The £10 Xmas present and the heirloom

Second-hand may be, but a first-rate gift

A few years back, I had some Australian friends living in London who were a DINKY (double income, no kids) couple.  The wife worked for a merchant bank; the husband was riding the dotcom boom in some new media agency.  They had plenty of disposable income to splash out with.  

But, and here’s the rub of it, they always set themselves the challenge of buying each other a Christmas present that cost less than £10.  They were avid flea market and broccante  goers and would search throughout the year, on travels to France, in Camden market and so on, to find that unique, cheap gift that summed up either what one felt for the other, or what one knew of the other’s passions and interests.  

One year, it might be an antique brooch; another a rare, junk-find Vinyl or a small swatch of an original Lucienne Day  60′s material.   Whatever it was, it meant the giver knew the receiver well, and the receiver would have a present that had been lovingly sought and bought.  An heirloom piece to treasure for a lifetime. The ideal Xmas present really.  Far more personal a gift than something bought last minute online, or from a perfume counter on Xmas eve.

Since this year a lot of us will have far less cash to splash out, it might be a wise to follow my rich friends’ lead.  A present’s worth is in the eye of the beholder, not valued in its monetary terms.   Try to think in terms of a gift that can inspire child-like wonder, not wonder at how much it cost. 

Every kid of old would have some secret box where little finds and treasures would be stored  – an old sea-shell gathered summers before, a crumpled cereal packet gift, a badge, a feather, or a prize conker.  The things the box contained were held in awe and while near valueless, were valued all the same. 

Aim to give gifts  imbued with similar properties – things you can imagine being  treasured for a long time, not trashed before January’s out.  And for once, avoid the commercial cost of Christmas if you can.