanted gift?), nice tea, chocolate. Tailor it to their tastes and you can’t fail. Neat!
Cocktails
Make up a pitcher of a nice cocktail (maybe something festive like eggnog), put it in a nice bottle (you can always wash out a nice one and reuse it), make a label, finito.
Homemade decorations (kinda)
Buy some (probably reduced) baubles, draw or write something nice on them with a glitter pen (or nail varnish and a steady hand)
Techno techno
I just installed Skype on my mum’s computer. She’s over the moon. These old folk don’t even know these things exist! When I showed her YouTube she nearly passed out. Set up the printer, show them how to blog…
Themed cookbook bundle
Buy a cook book about making Indian food and give them some of the key ingredients they’ll need, or maybe a Sushi book with some chopsticks and those cute mini soy sauce bottles. Go more simple with a favourite recipe of yours and everything they’ll need to recreate it.
Gift card
Snore, I know, but everyone appreciates them and now you can get them for Starbucks and the like they’re more useful than ever!
Use your skillzzz
My mum is, as we speak, speed-knitting a scarf. If you’re similarly talented, use it! Knit, paint, sew… as a non-knitter I have no idea how long it takes, but as an ex-fashion student I know that I can knock out a dress in about 20 minutes so I’m sure there are plenty of creative things to be made in a matter of minutes.
IOU vouchers
From the classic blow-job for your boyfriend token to an ‘I promise I will teach you how to make my amazing trifle at some point in 2009’ session with your BFF, or maybe an ‘I promise I will take you out for tea and cake once a month’ for your grandma… Go wild.
Image via Family Education