Words by Beth Brown

Thinking back to the nineteen (soon to be twenty!) Christmases I have lived, a few gifts still stand out. My pink Nintendo DS. The Zayn Malik cardboard cutout that jumped scared me when I was eleven. The dressing table that I heard ‘Santa’ struggle to build for an hour. Some of my fondest memories! 

Buying Christmas gifts is usually as stressful as it is fun. Watching your loved ones open a meaningful gift from you on Christmas Day is always a nice feeling. But, it can be hard to find that perfect gift. So, I decided to ask some people: what is your favourite Christmas gift you have ever received? The answers I received had a range of budgets and styles, so hopefully some of these will be the perfect gift inspiration for this holiday season.

Amélie, 20, finds more personal gifts the most memorable. She spoke about how she received an amethyst necklace from her uncle years ago. Despite receiving it when she was about thirteen, she still wears it most days! She also mentioned the heirloom her aunt gave her a couple years ago: one of her granny’s bracelets. The same year, her sister received a ring and her cousin got one of their granny’s broches. 

With some more examples of personable presents, Izzy, 20, spoke about how her sister made a series of illustrations for her last year. They were replications of family photos, with one including Izzy’s late grandparents. Another example is from Morgan, 21, who received a personalised photo album from his girlfriend. 

Bryony, our Local life editor, 19, is a firm believer in the importance of personalised gifts, saying that she ‘prefers[s] presents to be special and not just material.’ She gave some examples of the meaningful gifts she has received over the years, which ranged from photo collages, scrapbooks and engraved jewellery. 

Moving away from personalised gifts, Joanna, 20, talked about how she preferred ‘gifts [you] can use.’ She favours slightly more practical gifts that are perfect for day to day use. One of her personal highlights is the Oodie she received last Christmas! Chlöe, 21, took a similar approach, as for her the best Christmas gift she has ever received is a coffee machine! 

Melissa, 20, received a gift from her boyfriend last Christmas that was the perfect balance of practical and personal. Coming up to their first Christmas together, Melissa’s boyfriend noticed when she would come to visit that her suitcase would not fit all her belongings comfortably. So, he bought her a new suitcase, which comes in very helpful when they travel together! 

Scarlett, 22, settled on a more humorous gift. For the family Secret Santa, her brother decided to get her a custom shirt that included funny photos of all her family members. Scarlett said ‘I never wore it out, only to bed but [it] still was so funny!’ However, Scarlett also remembers how after struggling to find the David Bowie album Love You till Tuesday, her mum was able to track one down for her a few Christmases ago.

With all this in mind, there are so many ways to make a Christmas gift meaningful. Whether it is personal, practical or somewhere in between, there are plenty of options for making a present memorable.

Featured Image Courtesy of Origin Trends

Categories: Local Life

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