NVC Christmas Calendar 1: Ideas for Presents

Hello, lords and ladies!

This year I want to try something new in my blog, though the idea itself is old and borrowed from our old Cortile de Roses blog (may it rest in peace).

So ladies and gentlemen, I present you: New Vogue Children's Christmas Calendar! There will be five Christmas Calendar posts in total: one for each Advent Sunday, and one for Christmas Eve (which we celebrate on the 24th December here in Finland). All of the posts will be more or less Christmas related. I hope you will enjoy them!

The subject for the first Christmas Calendar post is to give some ideas for presents.  Now is the perfect time to start thinking about those - isn't it simply horrible to try to find great presents in a hurry and during the worst rush time? At least I hate that, but still, too often that is the situation I find myself in. So, on to the ideas!

Idea #1: Give Your Time

 Instead of a material present, why don't you try giving the most precious thing during these hectic times we live: your time? Could there be any better gift for the one you love, or for your very best friend, or for your dearest family member? Here are just some ideas: a gift card for a spa, theatre, or movies for you two, or you could take your special person to your favorit teashop, café or restaurant, or if you know s/he is considering about starting to exercise (New Year's Resolutions, anyone?), offer yourself as a company and support. And what's best, by giving your time you and your special person will get wonderful memories that will last forever. Besides that, you don't have to wrap this gift up, or buy anything for it (besides the gift card), so this option produces less waste, too!

Idea #2: Do It Yourself

The best thing about self made gifts is that you know the person who gave it thought you while doing it, and put so much effort into your present. At least I love hand made presents just for that! The second best thing is that by doing it yourself, you can give and get something that's absolutely unique, designed just for you. There are endless opportunities for DIY, and not all of them are complicated. For example bracelets, necklaces, ancklets and earrings are fairly easy to make, and you can find tons of cute supplies for a reasonable price in places like Etsy. Of course, if you are lucky enough to be able to sew, that gives you even more chances to do awesome gifts. And even if you are not that handy, you could always try to make at least Christmas cards yourself. But if you feel even that is beoynd your limits, you can still give something hand made - by somebody else.

Idea #3: When Quality Counts

If you simply have no time to give, or think that your special person would not quite like something handmade by you or anyone else, that leaves you no other option but to purchase something ready made from a store. If that is the case, try to find them something that is as high quality as possible. This doesn't mean your gift has to be too expensive: for example, you can get good quality perfumes for a reasonable price in shops like Yves Rocher and  The Bodyshop. Here are some more ideas: quality makeup and/or makeup brushes, skincare products, tea or coffee, dishes, home decor things, jewelry made of real silver or even gold, or a box of delicious Belgian chocolate. If you don't know what to give, a gift card is of course a good option with more materialistic gifts also.

So, that was it. Feel free to share your best Christmas present tips on the comments!