Christmas shopping for her can get a little overwhelming. This year, make sure the gift you buy is something she wants and can use — instead of a sweet-smelling bath and body product that might live under her sink for a year or two. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)
You need to buy a gift for your sister, girlfriend, brother’s girlfriend, co-worker and your second cousin. Before you pick up a gift basket from Target or a necklace at the mall, put a little more thought into what she really needs or wants.
Does she really need a six pack of peppermint-scented candles? Probably not. And, even though that candy gift basket looks festive, does she really want a month’s supply of red and green M&Ms?
PLEASE DON’T GET HER:
Bath and body products. Yes, everyone showers, but that doesn’t mean we need a stock pile of shower gels and lavender body sprays that we probably won’t be able to finish until three Christmases from now. INSTEAD: Buy a gift card to her favorite salon or spa for the same amount. Now, she won’t feel guilty about getting that manicure or taking some time to relax — instead of just smelling like Coconut Lime Verbena after her shower.
Candy/chocolates. It’s the holidays. We only have about 5,000 pounds of food to digest. Please stop trying to make us diabetic and overweight. INSTEAD: Get a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant. It’s nice to know that we will be treated to a night out (plus, we can take a night off from cooking).
Home decor items when she doesn’t have a home. We don’t need figurines, decorative plates or wind chimes if we are living in a small apartment. Yes, we are probably looking to upgrade, but we aren’t there yet — plus, who has the extra storage space in the meantime? INSTEAD: Give her some cash to go towards her new place.
Makeup bundles. Wal-Mart is selling an 80-shade eyeshadow pallet. It looks big. And, there’s bound to be the shade she uses in there. It even comes in a nice box — you might not have to wrap it. Unless you are buying this for an 8-year-old girl who likes to play dress up, please don’t get this. We don’t need all of these colors, and chances are if we wear makeup, we have a brand and shade preference. INSTEAD: Do your research and find out what brands she uses; then, go for a two-pallet eyeshadow. We know how expensive makeup is — the gift doesn’t need to be big to impress us.
Makeup bundles are the worst. One is the makeup colors are usually the colors that aren’t selling well, so to companies bundle them together to off load them. Also, I hate the messiness of the shadows mixing into one another. And cheap scented shower gels and lotions are usually too fragrant. So, I agree a spa gift card would be much more appreciated.
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