Can Earn You LOTS of Brownie Points if Done Right (Gifts For Her in general)

Member Name: anonymili

Product:	Gifts For Her in general
Date:	18/12/08 (194 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: gets you in the good books if you get it right

Disadvantages: gets you in the doghouse if you get it wrong

I know this might be a bit late in the day for Christmas present ideas but I thought I'd share some ideas with you anyway as to what you could buy for that special lady, be she your wife, girlfriend, sister, best friend, mother, grandmother, daughter, granddaughter or even a close colleague for a special event, be it Christmas, New Year, birthday, anniversary, or just because you want to treat her. With all due respect to guys who write lists like this; but who would know better about what females like to receive than other females? Don't get me wrong, I'm not discounting any of the ideas guys have on the subject too!

Below are various suggestions - hopefully in a variety of price ranges that are affordable to you...


~~~PERFUMES AND SMELLY THINGS~~~

Firstly there are a few fundamental rules to stick to - people always think that perfume is a great gift to receive. Well yes, it certainly is BUT you have to know the person very well. Do you know what their favourite perfume is? If so, then get them a nice gift set which could include said perfume, body lotion and shower gel and maybe even a purse sized mini perfume. It's a lovely feeling to pamper yourself with your favourite smells, have a shower or bath, apply the scented body lotion and then spray or splash some of the perfume on a special day or night out. Women tend not to buy these kind of gift sets for themselves and it is a real treat when you get given one. I would point out here though that, just because the sales person in House of Fraser, Debenham's or Boots or whichever department store or perfumery you went into talked you into buying David and Victoria Beckham's latest perfume (excuse me one moment - UGH) or some other brand because it's the best thing since sliced bread and they squirted your wrist or a bit of cardboard with it and it seemed nice at the time, does not mean the female you're planning to give it to will appreciate it. You have no idea how many times I've been presented with perfumes that I absolutely detested (some of them might suit other people but they didn't suit me or I just hated the smell) and they've hung around my home for years till the box went yellow and I threw it out or (dare I admit it) I re-gifted it to someone else who actually liked the perfume (and only because I found out that they liked it in advance).

How many ladies really enjoy using gift sets of non-branded soap and shower gel and bath salts? Not me, that's for sure. I tend to stick to my own chosen brand of shower gel/soaps rather than fancy stuff and these type of gifts also get shoved to the back of a cupboard... Before you give these kinds of gifts check that the person isn't allergic to perfumed soaps. I knew a woman once who was always complaining that people who'd known her for years kept giving her perfumed soap and body lotion sets even though they knew for years that she couldn't use them. How inconsiderate of them!


~~~CASH/GIFT VOUCHERS~~~

Cash is one of the easiest ways out when it comes to giving presents - I tend not to give cash to a female individual but mostly to people for weddings or anniversaries so they can choose something themselves. The same applies to gift vouchers generally. BUT on the other hand, when it comes to someone you know that might be short of cash and has a favourite store, I don't feel there's any harm in giving them vouchers for that store so they can go choose something or several things of their own choice. I really enjoy getting gift vouchers to be honest.


~~~PAMPERING DAY~~~

Now a day's pass to a spa might be quite expensive in your areas so this might not be a suitable suggestion for everyone depending on your budget or you could buy a gift certificate for a massage or facial treatment. Again, this sort of thing doesn't really appeal to me. I was given a voucher for a spa treatment to the value of £50 a few years back but couldn't be bothered to go to the venue (which was about 40 miles away) and the voucher ended up going past its expiry date. You have to know that the person you give this sort of gift to will enjoy this type of pampering and that the location is suitable for them. Another thing to be wary of with giving a gift certificate for just one treatment is that the staff don't try to continually persuade your gift recipient to try out other services and make them feel guilty so that they end up spending more money when they had no intention to. The spa or salon people might just be doing their job but your gift recipient could end up feeling cheated if they got talked into spending another £30 or £50 or more on other treatments...


~~~ADVENTURE GIFTS~~~

Now just because she's a female does not mean she wouldn't appreciate a sky-diving, race-car driving, bungee-jumping, day at the races, etc, type experience. Lots of women are into adventure activities and this could be an ideal present if your gift recipient enjoys these type of activities. Again, just know your audience - don't give a sky-diving gift certificate to someone who has vertigo (fear of heights)!


~~~THEATRE TRIP~~~

Does the special lady in your life like the theatre? I recently received tickets to the theatre for my birthday from a really good friend and it was such a wonderful thought and such a fabulous experience - it's a gift I won't forget in a hurry! She had heard me talking about going to see a particular play and on my birthday she presented me with tickets for me and my hubby to go see this show. It was a delightful surprise and a truly lovely experience.

Again with this sort of gift, you'd need to be sure your gift recipient likes this sort of entertainment. Their idea of a fun night out might be hanging out in a pub or nightclub rather than sitting through several hours of a theatrical performance...


~~~CHOCCIES~~~

Does this special woman love chocolates? Well if so, why not treat her to a delicious box of chocolates? You can choose from so many different brands, let alone, plain, milk or white chocolate and such a huge range of prices that you'll be spoilt for choice.

Be warned though - make sure your recipient isn't diabetic as this is a really cruel gift to give if they then have to give it back to you or someone else in the household or worse still they might end up eating them anyway which is so NOT good for them!


~~~HANDBAGS~~~

Every woman likes handbags, whether they're 15, 35, 55 or 75! Choose something appropriate and suitable though, don't give a teenage glitzy handbag to a mature woman, and don't give a sensible career woman's posh attaché case to a teenager who's just left school. I think you can get the picture now on this one?


~~~SHOES~~~

As much as us gals love handbags, most of us love shoes too and well there's a saying "you can never have enough handbags... or shoes" - I don't know who made up that saying but it's pretty much spot on. Again make sure you get the size right and choose an appropriate style. Designer shoes will usually really get you lots of brownie points if you can afford them. Personally I'm not into spending £100s or £1000s just on a pair of shoes but I have friends who think it's quite normal... Moving swiftly on...


~~~JEWELLERY~~~

Jewellery is a lovely gift to receive as it's something that can be kept forever. There are so many different jewellery items you can buy without breaking the bank such as delicate gold or silver bracelets, regular gold or silver rings, even toe rings could be something different as a gift or an anklet (ankle bracelet). How about a gold or silver necklace with a pretty pendant or their initial or first name? If it's for a very special occasion, why not even try designing something yourself and give to the jeweller and asking them to craft your choice of jewellery from scratch?

On my last milestone birthday (I refuse to tell you just how OLD I was) my husband decided he would design something with the diamond from a nose stud that belonged to his late mother. I don't have my nose pierced and he knew it would be no use to me in that particular form of jewellery so he drew a design for the jeweller as if two hands were holding the diamond on two sides. It was a fabulous thought and it was a very touching and personal gift and considering he threw me a very big surprise birthday party as well, I felt very spoilt indeed - I would have just been happy with the ring.


~~~...AND TALKING OF PARTIES~~~

Is it a special occasion for the woman in your life? How about a surprise party? You can get a few other friends to help out with the organising and decide on how many people you want to invite depending on your budget and how many close friends and/or family members you want to attend. Make sure you have the camera handy to capture the look of surprise (and hopefully happiness) when she realises the party's for her and take photos all day or evening to capture the special event for future memories.

With this one, I'd advise caution with people with heart conditions - the last thing you want is for people to shout "SURPRISE" and then suddenly your guest of honour keels over in shock!


~~~TO ROUND OFF~~~

I hope I've given you some different ideas here as well as some you might already have had in mind and now I thought I'd give you just a few more ideas but in brief...

* Camera - digital or otherwise
* Photo frame with a personal photo already in there of a happy occasion
* Mobile phone
* Laptop computer - there are some great deals around these days and prices just keep going down
* Champagne - if she likes a drink
* Tickets to a game - she might love sports - pick the right one!
* Gym membership - a month's trial if she has said she wants to get fit or a year's membership if you think she will use if (and of course, if you can afford it)
* Dance classes - she might have been wanting to learn salsa for years, maybe a few classes to get her started
* Servant for the day - I don't mean get her a real one but for something different why not offer yourself as her servant for the day? "Your wish is my command" sort of thing...
* A fruit hamper - does she adore fruit? A basket of fruit is something lovely to receive, especially if the basket can be kept for later use too.
* Flowers - saved this one for last. Which woman does not love to receive flowers? You can pick your own and make them into a bunch/bouquet yourself to give it a personal feel for an inexpensive way to make her feel special or order them from a florists with a card to say how special she is - but don't, for heaven's sake, steal HER flowers from HER garden, and don't give her flowers if she's allergic to them!

I hope I've given you some food for thought now. Happy present organising!

Summary: A load of ideas for getting HER a gift...