The Sydney’s Marketing Manager Simon Crossley-Meates gets the next five Christmases sorted!
If the thought of shopping for the ‘perfect gift’ gives you paroxysms you’ll be grateful for this list of 32 perfectly excellent suggestions. Often it’s obvious, other times you can wander 9 floors of David Jones, like a lost toddler at the Easter Show.
Over the years, these gifts have been winners.
- Valentine’s Day – The best I ever managed was matching knee-high lace up Ugg Boots with patterned lining. 16 years of marriage: still wearing them.
- Your ‘significant other’ (f) – Voucher for a day spa. Take them to heaven and back.
- Your ‘significant other’ (m) – Bunnings voucher. Like a ticket to Aladdin’s Cave…
- New-born baby – for the parents, a pile of old cloth nappies (don’t add to the 8,000 cute jumpsuits they’ll get: these critters make so much mess, you’ll love a ready-to-hand pile of rags and think of the gift with every posset)
- Anyone’s 21st birthday – Bottle of champagne. Universal celebration lubricant.
- Father’s birthday – tools for fixing the car. Fancier the better, like a vanadium chrome ratchet spanner set.
- Mother’s birthday – antique silver photo frame with photo of you. Love!
- Annoying younger sibling’s birthday – fake silver photo frame with photo of you – because deep down they secretly admire you, their older, wiser sibling.
- Son’s birthday – A hobby kit that you are secretly really into, “so you can do it together”.
- Daughter’s birthday – a Frozen princess dress with oodles of princess jewellery.
- Mate’s birthday – Book on an utterly random subject, eg How to Train Budgerigars. Both humourous and educational.
- Girlfriend’s birthday – dinner at her favourite restaurant. Took 3 weeks booking time.
- Boyfriend’s birthday – the world’s comfiest, long, oversized, fleecy dressing robe.
- Boss’s birthday – Office plant. Generates oxygen – remember to breathe.
- Flatmate’s birthday – an amazing recipe book. Inspiration that pays dividends in something yummy for all.
- That kid in your kid’s class birthday – Lego. Just Lego.
- Mother’s Day – Package Deal: cuppa in bed, cooked lunch, flowers, cards, chocolates, cute creations from school, and jewellery. Go all out!
- Father’s Day – a ‘thing’ from school made of wood with ‘Love you Daddy’. Heart-melting. Then leave in peace and quiet in shed for 6 hours.
- Colleague’s leaving – Bottle of excellent wine. We drink to forget, right?
- Overseas souvenir – Fridge magnet. Best record of where you’ve been because you’ll honestly never sort your photos out…
- Thank You Neighbour – they collected your mail while you were away? Streets Quality Chocolates: Like the ad says, “Thank you very very very much”.
- Graduation Ceremony – a travel literature book. Now go see the world!
- Foodie friend – a huge 40cm paella pan and bag of bombora rice. Paella – the dish that keeps on giving.
- Nerdy friend – Tshirt with something clever, like periodic table symbols – eg Sa R Ca Sm
- Musical friend – Ticket voucher for a future live concert, opera, theatre or show that can be redeemed when restrictions ease… because they will at some point.
- Sporty friend – Favouite team merchandise. Can there ever be enough?
- Your ‘significant other’ (f) again – an acupressure wooden foot roller for sore tootsies.
- Gardener lovers – My kids once dug me a fishpond in the middle of the front yard, filled it with water weed and tiddlers they’d caught and put decorative rocks and old pot plants all around the edge. A labour of love.
- Wedding Gift – a nice lounge blanket for two, for snuggling nights in.
- Creative Gift – Jams, honey, rocky road – things that you’ve made or grown.
- Secret Santa – a beach towel (it’s summer!) or a nice new water bottle.
- When all else fails, break glass in emergency, no idea what else – A book. Elegant, compact, and no-one can ever have enough books in one’s life.
Our team have been finding 32 new ways to celebrate each month, since we announced The Sydney’s 32 Competitors for the 2021 competition. Learn more about these 32 young pianists here.