With Black Friday come and gone, I guess the Holiday Season has really started... Which means that it's time to get all those gifts together for the people we love! I'm not a big fan of crowds, so I tried to avoid as many stores as possible today, but I did make a short list of the things I have to buy.
Although I wouldn't consider myself a very experienced person when it comes to holiday shopping––in the end, I'm only in my twenties, and it was not so long ago when I started buying presents with money I earned––there are a few things that always make it to my list.
1. Books
One of my professors used to say:
Books are like friends; you should always have lots of them, because you never know when you're going to need them.To be honest, I couldn't agree more with him. I love buying books for myself and sharing them with the people I love. I guess there are also an amazing gift because they are super versatile, and can adjust pretty much to every personality. For example, I will always give business/entrepreneurship books to my dad, girl novels to my sister, and cookbooks to my aunt. I also have a major obsession with coffee table books, and they're awesome especially for those who are not avid readers: you can never have enough, and they're a lovely piece to decorate pretty much any home.
2. Jewellery
When it comes to finding the perfect gift for my family, I love finding things that will last for a very long time. And this is exactly what jewellery is all about. Although this tends to be a little hard because you definitely need to know the person you're buying jewellery for, it is definitely something that will stay with them forever.
When it comes to my mum, I normally get her pearls, and my sister has a big crash on Tous, so I will most likely pay them a visit to get something for her. Jewellery can also be a good gift for men, and in this case, I would search for some cute and unique cufflinks.
3. Food
Sometimes you don't have to spend hundreds/thousands of dollars to make people happy on Christmas. I, for example, would die of happiness if someone came to me with either a bag of chocolates or a good panettone. I'm pretty sure my sister would agree with the chocolate, although my mum would probably prefer a basket of bread with some paté.
A bag of good (Colombian) ground coffee or a unique tea can also be a great present. I sometimes like giving them with mugs that I feel suit the personality of my loved ones.
4. Stationery
It might be because I'm surrounded by a group of OCD-suffering people, but everyone seems to need a good planner year after year. So whenever I find cute planners, I often give them to my friends for Christmas as a cute little detail that will spend a whole year with them.
Stationery in general is also really good. In the end, people often have to send thank you cards, or just write notes to others... So stationery makes a great gift.
5. Love!
I've always found a little funny how people always manage to get very stressed during the holiday season when they're shopping for presents. Although love is definitely not something money can buy, we're supposed to give all those presents to people around us because we love them.
So whenever I'm doing holiday shopping, I always try to keep in my mind how much I love the people I'm shopping for. This does not only make me happy, but it also helps me find better things for them. If you shop just to get it done, you probably won't find any good presents. But if you shop with the heart, then everything will be much, much better!
Love,
Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio
