There are only so many jumpers, bottles of whisky, boxes of chocolates and novelty socks one person needs.
So why not give them the day they were born?
Specialist companies such as Papers Past have preserved huge collections of original newspapers and can supply genuine editions from significant dates in a person's life. It is a wonderfully nostalgic Christmas present and, unlike many gifts, one that is likely to be kept for decades.
What Happened on the Day You Were Born?
Imagine opening a Christmas present and discovering an original copy of The Times published on your birthday 50, 60, 70, 80 or even 90 years ago.
Rather than a modern reproduction, Papers Past specialises in genuine original newspapers. Its archive contains more than 200 tons of carefully preserved newspapers, collected from sources including libraries, government departments and private collections. The archive was established in 1981.
The recipient can sit down after Christmas dinner and discover what Britain and the wider world were talking about on the day they arrived.
And it isn't only the big news stories that make old newspapers fascinating.
The advertisements, prices, fashions, job vacancies, property advertisements, entertainment listings and wonderfully dated language can be every bit as entertaining as the headlines.
An old newspaper is almost a time machine made from paper.
A Particularly Good Milestone Gift
This idea works especially well when Christmas coincides with a milestone birthday year. Someone celebrating their 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th or 90th birthday could receive an original newspaper from their actual date of birth.
Papers Past currently offers a standard gift featuring an original Times newspaper for a chosen date, together with a certificate of authenticity, dedication panel, conservation-grade acid-free wrapping paper, gift bag and presentation packaging.
There's also a deluxe version with a cloth-bound presentation folder to help protect and display the newspaper.
Not Just Birthdays
You could choose another important date instead.
Perhaps the day your parents or grandparents married, the day somebody graduated, started a business or another date that has particular significance to your family.
There's an especially lovely idea here for couples: the traditional first wedding anniversary present is paper, so an original newspaper published on their wedding day is about as appropriate as an anniversary present can get.
For Christmas, you could even combine the newspaper with a photograph, handwritten family memories or a few notes explaining why you selected that particular date.
A Christmas Present With a Story
We often talk about giving experiences rather than possessions. An original newspaper manages to be a little of both.
It is something physical to unwrap on Christmas morning, but the real present is the experience of exploring another time.
Younger family members may soon gather around too, asking questions about what life was like then. Before you know it, the newspaper has started a family conversation about childhoods, grandparents, old cars, forgotten shops and Christmases many years ago.
That's what makes an old newspaper such a delightful festive gift.
It isn't simply an old piece of paper.
It's a little piece of someone's life story, wrapped up for Christmas.
For original historic newspaper gifts, visit Papers Past https://www.paperspast.co.uk
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