My wife and I indulged in a spot of self-gifting recently and bought ourselves a solar-powered Chinese lucky cat for our conservatory.
It’s lovely. A little solar cell powers its waving arm, so whenever there’s enough daylight, the cat sits there cheerfully waving away, and, according to ancient legends, dispensing good luck with every wave of its paw..
There’s just one thing. It’s so darn noisy!
Imagine a super-powered demented grandfather clock. Now imagine it’s discovered renewable energy.
It’s quite something to buy a present for yourself and still manage to surprise the recipient. We knew what it looked like, where we’d put it and how the waving arm worked. The one question neither of us thought to ask was, “Will we be able to read the paper next to it?”
Which brings me to the Christmas presents we send other people. It’s easy to picture someone opening a gift and saying, “Oh, how lovely!” The trick is to picture them on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday in January, when the wrapping’s in the recycling and the gift has moved in.
Give it the January test
A set of enormous gin glasses might delight someone who loves a G&T. It might also leave them wondering which of their existing possessions has to move out of the cupboard. A kitchen gadget sounds ideal for a keen cook until you discover they’ve already got one and use it to prop the door open.
And if you’re buying something that moves, sings or flashes, read a few reviews. I’d pay particular attention to phrases such as “you get used to it” and “the children think it’s hilarious”. If it’s a gift for a child, ask yourself whether the parents will still be speaking to you by Boxing Day.
If you’re stuck, think about something the recipient already enjoys. A bag of coffee from their favourite roaster or a box of the chocolates they always pick first can feel surprisingly personal. And when you’reguessing at a size or colour, tuck in a
gift receipt. It gives them an easy way to swap it without having to ask you where it came from.
As for our lucky cat, I’m still rather fond of it. I just never thought I’d sit in the conservatory on a British winter’s day and hope for a bit more cloud. Or perhaps build a tiny cover for his solar cell?
A noisy solar-powered lucky cat inspires a humorous Christmas gift guide to choosing presents people will still enjoy in January.