What would you like for Christmas? World peace and a puppy, thanks Santa. Photo: Sally Hopman.
It’s 18 days before Christmas, and all through the house, every creature is stirring – except for someone with nous.
One smarty-panted soul selected, bought, wrapped and hid the 237 Christmas presents required for family, friends, teachers, employees – and the extras for those rellos who always turn up at the wrong time – barely weeks after last Christmas.
While the rest of us were chasing last-minute rubbish gifts from the cupboard where we put the rubbish gifts other people gave us, this organised soul was lying back, secure in the knowledge he had bought everything he needed to buy – and more. And what’s worse, he never runs out of sticky-tape, his ribbons are always colour-coordinated and he can estimate how much paper he’ll need to wrap a ride-on lawnmower from 50 metres.
He shows it is possible to be organised before 25 December. Hmm, maybe someone should write a book about it – it’d make the ideal Christmas gift.
It’s not exactly rocket science: save your dollars during the year by trying not to buy coffee/lunch/snacks/dinner every day. That should raise at least a couple of mill.
If you can actually save money, put it in a secure place, somewhere no-one would ever look for it. If you do it well enough, you’ll also be unable to find it. So it’ll be quite the nest egg if/when your good, great, really great grandchildren discover it. Eventually.
If, like most of us, you’re sick of buying things for people they clearly don’t want – or forget you gave it to them and they give it back to you next Christmas – try this for size.
Next time you go shopping with your other half and they spend a little longer than normal looking at a bracelet, frock, angle-grinder and/or puppy, take note. When they wander off to check out something else, buy it for them, then and there. Don’t wait for Christmas, spread the goodwill – and the newspaper if you get the puppy – early. Also might need to factor in boarding kennel fees for said puppy ’til Christmas.
Of course, gifts don’t have to cost a lot of money. Op shops are great even though they can be a mecca for other people’s crap.
If the person you’re buying for has dodgy taste, you’ll be inundated with gift suggestions at the op shop.
It’s also an excellent hunting ground for those friends quite partial to a label or two. In one op shop visit, a friend found a fancy-looking handbag with the initials LV planted on the outside and the words Louis Vuittton inside. She gave it to another friend who had a thing about labels. Result: win win. (Don’t think either of them noticed the extra “t”.)
Yes, Christmas is a time of giving, but it helps if you give some thought to what you give and to whom.
This year, the least we can do is be charitable.
Original Article published by Sally Hopman on Riotact.
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