Jumpers, socks, underwear and candles… they’re all useful but oh so predictable when it comes to Christmas gifts. Why do we have to give someone a familiar present this year? Why can’t it be something unexpected but actually kind of helpful? These are the type of things that people want but never really end up buying themselves. Make 2018 the Year of the Random Present.
Slippers
Granted, you’ll have to know the person’s foot size (hard to casually bring up in a conversation), but what kind of weirdo doesn’t love a comfy, nice set of slippers to wear around the house on Christmas Day? A pair of woolly moccasins should do the trick, but anything that looks super comfortable will go down a treat for the recipient. Even if they’ve already got slippers, another pair can’t hurt.
Personalised mug
Mugs with some inspirational saying or outdated meme are ho-hum, so instead get them a personalised mug with either their first name or first initial. These mugs don’t have to be tacky or lame, they can be super stylish and something that they’ll want to drink coffee or tea out of again and again. Check out some tiled letter mugs and tell me that a nice cup of tea (or maybe cake in a mug?) wouldn’t taste 100% better out of one of these.
A printer
You might actually be surprised at how often you need a printer. Whether it’s printing out last minute essays or your boarding pass, you can’t always rely on library printers to be available or even working properly! Some printers will only set you back around £25 (especially around Black Friday or the Christmas period), but make sure you’ve at least picked up ink cartridges somewhere, as those pesky things can run out at the most inopportune times.
Amazon Echo
Some people might dislike the idea of an all-knowing, all-listening gadget sitting in their house, but the Amazon Echo has some major benefits. Asking Alexa for the time, weather, traffic updates, or news when you’re in a rush is so incredibly useful, plus, the AI can be funny and even a bit sassy at times, so there’s never a dull moment with an Amazon Echo around. Most won’t be bothered to pick up one, but you know they’ll be using it all the time afterwards.
Electric toothbrush
Finally, can you believe that there are some who still use a normal toothbrush? If my toothbrush doesn’t whirr and beep, then I don’t want to know about it. They are lightning quick, clean so much better, are very affordable, and have replaceable heads. Removing all of someone’s toothbrushes before giving them this gift might be a bit extreme, but they’ll be thanking you years down the line when they schedule fewer visits to the dentists.
Whatever you end up giving for Christmas this year, at least make sure it’s a little bit different from the usual. People love to be surprised and delighted when they open up their present, so make this Xmas one to remember!
