The task of buying Christmas presents can be challenging enough, but clothes are at the top as one of the most complex ones to choose if you want to do it right. It may also sound sexist when that’s extended to say that women are much harder to buy clothes for than men and children, not just as Christmas, but at all times of the year.
This difficulty comes mainly from the sheer quantity available. While men’s clothing tends to be less and more expensive, women’s clothing can be expansive and the competitive prices driven by the numbers mean a lot of stuff is going to be cheap, but not always in a good way.
When is it okay to buy clothes for Christmas?
We’re still considering buying clothes for women here: it’s generally best to stay safe and only buy the gifts if you’ve been asked for something specifically.
There are obviously exceptions to this: if you’re particularly good with fashion, or you feel like you know the person so well you couldn’t possibly do anything wrong then you’re alright, but then you’re probably not reading this blog if you’re that person.
When is it not okay?
The rest of the time… While there’s a chance you could hit gold and get an awesome clothing-based gift, it just doesn’t seem worth the risk unless you’re specifically asked to.
This seems especially obvious when you consider that there are always going to be better and safer options than clothes. Even if you want something inexpensive, there are loads of sites that offer cool little gifts. I had a look at www.gettingpersonal.co.uk/christmas-gifts and the range of stuff was pretty big- all of which seemed like a better option for me than buying clothes.
The exception
There’s always an exception to the rule, and the one for this is that novelty clothing is absolutely, undeniably, going to make a good Christmas present. Whether it’s a black Santa Christmas jumper, or socks that look like sandals, you can’t go wrong. Ever. Honestly.
Some people are put off by the idea of novelty gifts as they see them as useless or faddy, but there’s no real reason for gifts to be serious around Christmas, and they can often end up being more appreciated that a bog-standard and mediocre present such as some c chocolates or (non-novelty) socks.
Try being grateful…
We realise that this isn’t really aimed at your, but the person you’re buying for, but there is a lot of emphasis around Christmas on keeping everyone happy, when it shouldn’t be something anyone has to worry about when it comes to gifting things.
While clothes are certainly more risky, getting the perfect gift involves you being passionate about what you’re giving as well as the person who receives it appreciating what you’ve done. Buying from lists can be a droll affair, and we should all strive to avoid that at all costs, if we want to keep up the Christmas spirit.
Last Christmas my anonymous gift giver must have had the shock of her life when she saw I was wearing the exact replica of the shirt she bought for me :) I still do not fit in it hehehe,
ReplyDeleteYour post reminds me of the times when I was still in PInas, I used to buy clothes for my nieces every Christmas and that's because they looked forward to it. I still send them clothes during Christmas even I am here already hehehe.
ReplyDeleteSome people insist on how they are in dire need of clothes and then you buy what you consider the perfect item and see immediately that it was not a hit...You are glad you saved the receipt.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't like giving clothes as gifts especially for kids. But if I know she or wants it so much, then I'll give way.
ReplyDeleteI always give my mother in law a dress or a blouse on Christmas. I still don't know up to now, if she like them or not. But sometimes, she wears them but not always.
ReplyDeleteWe try to avoid giving out clothes as gifts except for immediate family members. You always run the risk of getting a size too small or too big. We just stick to accessories for adults and toys for kids. :-)
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