Weddings, parties, whatever: any occasion that involves handing over a present to a good friend requires careful preparation. Unless you receive point-blank orders or an itemised list, it’s up to you to find an object whose value represents your level of devotion to the recipient. But hey — no pressure.
The standard approach — hitting up the local shopping emporium and wandering aimlessly, lip a-quiver — tends to result in exhaustion, despair and newfound photosensitivity to fluorescent lighting. The options are overwhelming, but 95 per cent of the stuff on show is disposable, generic junk.
The best gifts aren’t always found in a mall. Great presents reflect the personality of the recipient, and allude to some private joke or shared experience. They call upon a memory that was beginning to dim, and ignite it once more into an inferno of Awesome.
The strategy for coming up with presents that fit these criteria? Easy. Just pay attention when you’re with your nearest and dearest. Listen. Whenever you hear phrases like “I’d love to…” or “I wish I could…”, think about whether you could fulfill that wish or solve that problem. And then find a way to turn it into a gift.
Now, obviously there are limitations. Your father may want a freaking trip to space on Virgin Galactic, and he sure won’t be scoring that from you. But even when the material requests are fanciful, the desires behind them are simple. And you can satisfy them in simpler ways. How about a trip to the good old observatory or planetarium? Or a telescope? Or a book on Galileo, Galileo (Galileo let me go)? There are heaps of options — it’s just a matter of using your imagination.
That’s the basic philosophy of good gift-giving: listen, pay attention, and try to solve a problem, fulfill a desire or re-enliven past glory. Here are some more ideas for the actual loot:
- Hark back to childhood. There is something magical and comforting about encountering a long-lost relic from your past. Board games, paper toys, Rubik’s Cubes — find something that evokes nostalgia for the days when they were anklebiters.
- Go old-school. Hit up a thrift store or antique market and see what you can find. No, it’s not just a cop-out cheapskate option — it’s pretty cool to own something that has a history. How about a vintage suitcase for someone who’s about to go on holiday? Chicks dig hatboxes, and the lit-head in your life would go mad for a cloth-bound edition of The Great Gatsby.
- Fill a pocket Moleskine cahier notebook with memories of shared shenanigans, pictures ripped from magazines and quotes that relate to the lucky recipient.
- Get all Martha Stewart/Amy Sedaris and bake their favourite meal, cookies or cake. If you totally screw up, it’ll still be endearing. Bridget Jones’ pals loved her blue soup.
- Write a song. It doesn’t have to be a weighty, Coldplay-calibre angstfest. Make it funny. A wonderful friend once made up a song about the time we ate a delicious muffin at the IKEA cafe, and the memory still makes me smile.
- Get something handmade from the kick-ass artisans of Etsy. It’s a treasure trove for clothing, jewelry, home decor and stationery, and the DIY, bespoke ethic will give you a rush of the warm-and-fuzzies. Try doing a keyword search for your friend’s interests — whether they be into burlesque, steampunk or geekery — or check out the gift guides for inspiration.
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