Best Christmas Gifts Ideas

So, here we are. Late fall, almost winter. You can almost smell the winter holidays in the chilly air. It's not even December yet and the world is jumping into the Christmas Roller coaster that includes having people over, cleaning your house from scratch, cooking all kinds of foods that's gonna disappear in no time, buying new clothes for properly celebrating the birth of Jesus and of course, buying perfect gifts for our loved one.

Buying gifts?! How come that this activity that has the most beautiful outcome, rises so many fears in our hearts?

Well, don't worry, I'm not judging you, because I feel the same way. I adore buying gifts and obviously, offering them, but I'm terrified about deciding upon the best present for every single one of the people I care for and I also find it less that appealing to be a part of the huge chaos that happens in the stores in the last days before Christmas.

That's why I've decide to start buying my Christmas gifts earlier than ever and putting on a list with different ideas as to make it easier to decide upon which item goes to what friend.

Please feel free to read this and get inspired for your Christmas shopping and remember, it's not the size or the price that matters, but the way that the gift is synchronized with the ones it's being given to and, of course, the amount of love you put in it:

1. Clothing: I find it rather difficult to buy clothing articles, as it's a matter of style and size to find the perfect one. But there are always the small articles that are very useful in these freezing times. Like a pair of leather gloves, some quality neck-wear (like scarves or ties), modern caps, bands that include ear pads, fluffy vets, etc

2. Accessories: this includes: shoes, jewelery, hair clips, hair bands, gloves, bags, wallets, belts. So many choices, so many colors, price ranges AND you can find them anywhere.

3. Cosmetics: it's no secret that even guys are using cosmetic products nowadays so just like the other products mentioned above, this is not a category only meant for women. It's so easy to choose a perfect gift of this sort, as the stores are filled with promotional packs. You can choose anything from face creams, masks, cleansers or toners , hair products, delicious flavored body wash or cream/butter/oil, high quality make-up products. With this category I would go for products that have above-the-average prices, as no body really wants to receive as a Christmas present some “2-for-1$ shampoo”.

4. Books: I never really receive books for presents, unless I hint about it to my friends. I guess people are afraid to buy books, because they think nobody reads anymore. I disagree, though. Yes, people don't read as much as they used to 50 years ago for example, but maybe we should be more opened to the range of subjects when it comes to books. What I mean is that you don't necessarily have to buy novels. Here's some titles of books I've put on my “wish list” and that have been bought by my friends (Yes, I have a wish list, it's very helpful for my friends and I've received some perfect gifts for my last birthday): “100 most dangerous Romanian criminals” “From the shelves of knowledge: The illustrated history of movie industry” “My cats” “Secrets of make-up” “1001 tips for new moms” “100 shattered psychology myths”etc etc. Of course, if you know the literary preferences of the gift receiver, it's so much easier to buy his/her favorite book, but you can also always go for different topics you know that person is interested in.

5. House decoration: wall stickers with practically any possible image ever. Photo frames with a picture of the two of you alone or with your other friends or family. Jewelry boxes in original shapes. Christmas decorations. House plants in beautifully decorated pots. Wind jingles. Decorative pillows or blankets. Lamps.

6. Personalized gifts: One gift that has been really appreciated by my friends is something I've been doing for a while with huge success and that has even been raising my revenues a little: slide shows of their pictures and a background music to fit, turned into a video file. It's personal, it's cute, it's a great memory and it's permanent. In the same category, I'd include: poster-sized photos, canvas photos, personalized pillow cases, mouse pads, coffee mugs, photo albums that look like books, etc

7. Vouchers for almost anything that crosses your mind. This is a rather delicate choice, as it will probably show the price of the gift and the receiver might be offended. I'd only choose this for really close family and friends.

8. Pets – but ONLY if the person you're giving them to has made it very clear about wanting a specific pet, otherwise it's the worst present ever

9. Electronics, for the high budgets: laptops, phones, music players, digital cameras, digital photo frames, wireless routers, computer parts, video glasses, high quality head phones

10. Gifts related to specific activities: maybe your friend is a dedicated fisherman or hunter, or maybe you have an aspiring musician as a friend, then they'd really appreciate gifts that are helpful in their favorite activities. Or a friend that is from another country and who would probably be really happy to receive a book or a CD in his native language, or a voucher for a restaurant that serves foods from his country. A passionate golfer would never say no to Golf GPS, so on, so forth

11. Sweets, coffees, drinks: There's no chocolate lover that's not going to consider you a God if you give them a big basket of chocolate products. The same goes for coffee lovers. An old scotch or wine or some French champagne would also be appreciated.

12. Music: If your friend doesn't have specific musical favorites, you can always go for some Top 40 hits, Evergreens or Christmas songs albums
13. Funny silly gifts: T-shirts with funny images or sayings, marshmallow shooter, funny phone holders, eared caps, pink handcuffs, etc

Obviously this list does not contain anything that other people have not been thinking of, only my point was not to discover absolutely never-seen-before Christmas gifts, but to put many ideas in one place, as to make it easier for everybody to do the holiday shopping.

I really hope this is at least a little helpful in the craziness that is Christmas shopping!