Sportswear has surely made its way out of the rough n tough gym bag to enter the high-flying wardrobes. As a result, most fashion labels are getting sportier.

For example, Boss Hugo Boss last year launched its brand Boss Green to complement its popular Boss Black range of formal wear in India. The brand manager of Boss Hugo Boss, India, mentioned in an interview: “It’s a collection for those who don’t mind doing business at the golf course. They probably wanted a choice of luxury sportswear that wasn’t available at all. Those who earlier would (compulsively) wear blazers to after-work parties have switched to golf wear.”

The reasons are obvious; the look is rather simple and informal with golf T-shirts, jerseys, jackets, trousers, and shoes. Designer Narendra Kumar’s captivating collections for men have had a sporty edge. His collection for Spring/Summer 2009 at LFW 2008 went a step further.

The line was inspired by sportswear with cropped cabin jackets, denims and formal track pants. India saw a funky fashion-sport tie-up when Reebok got a psychedelic makeover - shoes in bright colors like orange, pink, silver, red and blue, topped with superb Swarovski and sequins as well as activewear under the Reebok label Fish Fry.

High fashion is indeed meeting mainstream everyday clothing. The trend is quite pronounced in the West and is catching up fast in India. A big workout culture is developing.
Take the case of actor Deepika Padukone who likes to wear short dresses to go with metallic sneakers & hip hoodies with three-fourth trousers. To party with friends, Nina Manuel often slips on her black Puma dress with orange-n-white boots from the Missy Elliot line. She might pair shorts & stockings with a purple halter Puma top.

Malaika Arora Khan often shares her sister’s liking for tracksuits. So the next time you are shopping for someone who is sporty type, you know where and what to look for.

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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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While dealing with delegates from UK or when you happen to be in the UK for corporate meetings, keep in mind that a firm handshake is the norm irrespective of the gender of the person you happen to meet or greet. People shake hands upon arrival and at the time of leaving. Maintain eye contact during the handshake, but do not prolong either of the two acts. It will make people uncomfortable. Business cards are exchanged at the time of introduction without any formal ritual. It may be put away by your British counterpart with just a cursory glance, but don’t get offended by it.

Now, let’s follow some important gift giving etiquette norms in the country. The British people tend to exchange gifts quite frequently between close friends and family members on personal and social festive occasions like Christmas. However, giving and receiving gifts is not a common practice of British business culture. In fact, your British business colleagues might get embarrassed on receiving any gift. The only exception can be made at the time of finalizing a deal. You can mark the occasion by giving an appropriate commemorative item gift.

Again, avoid showy objects that may make the recipient feel awkward. Small gifts like a pen or a book, suitably inscribed, would serve as genuine gesture. Flowers or wine/champagne as a token of thanks for junior colleagues will suffice.

The key point to remember when giving gifts to your UK business associates is to be tasteful and restrained and unostentatious.

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