You may be grateful for a lot of the gifts in your own life. The gift of reciprocated love for your partner and the time you have to spend together, your children, good health, a happy home and work that you love are some of the gifts we have in life.
There are other gifts too, those that are thoughtfully packaged to go beneath a tree at Christmas or to celebrate another year passing in your relationship or your life. These are times of anticipation, expectation and for some a bit of panic and disappointment too. Here are some ideas to take the headache out of gift-buying for your beloved.
Take it easy
There’s no need to panic, even if you feel you don’t have enough time or you’re not sure what to get. This is particularly true at Christmas time where it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the craze of buying too many gifts for your loved one.
Make it yourself
Your gift is a token of appreciation for your loved one. Put some effort into your gift rather than heading for the store aisle laid out for Valentine’s Day or Christmas gifts. If you have a skill, use it. If you have a good singing voice, record your own version of the song you and your sweetheart have taken as your own. If you can crochet, consider a ‘lover’s knot’ scarf. Use whatever crafty skills you have to make a gift. It doesn’t matter how simple it is, you’ll be loved for the effort, thought and time you’ve put into the gift. It also gives you the opportunity as you’re making the gift to think about all that it is that you love about your sweetheart and how the gift will become a symbol of your love and fondness for them. Of course, you should always have plan B – like UniqueWeddingGifts.co.uk where you can find so many gift ideas!
Personalised gifts
If you don’t have the time or the confidence to make a gift with your own hands, you can still create a personal and thoughtful gift. Most of us have hundreds, if not more, photographs on our phones that are stored and rarely seen. Pick out your top twelve photos of the year to include at least one of the two of you together and of your travels together and moments you shared together. Put these on a digital photo-frame or if the gift is for Christmas, create a calendar for the year ahead.
If you would like to gift something special, personalise a piece of jewellery with a monogram, the date of your wedding or words of endearment.
The most personal of gifts is a love letter. Write from the heart and let your darling know what it is you love about them. This is a perfect keepsake.
Memories are made of these
One of the greatest gifts to give is one that shows that you have listed to your beloved talk about something they are passionate about, what they miss or what they wish they had. Whether this be a pair of boots they had twenty years ago, a desire to try sky-diving or a wish to learn a new skill, try and search out what they miss or book the experience or class so they can fulfil their dreams. Your patience and effort will be well rewarded.
The gift of time
In these days when life is full of responsibilities and commitments, to family, work and home it is sometimes difficult to spend time with the ones we love. Although it doesn’t sound very romantic, schedule a time when you and your lover can be alone together by putting a crimson red heart around the date when nothing will get in the way of you being together. If you can, arrange childcare and take time for yourselves to go for a walk and talk and have fun. If it’s not possible to meet up at night because of your commitments, meet for lunch and if the weather is good, go for a picnic or visit a local art gallery and museum. Alternatively, stay at home and dance to your favourite music, eat your favourite food and take your dessert of strawberries, cream and chocolate to your bedroom