With Christmas just around the corner, it's possible you're still struggling to find a present for someone. Every shop is recommending their products, every newspaper seems to have their own ideas of what people want for Christmas - usually watches, or a gadget, or perfume - and still, somehow, nobody knows what to buy. This is especially true when you fall into one of two categories: you have a limited budget, or you don't know what someone actually needs. (We're going to assume, in this, that you're not just getting someone a random piece of equipment they would never think of getting for themselves, like a pen that lights up when you start writing, or a pair of slippers you put in the microwave before wearing.)
Let's start with a simple one: a voucher. Personally, I hate giving someone a voucher for Christmas. I feel like when I give someone a voucher, it says I don't know them well enough to buy them a present. Except, that's not necessarily the case. Your voucher doesn't have to be a shopping voucher. Consider getting someone an experience for Christmas; you can buy someone a voucher for paint-balling, or go-karting, or a restaurant voucher. You can give someone a day out in a spa, or a night out enjoying a good meal.
Similarly, you might try a concert ticket. Think within your budget, and within the tastes of the other person. Don't assume that everyone shares your love of death metal, and don't assume you have to be the one to go with them to the concert. Sometimes that's implied (especially if it's for your significant other), but it's not always necessary. (Just make sure you give the recipient more than one ticket if you're not getting one for yourself, or have someone lined up to go with them.)
Alternatively, you can make your own presents. This works well when everyone is on a limited budget. You'd be surprised how far money can stretch when all the production is done by you. Some ideas for your consideration:
- A frame, made from a cereal box. Decorating it even with paint, or with glued-on sea shells or pasta pieces, can make it unique. Don't forget to put a photo in it.
- A scrapbook of memories. This works well for friends or romantic partners, but family can also enjoy it. Select photographs of the recipient that capture happy moments from their lives - even just over the past few months - and create captions for them. Fill the entire scrapbook. Use wrapping paper to redesign the cover, and think about using cheap packets of stickers to spruce it up a bit.
- A calender. You can get one made professionally using your own photographs, or you can print it yourself from home. If you present the entire year on one page, consider a strong piece of backing board. Most art shops should sell it. It will make the finished piece last longer.
- Knit an item of clothing. Give it a personal touch like Mrs Weasley, or just aim for comfort and style.
Of course, your present might not be a physical item. In the digital age, you can give someone a present that they'll never lay their hands on. In my ebook Writing Gifts, on a Shoestring, I consider a few different ways to use your writing as a present. Here are some more ideas on using the Internet as part as your presentation, including different ways to get creative.
- Write a song, and record it. Use the best microphone or camera you have access to. You can post it on YouTube - publicly or privately - and send the link when you're ready. (This helps you maintain the quality of the video, so you don't have to reduce it to attach to an email.) You can also write a poem or story and read it for someone, or just send it to them in an email.
- If you're abroad for the holidays, grab a camera and go for a walk. Record everything you can see - all the scenery, all the people - and record a message for your loved ones to go with it. Put in on YouTube, as recommended above, and send on the link later.
- Arrange a time to eat together online. Share a meal from across the world, even if it means one person eating breakfast while the other sits down for dinner. The important thing is that you're doing it together. Skype and Google Hangouts are ideal for this sort of thing, the latter especially so if you know a lot of people in a lot of different places and you all want to spend some time together.
The other, more obvious routes you could head down include DVDs, books (including ebooks) and clothing. There's a lot that goes into choosing any of these, which is why I try to avoid them unless I know it's going to be appreciated. The simple way to make sure you're getting someone something they want is to ask. Beyond that, just listen more closely. It would surprise you how liberal people are about talking about what they want, especially when the holiday season is coming. (The surprise is on them if you find out before the holidays even become an issue!)
Of course, if you know a writer or musician, a good way to support them around the holiday season is to consider buying their books or tracks, for yourself or for others. Not only are you helping out a friend or loved one, you're also getting someone else something out of it. (As a writer, I feel it makes some sense to mention this at some point in this point. As someone who knows a lot of other writers, and quite a few musicians, I have a social obligation to emphasis how much work goes into a single book, or an album, and independent artists are always in need of support.)
Do you have any other gift ideas you'd like to share with people? Comment below so others can see them, and help make the holiday season a little bit less stressful.
Showing posts with label presents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label presents. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Tiny Umbrella
I was in town today (or, as people who don't live in Dublin call it, the city centre), and it started to rain. This tends to happen during the summer in Ireland. We're perpetually cursed to suffer bad weather at any point in the year, despite any preconceptions you might have about the seasons.
So, since it was raining and I didn't have my large umbrella with me, I resorted to the emergency tiny umbrella I'd bought a couple of weeks ago and decided to leave in my bag from then on. The problem is, it's not exactly big enough for two people. Heck, it's barely big enough for one person. I still ended up getting wet when I was the only one under the umbrella.
But that wasn't the only problem. See, when I have my large umbrella, it's a little bit easier to raise it above other umbrellas, the ones that people walking towards me are holding. I can still be covered, but I also don't get snagged on people's umbrella's. With the tiny umbrella, (and I'm really getting sick of typing that word) I can't raise it. It's barely a foot and a half in length, which brings it about to the height of other people's umbrella's even when I stretch up. It's also more likely to break if it gets caught in the wind. It was cheap. And I can't just lower it down under other umbrella's, because my head tends to be occupying that space.
Long story short, I end up clash brollies with strangers in Dublin.
Thankfully it wasn't raining too heavily today. I was able to get home and not soak the house on my way up the stairs to change out of my wet clothes. But since it was a rain day, I was perfectly justified in sitting about drinking tea for a while. It's the one advantage of unseasonably bad weather all year round: it's almost always acceptable to drink tea the moment you get home. Not that the sun stops me.
Aside from the rain, though, I had a fairly good day. And that was also aside from the fact that I was out buying going-away presents for friends. Still, I figure it's easier to deal with them leaving if I can convince myself they're getting something nice to take with them.
After all the rain and the shopping and the tea, I got on with another batch of Things. Again, only a couple of people know what I'm actually talking about, but it's getting there, and it's fun. I have some more work to do on it, but it's nearing the point where I get to make it public and fun and exciting.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Middle Class Poverty
First thing's first: when I refer to "poverty" in this post, I'm really just talking about not having any money in my bank account. I know there are people in much worse situations. This is relative poverty. With that said...
I've been tracking my poverty since the Christmas hours in work were given out. It's fair to say I'm going to be poor with the presents I have to get and the various social gatherings I'm expected at (one a week for three weeks in a row). While I'm not complaining that I have plans (for once), I'd like to at least be able to say I have money afterwards. I don't think it's going to be a possibility.
It's one of those times when I really wish I had more hours in work. While I like working only weekends, the 1-5 shifts I get on Saturdays (yes, a whole four hours...) really don't do it when it comes to saving money. I have the same sort of expenses every week. I have to spend around ten euro a week just getting to college - not a massive amount in and of itself, but it adds up every week. On top of that, I have my own particular buying habits... I've been buying comics a lot, lately, but I'm cutting down on the number I get now. Aside from not really enjoying some of the stories, I can't afford fifteen euro a week every week.
Anyway, in order to actually track how little money I would have, I've had to write how much I'll be getting each week and write in the costs for the days involved. It will work a lot better if I can plan it more expansively, but I don't really know how much certain things will cost. The way things have worked out, I've had to spread out the buying of presents over a number of weeks. I literally cannot afford to buy them all in one go, like some people. It also doesn't help that I don't know what I'm getting some people yet, either.
I write about this, of course, because it's an insight into what I can only determine as being a first world problem. I very much doubt that people in poorer countries worry about the extras at this time of the year. For them, it's more about survival.
For me, survival means having the money to go out with friends, to get something for my parents and brothers at Christmas, to maintain the same sort of life I led before the holiday season came in. I'm glad we don't exchange presents in college, or I'd be in trouble. (Read as: they wouldn't get anything...)
Every year I tell myself it will be different, but then something new and shiny comes along and steals my money. Though, in my defence, the main thing that cost me a lot of money this year was my trip to Taizé, which I had to go on for college. (I didn't have to do the module, but in choosing it I had to pay up.) I paid for this trip myself (what was left of the cost, after the college subsidy) and that pretty much drained my bank account. Suffice to say it hasn't yet forgiven me.
There are things I could do to try get more money, obviously, but they're mainly based on chance and a lot of hard work. I could have tried to get some freelance writing work, but that goes on the assumption that (a) I get the job, (b) that I'm good enough, (c) that I had an idea in the first place and (d) that I wouldn't be overwhelmed with college work at any particular time. I could have set up ad-based material on my website but that wouldn't pay off quickly, and it would have required a lot of work in itself.
Long story short, I'm going to be repeatedly poor until my pay-days over the next month, I might have been able to do something about it, and this is very much a first world problem related to a middle-class student with a weekend job, living at home. Also, poverty sucks.
I've been tracking my poverty since the Christmas hours in work were given out. It's fair to say I'm going to be poor with the presents I have to get and the various social gatherings I'm expected at (one a week for three weeks in a row). While I'm not complaining that I have plans (for once), I'd like to at least be able to say I have money afterwards. I don't think it's going to be a possibility.
It's one of those times when I really wish I had more hours in work. While I like working only weekends, the 1-5 shifts I get on Saturdays (yes, a whole four hours...) really don't do it when it comes to saving money. I have the same sort of expenses every week. I have to spend around ten euro a week just getting to college - not a massive amount in and of itself, but it adds up every week. On top of that, I have my own particular buying habits... I've been buying comics a lot, lately, but I'm cutting down on the number I get now. Aside from not really enjoying some of the stories, I can't afford fifteen euro a week every week.
Anyway, in order to actually track how little money I would have, I've had to write how much I'll be getting each week and write in the costs for the days involved. It will work a lot better if I can plan it more expansively, but I don't really know how much certain things will cost. The way things have worked out, I've had to spread out the buying of presents over a number of weeks. I literally cannot afford to buy them all in one go, like some people. It also doesn't help that I don't know what I'm getting some people yet, either.
I write about this, of course, because it's an insight into what I can only determine as being a first world problem. I very much doubt that people in poorer countries worry about the extras at this time of the year. For them, it's more about survival.
For me, survival means having the money to go out with friends, to get something for my parents and brothers at Christmas, to maintain the same sort of life I led before the holiday season came in. I'm glad we don't exchange presents in college, or I'd be in trouble. (Read as: they wouldn't get anything...)
Every year I tell myself it will be different, but then something new and shiny comes along and steals my money. Though, in my defence, the main thing that cost me a lot of money this year was my trip to Taizé, which I had to go on for college. (I didn't have to do the module, but in choosing it I had to pay up.) I paid for this trip myself (what was left of the cost, after the college subsidy) and that pretty much drained my bank account. Suffice to say it hasn't yet forgiven me.
There are things I could do to try get more money, obviously, but they're mainly based on chance and a lot of hard work. I could have tried to get some freelance writing work, but that goes on the assumption that (a) I get the job, (b) that I'm good enough, (c) that I had an idea in the first place and (d) that I wouldn't be overwhelmed with college work at any particular time. I could have set up ad-based material on my website but that wouldn't pay off quickly, and it would have required a lot of work in itself.
Long story short, I'm going to be repeatedly poor until my pay-days over the next month, I might have been able to do something about it, and this is very much a first world problem related to a middle-class student with a weekend job, living at home. Also, poverty sucks.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Another Year Older
I'm now nineteen years, twenty three hours and forty five minutes old, aproximately. At least as I wrote that sentence. What a bizarrely accurate person I am...
I meant to blog on V-Day, but I couldn't have been arsed explaining why I don't like the idea of a day to celebrate love. Why only one day? Why do people think Hallmark needs more money? If you want to show someone you care, don't just wait for February 14. Okay, end micro rant.
I turned nineteen yesterday. Normally I look upon my birthdays with disdain. I'm supposed to be like Peter Pan, not growing older. Andy Walker suggested I couldn't quite get the green tights to work... he's right. The closest I ever got to green tights were purple leggings for drama. And they weren't comfortable. No wonder I'm nineteen.
The day was... well, the day was mostly boring, but the night was fun. I'll start with the boring day, which does have some interesting, and therefore redeeming, points in it. Started like every other day that I'm not in college or work - I awoke earlier than I planned to. I knew it was my birthday, and I was so tempted to stay in bed for another hour.. or three, even though it was eight in the morning. Or maybe that was just when I got out of bed. I might have had that neccessary lie in afterall.
Parents room; it's the first place we have to go to together (Conor and I... being twins and all that jazz). I had my breakfast beforehand. Crunchie Nut Cornflakes if you must know. Boring. Then we got our presents. The grand list of gifts will be posted later, so I won't bore you with the details now. I'll just move swiftly onwards, with the mention of only one present - Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, from Conor.
I read the first chapter in its entirity yesterday. Finished the second a few minutes ago. But the first one... that did something to me. It's started this Life Affirming Transformation within me that I can't ignore. It's taught me to look at ideas differently. See, I write Sci-Fi best, so long as it's Heroes type Sci-Fi, and not Star Trek Sci-Fi. I don't write outer space, or even alien worlds. I write people, and I write them with abilities.
Back in November, I did NaNoWriMo. I had a wonderful scene of silence and flashing lights and a deep emotional outburst by my protagonist. It was amazing. I know that myself. Visually, in my head, imagining this scene, it was heaven. The book around it, though, is classified Epic Fail.
But the scene... Russell T Davies, in his discussion of a character that never existed, taught me a lesson about Context. My ideas can be recycled into something I like, something useful, something Sci-Fi, if I really want them to. That scene with the silence has brought about a character. I might change the sex. I might change the sexual orientation, just to try something different. (Yes, this means a gay character). But it's not a person who slots easily into The Jump. Not in the cycle of books already floating around in my head. It's a standalone novel, based on The Jump. It's actually the second idea of its kind for The Jump, after a few minutes on... I think it was Wednesday.. or Thursday... sometime last week anyway... where was I? Yeah, after a few minutes of planning, thinking, plotting, I came up with a Heroine for her own novel.
While reading chapter two of the book today, I might add, I got an idea for a third book of this kind. A darker book. Much darker. It's not a lovely dovy one like the first, or a Holy Cow What the Hell is Happening I'm Weird Enough story, like the second. This is more of a What the Hell Did I Do Why Do I Care and What Can I Do to Make Things Easier on Myself kind of story. Yeah, all of that. And it won't even be written in the normal style. I'm thinking letters. Letters. Fantastically strange to write, because the reader will never know the fate of the character, despite the first person nature of the book. It's going to be Deep Psychological Shizz. (I say Shizz, because I don't like swearing).
Anyway, back to the birthday. See, we spent the rest of the day getting ready for the night. We had a party, you see. We had loads of friends over, lots of food, and we still ordered six large pizzas. There was music playing and people talking, lots of laughing, some crazy dancing, lots of photographs being taken, and some pretty wicked gifts that I wasn't expecting anyone to have to get. And four gatecrashers, who I'd felt guilty about not inviting.
In the end, I had a sugar crash, and I was surprised to wake up in time to see my parents leave for the West... at lunch time. Yeah, I really thought I'd sleep that long.
Now, the presents. I'm going to make a list. It's been a while since I did that.
I meant to blog on V-Day, but I couldn't have been arsed explaining why I don't like the idea of a day to celebrate love. Why only one day? Why do people think Hallmark needs more money? If you want to show someone you care, don't just wait for February 14. Okay, end micro rant.
I turned nineteen yesterday. Normally I look upon my birthdays with disdain. I'm supposed to be like Peter Pan, not growing older. Andy Walker suggested I couldn't quite get the green tights to work... he's right. The closest I ever got to green tights were purple leggings for drama. And they weren't comfortable. No wonder I'm nineteen.
The day was... well, the day was mostly boring, but the night was fun. I'll start with the boring day, which does have some interesting, and therefore redeeming, points in it. Started like every other day that I'm not in college or work - I awoke earlier than I planned to. I knew it was my birthday, and I was so tempted to stay in bed for another hour.. or three, even though it was eight in the morning. Or maybe that was just when I got out of bed. I might have had that neccessary lie in afterall.
Parents room; it's the first place we have to go to together (Conor and I... being twins and all that jazz). I had my breakfast beforehand. Crunchie Nut Cornflakes if you must know. Boring. Then we got our presents. The grand list of gifts will be posted later, so I won't bore you with the details now. I'll just move swiftly onwards, with the mention of only one present - Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, from Conor.
I read the first chapter in its entirity yesterday. Finished the second a few minutes ago. But the first one... that did something to me. It's started this Life Affirming Transformation within me that I can't ignore. It's taught me to look at ideas differently. See, I write Sci-Fi best, so long as it's Heroes type Sci-Fi, and not Star Trek Sci-Fi. I don't write outer space, or even alien worlds. I write people, and I write them with abilities.
Back in November, I did NaNoWriMo. I had a wonderful scene of silence and flashing lights and a deep emotional outburst by my protagonist. It was amazing. I know that myself. Visually, in my head, imagining this scene, it was heaven. The book around it, though, is classified Epic Fail.
But the scene... Russell T Davies, in his discussion of a character that never existed, taught me a lesson about Context. My ideas can be recycled into something I like, something useful, something Sci-Fi, if I really want them to. That scene with the silence has brought about a character. I might change the sex. I might change the sexual orientation, just to try something different. (Yes, this means a gay character). But it's not a person who slots easily into The Jump. Not in the cycle of books already floating around in my head. It's a standalone novel, based on The Jump. It's actually the second idea of its kind for The Jump, after a few minutes on... I think it was Wednesday.. or Thursday... sometime last week anyway... where was I? Yeah, after a few minutes of planning, thinking, plotting, I came up with a Heroine for her own novel.
While reading chapter two of the book today, I might add, I got an idea for a third book of this kind. A darker book. Much darker. It's not a lovely dovy one like the first, or a Holy Cow What the Hell is Happening I'm Weird Enough story, like the second. This is more of a What the Hell Did I Do Why Do I Care and What Can I Do to Make Things Easier on Myself kind of story. Yeah, all of that. And it won't even be written in the normal style. I'm thinking letters. Letters. Fantastically strange to write, because the reader will never know the fate of the character, despite the first person nature of the book. It's going to be Deep Psychological Shizz. (I say Shizz, because I don't like swearing).
Anyway, back to the birthday. See, we spent the rest of the day getting ready for the night. We had a party, you see. We had loads of friends over, lots of food, and we still ordered six large pizzas. There was music playing and people talking, lots of laughing, some crazy dancing, lots of photographs being taken, and some pretty wicked gifts that I wasn't expecting anyone to have to get. And four gatecrashers, who I'd felt guilty about not inviting.
In the end, I had a sugar crash, and I was surprised to wake up in time to see my parents leave for the West... at lunch time. Yeah, I really thought I'd sleep that long.
Now, the presents. I'm going to make a list. It's been a while since I did that.
- Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - Book
- Heroes Season 3 - DVD Box Set
- Fringe Season 1 - DVD Box Set
- Doctor Who: The Complete Specials - DVD Box Set
- Al Pacino DVD Box Set
- Up - DVD
- How Not to Write a Novel - Book
- Jordan: Pushed to the Limits - Book (I kid you not!!)
- The Secret History - Book
- A Lynx set
- Doctor Who figurines - The Doctor, Damaged Dalek Thal, Human-Dalek Sek, Pig Guard (from Daleks in Manhatten)
- A t-shirt with "Happy 19th Birthday Paul" written on it
- Another t-shirt, the kind not written on with t-shirt marker
- Two pairs of funky socks
- Three bottles of varying drinks, non-alcoholic
- A bag of sweets (candy, for American readers)
- A lolli-pop
- A bag of cookies that cannot be eaten... physically cannot be eaten
- A box of Cadbury Heroes
- An Eason giftcard
- A HMV giftcard
- Various amounts of money from friends and relatives
- Love
That last one is my favourite. Everyone gave that. Even people on Twitter who "don't really know me." It made my day.
So, there you go. That blog took half an hour to write. That's longer than I intended to spend writing it. I hope you're happy... (Nah, I don't mind. Really, I love it)
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