Alright, to begin, Christmas as we all know, is a season of sharing and giving, and spreading the love throughout this joyous occasion. But just to add on or refresh your minds, it is also the birth of Christ, I'm a non-believer but I thought it'd be nice just to share or refresh this piece of information.
& because it's a Season of Giving, the expenses during this festive will naturally be a greater amount as compared to any other festive of the year! Usually, we do not only prepare gifts for our loved ones, but also for the ones we care, at work, at school and anywhere or everywhere!I'm dedicating my first post to Christmas because it's nearing, & I'm pretty sure MOST of us are still stuck!
Personally, I think that if you are going to spend Christmas with your loved one, meaning to say your boyfriend/girlfriend, you should get something affordable and simple. The thing is, if you both are going to have a celebration with each other, you are definitely going to have to spend more on the celebration and if the gift is too costly, it sets the standard for the celebration a little too high, and you might have to set the budget thus higher! I'm pretty sure ultimately, you lovely couples would rather enjoy each other's presence than presents. Furthermore, IF you spend quite a bit for this Christmas on your loved one, it is DEFINITELY, going to raise the standards for his/her birthday in time to come! (By now you would be concerned with what to get or where to go, which I will touch on later) However, if you cannot spend Christmas(meaning to say you are busy all the way till next year, or spending it overseas etc) together, you can afford to get a pricier gift as compared to being able to celebrate Christmas together. But of course, setting a budget aside is always safer if you tend to buy gifts for almost, everyone you know.Gifts
For those that are ABLE to celebrate Christmas together, here are some ideas that will usually fit the category!
- Organiser (useful for both genders, it's the end of the year, it's always good to start organised for the upcoming new year!)
- Book (depends on whether is he/she a reader, otherwise it's an inexpensive great gift)
- Mug/Tumbler (it'd be nice to take a sip out of a token of love)
- Headgear (beanie etc, doesn't have to be a branded)
- Gloves (it will be extra useful if he/she travels often to cold places)
- CD (even though piracy is everywhere...but it still works to be Vintage!)
- Photoframe of both of you with a short message!
- Cupakes (def. suitable for both, girls get excited at the cute/pretty ones, it'd be a bonus if you baked it yourself! & for the men? They'd def love anything you lovely ladies baked them!)
- Handy Craft (as I mentioned, I'm pretty sure for both sides, would love anything you make for him/her!)
In short, these gifts are perfect if you are working under a budget, not because you are stingy! But because you want to make the celebration a seemingly more well-put-into-thought efforts, being able to spend more on the celebration, after-all, it's the memories that stay!
For those that are UNable to celebrate Christmas together, here are some ideas that might fit the category!
- Headphones (the quality ones usually costs more, but if he/she isn't such a fussy one, go for audio-technica or for the die-hard-quality fans, Dr.Dre!)
- Cuff-links (would be suitable for the working adult men)
- Jewelry (necklace or earrings etc, if you prefer affordability, try online, amazon.com or ebay.com, you'll be amazed!)
- Watches (usually the shops around the neighbourhood by now, should most likely be having end-of-season sales, otherwise, try amazon.com or ebay, both works if you are patient enough!)
- Shades (ray-bans or oakley, but of course, personally I don't see the need for the brand...)
- Games (if your boyfriend/girlfriend is really into this PS3/Xbox or Wii thing, this is definitely the way to go!)
- Wallet (preferably only when your boyfriend/girlfriend is really in desperate need of a new wallet)
- Portable Charger (applicable to usually iPhone or Blackberry users)
- Clothes (don't have to worry if they don't like what you get them, cause they'd definitely love to impress you with what you like wearing, but would be more advisable for the couples that are more seasoned to each other's taste)
- Bag (it never hurts to have more of these BUT! It'd be better if he/she really needs or really likes it)
- Gadgets (can be that mp4/iPod Touch that he/she has been eyeing on for a reaaaaallly long time)
Besides these great ideas, I think you can also try these sites, they provide not necessarily only great gift ideas for a better value, but as well as great places to go for a relatively cheaper and affordable price!
- http://www.groupon.sg/
- http://deal.com.sg/deals/singapore
- http://tip-it.com.sg/
- http://www.singsale.com.sg
- http://www.brandsfever.com
Celebrations
By now you should have a rough idea on what to get for him/her already, otherwise, you can always post a comment and I'll definitely be more than glad to assist you! For now, let's move on to where can you or should you go for this joyous occasion!
If it's the First Christmas you both are spending together, I recommend a more-than-simple celebration, a simple one would usually be, a nice little dinner at a nice restaurant, fuss free from all the food work and just bask in each other's presence. I think it'd actually be sweet and romantic if you guys do some grocery shopping and perhaps grab a bottle of champagne or wine to enjoy over dinner. Besides, you don't have to worry about making reservations at restaurants, having to squeeze and get caught in town or the traffic jam be it vehicles or human traffic, and instead, prepare the Christmas dinner at home and enjoy it with all the time in the world & listen to Christmas love songs on the radio or whatnot.Howeverrrrr, if you think preparing a dinner is way too tedious or last minute, you could always have a picnic at the beaches, gardens etc, you need not prepare the food but instead, grab can of tuna and a loaf of bread and maybe a couple of your favourite juices and you're good and ready to go! Or you could even grab sushi instead of your typical boring sandwiches!
Otherwise, I think ordering delivery or take-outs and having them over a couple of movies, snuggling together also does the trick. Completely ease of movements and thoughts, just munch pizzas together and watch shows that both of you always wanted or always liked, other than the fact that the lines might be a little jammed for that day!
For the day activities, you can always go skating, cycling or even strolling together in the parks etc, it's a healthy and breezing activity especially at this time of the year! Otherwise, kite-flying should definitely be on your to-do-list if it isn't fulfilled this Christmas!
For Singapore Readers,
- Beaches such as Sentosa, Pasir Ris, Changi, East Coast Park would be fine, but at Sentosa, you are able to spend time at the Underwater world, Universal Studios, Butterfly Park, Insect Kingdom and so much more, for more info, http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/attractions/
- For the food places, I strongly suggest http://ieatishootipost.sg/ or http://www.hungrygowhere.com/ or you may refer back to the sites of Groupon etc whereby deals are made available daily for better value!
- For ordering of cupcakes or inspiration for cupcakes, I'd definitely recommend http://shibertys.blogspot.com/ cause of her beautiful designs and thoughtfulness!
All in all, I hope this post managed to clear some doubts and give some ideas to most of you out there, hopefully, and may you enjoy this Christmas to the fullest with your loved one(s) and have a great new year!
If there is anything else you need or would like to know, feel free to drop a comment, or even share your sites or ideas if you have any!
Photo courtesy of Flickr.com
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