This Christmas: What do you give to those who have everything?

The ultimate dilemma is upon you when the year starts to draw to a close and the Christmas panic is in full swing. What do you buy for those who have everything? I have always attempted to being original with my gifts and of course being a jewellery designer it is easier for me to gift personalised jewellery from Cufflinks,

9ct Gold Shirt Buttons and Gem/Diamond set jewels. However, not everyone is a jewellery designer so what do you do?

I try to listen throughout the year to my loved ones from the flippant comments like “I can’t find my sunglasses, I’ve looked everywhere”. Bingo there is one of my gifts to my mother, a new pair of sunglasses to replace said missing ones! Done. Next! My fathers passing comment of how he needs a slim wallet to fit snugly in the inside pocket of a suit. Great stuff.

Another major example of this, is when the love of my life began a conversation with me a few years ago about Opera. Which operas we had seen and which ones we were desperate to see. He mentioned that "Prince Igor" was one of those rare but beautiful operas that is a must for any self proclaimed theatre fan. Something he has been wanting to see for approximately 15 years. So quietly I would search every few months to see if there were any productions going on. For months and months nothing, realising it is one of those obscure ones which comes around once in a blue moon. I found one production in NYC which was just a bit too far to go and we were both too busy to take the time off. Then one fine day I am getting on a tube carriage at Green Park when I see through the carriage window a partially obscured poster. All I could read was “gor”. My body froze for a second and in a heartbeat I had jumped off the train and onto the platform so I could read the whole poster in full and to my sheer delight there it was “Prince Igor” showing for only three days at The Coliseum in London, my blue moon had finally come around! I got on the next train and went straight home and booked the best seats money could buy.The shock & disbelief of my beloveds face was priceless when he opened his gift and I treasure that look he gave me when I run it through my minds eye.

In short, listen. Listen to those loved ones around you. Listen to their desires, listen throughout the year…you never know, you might just be able to make their dreams come true.