IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN WHEN HALF OF THE NATION SEEMS TO BE GETTING A HEAD START ON THEIR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING WHILE EVERYONE ELSE MOURNFULLY ASKS WHETHER IT’S REALLY NECESSARY TO START DISPLAYING FESTIVE GIFTS IN-STORE SO SOON.

Whether you like to do your Christmas shopping early, or save it ‘til the stores have started playing Christmas tunes and you’re beginning to feel a bit more festive, there are some simple ways to make your gifts more impactful without spending much more money.

Think about presentation:

Perhaps the gift you’ve chosen would look perfect if you put it in a gift box and wrapped it in coloured tissue paper. Or maybe your presents would fit in a stocking – a good way to make children or adults smile. Also, adding hand-written gift tags and ribbon to give the finishing touches to your wrapping always works well. His & Hers recommends paying a visit to an old-fashioned haberdashery or craft store to stock up on ribbon for less than you’d pay in card stores or newsagents.

Personalise your presents:

As a general rule, the more personal your present is, the more likely it is to be appreciated and remembered. For example, rather than resorting to the usual last-minute purchase of a bottle of wine from your local supermarket as a stocking filler, why not choose your friends and family’s favourite drink from a stockist like Just Miniatures where you can find some really lovely unusual gifts – like a case of Liverpool Small Batch Organic English Gin miniatures which is likely to make you much more popular with gin lovers than you would be if you turned up with a generic bottle of red wine bought in haste! Just Miniatures also gives you the option to buy miniatures with names and in some cases photographs added.

Do some digging:

If your other half is notoriously difficult to buy for, this is a good time to start paying attention every time they mention something they’d love to treat themselves to, but can’t justify (of course if this happens to be a supercar, you may not be able to help turn their dreams into reality, but if it’s just a small treat, it’s worth making a mental note of it. Most of us have a list of things we’d love to splurge on when payday rolls around, but which we never get around to treating ourselves to, and there’s something really nice about knowing that your partner has been paying attention and knows what you like.

We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with Just Miniatures. Although this is a collaborative post, the words (and gift giving tips) are all our own. If you have any advice on finding the perfect gift which has worked for you in the past, we’d love to hear it. Please share it in the comments section below.

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