For an imaginative X'mas

ITS A WRAP!

Roll your eyes if you’ve received one or more of these gifts before: wallet, pen, branded keychain, photo frame, kitchen gadget, jewellery, crystal paperweight, bizarrely-shaped unidentifiable object you have no idea what to do with.

Christmas always seems like time for a series of boring gifts that are forgotten about even before the day is over and after a year or two of recessionary relief, it looks like this time around we’re going to be regifting to friends and house help rather more unwanted presents than in previous years.

While Americans may be scaling down their budgets this year as the effects of the recession continue to be felt (a study of 1,000 people by Liberty Mutual Insurance said nearly half of Americans will be buying fewer gifts this holiday season), across the planet, Indians are digging deeper and spending more than ever.

“There’s no recession in India,” a manager at the luxury Saks Fifth Avenue store in Dubai tells me, explaining how she phones big-spending customers to alert them about new items in stock. “All my clients are Indian, and they’ve been flying in to make their purchases for the last few weeks.”

As we saw at Diwali, major corporations have shrugged off the caution of previous years and ramped up budgets for sweets and presents, whether for staff and business partners. “We’re still eating all the dry fruits from Diwali. My husband brought home more than ever this year – and I’m dreading the Christmas and New Year surfeit,” says the wife of a Bangalore-based banking executive. “Sometimes, I think the best thing would be to create a sort of gift registry for all our festivals, so there’s no overlap, like they have at weddings abroad,” she adds cheekily.

But opening your presents doesn’t have to be a yawn fest, say experts, especially if your choices are even slightly out of the ordinary.

“Imaginative rather than expensive is the key to gift-giving any time of the year. That usually appeals and people hang on to them. Boring ones are given away or thrown in the bin,” says Sheila Da Silva, head of quality control at a major Indian conglomerate. “That’s advice I give my colleagues every year, but it applies equally well to individuals and people at home.”

For busy, stressed-out worker bees, then, here’s our guide to navigating the gifting minefield.

Start early with a list

Some people look out for gifts all year, so that by the time December rolls around, they’re happily putting the final bits of tape on their pretty packages. If you’re not the obsessive- compulsive type, though, don’t worry – but two to four weeks before the occasion is a good time to start hunting. It gives you enough time to consider options and compare prices, to allow for delivery times (in case you’ve ordered online), as well as to think of the possible consequences – so that you don’t end up gifting a box of chocolates bought on Christmas Day from the convenience store at a petrol station on the way.

Also make sure you have a list, preferably with an allocated budget for each person. List the person’s age, style, hobbies and sizes, so you have something to work from. And check it daily to make sure no one’s left out – and to readjust costs as necessary.

Gadgets aren’t just for geeks

In our increasingly fast-moving lives, everybody’s got a piece of tech candy they’ve got their eyes on. If you can stretch to the iPad or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab (tablet computers have topped several wish-list surveys this year) you’ll have some very happy recipients indeed, who will think of you each time they use the gift, but even if you can’t, look for small, unusual gadgets. Jokey robot toys are fun, while aesthetically shaped pen drives (not cheap-looking but pretty and chic) are still a great gift – provided they’re 8GB or more.

Gaming addicts will appreciate Microsoft’s new Kinect for the X-box, but a battery-operated or solar-powered ice bucket that can hold 12 bottles of beer is both practical and ingenious.

Interest matters

It’s important to think about the recipient of your gift properly – what do they like? Fashion fiends would kill for a Hermes Birkin, but would happily settle for a classy Calvin Klein watch. Football fanatics might appreciate shares in a favourite club or season tickets to Premier League matches.

But beware the easy association. Just because someone likes a round of golf doesn’t mean he wants a miniature putter to play with while on the toilet. A dog lover won’t always appreciate little porcelain dogs in garish colours. Think about the person instead and go for imaginative rather than fail safe.

Think about experiences

What do you give the corner office occupant who can buy everything he would want? Why, an experience, of course – it’s a thoughtful gift and shows you’re actually interested in the recipient’s wellbeing. Consider a PADI course (only for swimmers, of course!), a trek for two from the Bangalore Mountaineering Club, a flying or F1 driving experience – or even a spa treatment.

Alternatively, a meal for two at Ziya, Michelin-star chef Vineet Bhatia’s restaurant in Mumbai or at the Taj West End is an option that would earn more kudos than yet another five-kilo box of mithai.

But as we’ve said before, make sure the gift is appropriate. Someone who’s just had knee replacement surgery may not be the best candidate for a day-long trek!

Make it memorable

It’s hard to personalise a gift when you’ve got hundreds of clients and suppliers to please, and in such a situation, the secretary down the hall will often simply ring up her favourite crystal supplier for a selection of items, while budget constraints will decide that the hideous asymmetric silver-coated glass vase gets picked instead.

Corporate gifts can be even more of a minefield than presents for family, but even when you’re giving away one hundred prettily wrapped boxes to your associates, there are ways to be creative and imaginative.

The secret to a unique, memorable gift, says Deepak Whorra, Marketing Manager at the nationwide boutique store Episode, is utility with aesthetics. “A major influence is the utility of the gifts – practical yet aesthetically appealing gifts that are contemporary in form,” he says.

He says this year’s top gifts are light-themed: “Candlestands and tea light holders are very big at the moment, as are table accessories for the executive like pen stands, bookmarks and desktop picture frames.” And if the idea of another pen stand generates groans, Whorra says bar collaterals are another major category of corporate gifts.

Sheila Da Silva, head of quality control at a major Indian corporation, suggests avoiding expensive, really over the top gifts such as gold, silver and designer watches or garments. “Usually recipients are embarrassed by expensive gifts unless of course, you’re a politician,” she says. “Most companies usually have a gift policy in place that does not allow executives to accept gifts over a nominal value, say between Rs 500 and Rs 2000. So, it’s best to enquire about these, rather than be embarrassed by a return, especially at a time when corporate governance is making headlines.”

Also avoid personal gifts, she says, such as perfume, jewellery, wine (unless you’re a hotelier) and boring mundane stuff like pens, calculators, keychains and even coasters. Food and sweets, too, are definitely out.

“A colleague told me that the best gift she’s ever received was a one-year subscription to a business newsmagazine,” says Da Silva. “The best corporate gifts I ever got and actually used were pen drives (in funky shapes) and a neat card case or card holder, clean lines with minimal branding. The worst gift I ever got was a large electro-plated nickel silver tea-set,” she says with a sigh.