Gifting 2012

Above, an assortment of gifts I have been putting together since November.

I love this time of the year, can you tell?

First of all, though, a little caveat. I write this post from the point of view of a largely bored, cynical and worldly (at least I'd like to think so - do indulge me) late-twenties/early thirty-something who doesn't have kids.

Lots of us love to travel and would consider ourselves flashpackers, so a nod to that love of seeing the world would be nice. A universal adaptor, luggage tags, collapsible travel bag – all infinitely useful and will hopefully remind your recipient of the person who thoughtfully gifted that. One of my brothers will be getting Lonely Planet’s South East Asia on a Shoestring. Hopefully it will inspire him to great adventures.

I have already lined up a box of sketching graphite pencils for A, my art-loving cousin who gifted me with a painting of his own for my birthday last year. Last Christmas I gave him, after much research, this An Illustrated Life. A joyous collection of vibrant excerpts from the notebooks of 50 illustrators, artists, and designers, each accompanied by an introduction by the artist, who shares his or her thoughts when the sketch was being made. In fact, upon receiving the book after ordering it online, I was most tempted to keep it for myself.

This year, I also thought I'd try putting together a simple Holiday Gift Guide of my own.

I do like to keep some simple principles in mind when gift-hunting, like the gift should be something that the recipient will use, but shouldn't be too practical or everyday either. It should still feel like a treat, you know? Also,  I will try to keep most of the stuff under RM50, which in these days admittedly does not get you very far. I mean, I would love to gift Moleskine journals and L'occitane toiletries to everyone (come to think of it., I did gift my three favourite aunts L'occitane soaps last year, but only because I got them cheap(er) from Europe), but I can't afford to.

So without further ado, below is a little compilation of what I have given in the past, plus the stuff I have come up with this year.

I love the Body Shop for (relatively) reasonably priced gifts that spell pampering and just a little bit more luxe than our everyday pharmacy stuff. One can get a nice fruity lip balm for RM19.00, or an assortment of soaps and shower gels, for RM9 - RM29. It's always nice to have a little something scented with say, satsuma (a sweet Mandarin orange-like scent), or one of their gift packs.

Shower Cream and Body Butter sets for RM29 each

3) For that yuppie younger cousin or relative of yours who loves hanging out at places with free WiFi, a Starbucks or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf pre-loaded card is always nice. Starbucks' cards start at RM20 and CBTL's at RM25. They throw in some nice top-ups too (you can a free grande drink with every 10 purchase at Starbucks, for example, or collect "beans" to redeem for drinks and food at CBTL). My youngest brother gifted both his elder brother and me with these sometime back, and we all thougth it was super nice (although ironically the card couldn't be used in Sabah/Sarawak and at airports, which at that time, made it pretty tough for me to fully utilize it).

4) When I am truly stumped, I turn to vouchers. Almost no-fail. The only caveat is the recipient will know exactly how much you spent on them. And you can still sort of "direct" the gift somewhat, say books MPH or department stores - Parkson and Isetan to name a few.

And of course, homemade gifts are always nice.

For the health-conscious, I recommend making your own granola. I made a huge batch - 10 cups of oats in total, 2 cups almonds, 1 cup cashews, whole pack of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, virgin coconut oil and raw sugar for less RM50 – and they will be divided amongst 3 people. You can bet that I will be doing this more often. Bear in mind mine is a healthier, minimally sweetened version intended for a diabetic relative.  You could of course really schuzz it up (make it sweeter and crisper with more sugar and oil) with maple syrup and brown sugar ala Chubby Hubby or Alton Brown, sub agave nectar or honey even, use canola or olive oil (ala Melissa Clark of the NY Times), add dried fruit, spice it up with cinnamon and/or ginger, the list goes on…

For the bakerina, homemade vanilla extract makes a wonderful gift this side of the woods when real vanilla is truly difficult to locate. Purchase your beans online. Split them open, slice into smaller pieces and place them in a clean airtight jar. Add vodka/dark rum and seal the jar. 5 pods in a cup of alcohol a jar should about do it. It’s a nice way of stretching the beans into a more well thought out gift too.



Lots of folks consider themselves coffee and tea connoisseurs these days. So while a Nespresso machine might be more suited for the wish list rather than the gift one, an Ikea French Press (RM49.90) will do quite nicely I think (there are fancier/more expensive versions available at Starbucks or department stores these days too), or for the folks who enjoy their cappucino caps, a milk frother and jug (RM9.90 and RM9 respectively), would be really appreciated, I imagine.