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This page of the Guide suggests maybe slightly unusual or
unconventional presents to give to people. They are presents
that will not be for everyone but, on the other hand, for the
man or woman who has everything, they might fit the bill.
Choosing presents can be very difficult and we like to
believe that the person to whom we are giving will appreciate
the present. If you're unsure, you might be better off with one
of the ideas on our
Safe
Options page but if you know the person quite well or can
gain some clues with one of the ways suggested on the
front page, then
something more unusual can surprise and delight people. So here
are a few ideas to get the brain thinking:
Give a donation
You can donate to a charity, a hospital, an animal sanctuary
or some other good cause in the person's name. It's a good idea
if you can then get the beneficiaries of the donation to use the
money to provide something tangible and then have a plaque made
showing who provided the money for it.
The Globe Theatre in London, for example, has bricks showing
the names of people who have donated money to its cause. You can
approach the local hospital or veterinary surgery, for example,
to see if they would be interested.
Many charities will track where specific donations go, or
they will use them for a specific project that the donator holds
dear to their heart. So you need to know what it is that the
recipient of the present is keen on and then make the
appropriate donation. All the charities have websites, so you
can easily find their contact details.
Alternatively, you could pay for a year's membership of a
charity that you know the person is keen on. For example,
Friends of the Earth costs
£3 per month to belong to, so for £36 you could pay for a year's
subscription.
Sponsor a Child
Or an animal in the person's name. You can sponsor a child
through
Action Aid and the person will receive drawings and messages
from the child. Alternatively, go to
charitybasics and sponsor a child through them.
If you think that the person would rather adopt an animal,
you can do so through the
World Wildlife Fund. You receive a welcome pack and then
quarterly updates on how your adopted animal is getting on.
Rent a Row of Vines
You can rent a row of vines in England, France or Italy as a
present. The person can go and see the vines, attend tastings,
dinners and harvest celebrations and get free personalised wine
labels with each vintage. Go to
Wine Share to see how it all works.
Or you can buy the person a vine that they can grow either
indoors or out at their own home. Go to
Vines for Wines or
4presents
to see a selection of vines that will produce either red or
white wines.
Collectibles
You could buy something that might start the person
collecting things. People collect all sorts of things, very
often starting from when someone gave them something that they
really liked and so started to collect. There is a fascinating
website called
World
Collectors Net, with information about collecting all sorts
of things. The link will take you to a page with a huge list of
collectibles; one of the items on the list might appeal to the
recipient of your present.
Driving Lessons
If we're buying for a young person, driving lessons are an
excellent idea. Almost all people want to learn to drive, so
anything we can do to expedite that wish will be appreciated.
There are hundreds of driving schools but for a reputable,
nationwide one, try the
AA
or the BSM.
Other Lessons
There is a section about lessons on the
Think About Hobbies page. But there are many other sorts of
lessons that get people started on something perhaps more
exciting than things they have traditionally done. For example,
how about flying (flights4all),
gliding (the
British Gliding Association), skiing (Nike)
or ice skating (your local skating rink)?
Activity Breaks
You could pay for a short activity break, where the person
can go walking or climbing, for example. Or they can can get an
introduction to watercolours, Italian cookery, pottery and so
on. Go to
www.timetolearn to see a whole range of activity breaks
lasting from two days to a week.
These are just some of the perhaps slightly
out-of-the-ordinary presents that we might buy for people. If
none of these appeals to you, then at least they might have got
you thinking along the right lines.
Treasure Hunt
For children of all ages (including
grown-ups!) you could get 10 or so small presents and hide them
around the house with suitable clues. The person then has to
follow the clues to find the presents.
If you would like to help make this Guide even
better, either fill in the
feedback form or visit our
Forum
and tell us any ideas you have. In particular, tell us about the
best present you have ever given or the best one you have ever
received. We'll then add your ideas to the Guide.
Now read the rest of the Guide by clicking on
the links in the box. It will ease the dilemma of trying to
choose the perfect present.
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