In the west a food hamper is the most preferred gift and corporates choose their hampers with great care, it is usually a  and other accompaniments. Unfortunately this trend has not yet caught up in India given the fact that most stores such as Godrej – nature’s basket or RIL’s Fresh, shoppers stop and spencers do not cater to the corporate gifting market. There is an opportunity here for someone with an artistic ability to pack and put together a beautiful hamper that the receiver will cherish. What is important is the packing to give it the kind of panache it requires.

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The year 2011 is almost behind us and 2012 has started! The year gone by had some sad moments and a few memorable milestones. Even as we tend to learn from the history, this is not the time to cling to the past as we wish GOODBYE to a year gone by and say HELLO to the new year. We should all welcome it with a smile on our faces and share our joy through exchanging wishes and gifts. Here are some tips for giving a New Year gift:

1. Do not simply repeat the last year’s gift to the same person. It is a matter of common sense not to repeat previously given gifts or something which other employees have already given as a present.

2. Give something new and innovative: The gift should not be boring and pedestrian. Let there be some surprise element to it. When the receiver unwraps the gift, he or she should exclaim ‘wow!’

3. Give a personalized touch: Give some personalized gifts, like a coffee mug set with a message inscribed on it, which will give it a unique touch and surely draw everyone’s attention. This will involve extra efforts, but the end result will be worth it.

4. Stick to your budget: It is only a misconception that you have to spend a lot of money to get a good gift. Keep your budget in mind and try to get the best possible gift in that range.

5. Play safe if you cannot be innovative. You can opt for online shopping if time is a constraint. Check out for discounts and free shipping offers.

Remember, the whole idea of celebrating the New Year is for the hope and cheer it brings. There’s something special about the New Year gift that just has to instill the spirit for a fresh beginning, which always give us the hope for a better year ahead.

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You will be busy celebrating and welcoming the New Year with your friends, family and colleagues - texting and calling them as well. This also is the perfect opportunity to share our joy through exchanging wishes and gifts.

The New Year gift basket is a not to be missed ritual. Here we offer some off-beat ideas and basic suggestions for you to create a gift basket for your boss, colleagues and friends.

• Always keep the hierarchy factor in mind. For your immediate bosses, the gift basket should be a tad bigger, and the gifts, that much more expensive.
• The basket that you gift your owner or MD should be the most impressive. Come up with a bottle of his/her favorite perfume; buy a branded shirt or get a classy pen set.
• The gifts you give may not be that much more expensive than the ones you give your colleagues, but should be packed creatively and presented in person.
• Decorate the handle with a bigger bow or shinier ribbon and you’re sending a sub-conscious message about his status.
• Find out what the person likes is looking to acquire before making a choice and that person really wants to possess. It is not always about buying a costly gift.
• If you want to be conventional, stick to office essentials like deodorants, classy pens, desk-top clocks, miniature calendars, etc.
• Colleagues in your department should be given the same gifts or goodies; you can skip the other departments unless you have forged special ties with some of them.

Make an impact with an impressive gift basket and after that, no one will be forgetting you in a hurry. Last but not the least, do your bit for society, when buying your gifts. Buy some products from an NGO.

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The tradition of gifting on the eve of Christmas seems to have started with the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus. As mentioned in the Bible’s book of Matthew, “On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshipped him. They then opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, incense and of myrrh…” There are some curious gift categories that we came across, including teachers’ worst Christmas gifts, popular gifts, etc. 

Usually teachers love to get pressies from their pupils on Christmas eve, but often what they get is a bit weird, a BBC NEWS report points out. It mentions a golden horse statue, a raw chicken and a glass fish among the stranger gifts they have been given.

For those planning to buy a present for their teacher, and wondering what they should, BBC Newsround spoke to a cross-section of teachers in the UK to find out the worst things they  can or have received at Christmas.

It noted: “Among the worst things teachers said to get was perfume, which smells really bad! Another was chocolate, particularly if it is out-of-date, or one that is half-eaten! And the worst thing that pupils can possibly gift their teachers on Christmas eve are some really tacky ornaments. But do not worry if you are not planning to give your teacher a pressie, or perhaps you cannot afford to get much.”

You do not spend loads, but simply try to ensure that your gift is as personal and unusual as possible. According to the government, the report mentions in a lighter and literal vein, teachers are not allowed to give pupils higher ranks only because they have given them nice gifts!
 
Try the Christmas quiz 

Incidentally, BBC NEWS published another report on a host of hostile Christmas gifts. All were found to be counterfeit as well as dangerous.

Curiously, Ipod has topped the list of contemporary Christmas gifts. A news report mentions: “Looks like assorted gift givers and secret Santas worldwide have found an easy gift option (the Ipod). It has sold over 150 million units since first launched in 2001.”

Classic diamond earrings came second as the preferred gift item, closely followed by the Nintendo Wii. The popular games console works by detecting the players’ movement is very much in demand. A Tiffany necklace stood fourth. Gadgets are proving to be popular with a laptop, Nintendo Gameboy and Playstation 3 all voted into the top 50.

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As Christmas approaches, Santa Claus is eagerly awaited by children and so also the goodies and gifts he brings along.

It is interesting to note that the popular view of Santa we all have today - with the sleigh, the reindeer and the chimney – was derived largely from Clement Moore’s ‘The Night Before Christmas’, the 1822 book, further reinforced further by an advertising campaign.

The Santa Claus story combined with the modern retailing phenomena and consumer culture has grown since the turn of the century to make gift-giving an integral element of the Christmas celebrations. Incidentally, there was no elaborate exchanging of gifts until late 1800’s.

The Christmas tree – apparently a German tradition – began in the early 700AD century. The tradition of a Christmas Tree gradually moved to the UK and US. Since Victorian times, people had been decorating trees with candies and cakes hung with ribbon, ornaments and candles. The first electrically lighted Christmas tree appeared in 1882. Mistletoe, representing the goddess of love (Frigga - Scandinavian), was used as a decoration in houses for thousands of years and is also associated with many pagan rituals.

The 12 days of Chistmas are the ones that separate Christmas day (December 25) from Epiphany celebrated on January 6, marking Christ’s baptism (the Catholic tradition) or the day when the wise men visited baby Jesus with their gifts. This includes great fanfare and singing. The Anglo-Saxon tradition revolved around gathering together for small, serene choirs on the scenic village green lawns to sing carols and popular Christmas songs that would entertain and please the passers-by.

This joyous festival truly enlivens our hearts with warm revelry that extends well into the new year! Gift your near and dear ones, the little children, your friends and colleagues to spread the joy of Christmas.

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It is X’mas!, an interesting write-up by Abhilasha Ojha in Business Standard, exhorts us to simply forget the recession just for a while. It suggests that all of us also should hold our thoughts as far as the threat of terror is concerned and that we should for the moment stop thinking about all that is negative and find some excuse to be a part of the festive season.

The writer has suggested some colorful ideas to soak in the spirit of Christmas, who mentions: “Clothing brands are all geared up for the season with some truly exciting creations. Let me Be, a popular women’s brand, for example, has just unveiled its catchy Christmas collection. It is full of reds, whites, greens, and has created magnificent magic with rich fabrics like satins, wool, fleece and silks.”

There is a hint of embellishments that comes with precious stones like pearls and diamonds, and accompanied by a whisper of lace and sequins. Puffed sleeves, pleated necklines along with classic cuts and a liberal usage of motifs make sure that there is sophistication along with an elegant element of play. (Rs 5,000 onward at Ensemble and Amara)

You can also say it with cards. We often tend to underestimate the positive impact of greeting cards on people. The writer exclaims” “I do not mean those run-of-the-mill greeting cards. Gorgeous hand-paper varieties are available (also those in recycled paper). There are so many do-it-yourself books on the shelves (like Cheryl Owens’), you can use to try create your own greeting card at home.

If you are lazy, you may visit New Delhi’s Anandz Creations, where the card-maker Anand has on offer some wonderful designs with jute, brass and recycled products (Rs 95 onward). You can frame one of these and have it mounted. Another option the writer suggests is New Greeting Card Project by Himanshu Verma. It is an annual feature, which brings forth art on cards (Rs 150 each).

Read the complete article here

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