I've always been lucky when it comes to being given great presents. Even as an adult I've been pleasantly surprised by what my loved ones have thought up on my behalf. They obviously know me very well! But it's some of the gifts I received as a kid that really stick in my mind.
The first goes back to the mid Eighties and arguably the most significant toy franchise of all time. I loved it as a child, I'm unashamed to admit I still love it now, and as for the films... don't even get me started. Then, as now, my favourite Star Wars character was Han Solo, but my favourite ship? That prize went to the X-Wing, hands down. It was just so frigging cool! And so it was over Christmas '85 or '86 that, with battle-damage stickers running down the side, my newly acquired X-wing and I tore up and down my grandparents' hallway in an attempt to re-enact the Rebel's epic attack on the Death Star. I went at it for hours - pushing down on R2's head to open the wings into their attack position, while yelling "Red Five standing by...", or "Cover me, I'm going in!" Happy days.
The second standout present was equally groundbreaking. It was Christmas 1990 and thanks to friends of the family based in Paris, my parents were able to get it before its UK release. I'd been desperate to get my mitts on one and had searched my parents' bedroom high and low in an effort to find my own little Excalibur. I wasn't successful, but come Christmas morning I knew my luck was in - a rectangular-shaped box, perfect size, perfect weight sat under the tree. For the rest of the day my eyes were glued on the hand-held bundle of joy, while the Tetris theme rang throughout the house. It probably got quite annoying. Not that I cared two hoots - I had me a Game Boy!
Of course, not everyone is quite so easy to buy for - particularly if they've grown out of nightlights and flicking through the toy section of the Argos catalogue. Adults and teenagers tend to be the trickiest. They'll either give you a rubbish list, insist there's nothing they really want, or provide some ideas that'd thrash your credit card to within an inch of its life. Ring any bells? If so, personalised gifts could be the answer to your prayers. There are websites today that specialise in allowing you to easily personalise gifts, typically with a name and message. And they give you a huge range of goodies to pick from, too. Below are just a few ideas you might want to think about.
One very popular personalised gift, especially for a birthday or Christmas, is a football book. Nearly 60 team books are available, all of which are made up of tabloid-sized reprints of original newspaper coverage. Reports often start in the early part of the 20th century and go right through to the end of last season. As for personalising it, there's the certificate on the opening page, which can feature any message you like to the recipient. Then there's the option of adding his or hers name to the front of the book. Okay, so it costs a little bit more, but any footie fan worth their salt will be well and truly chuffed.
Football aside, gifts personalised with names are definitely the bread and butter. And no matter what the occasion, be it engagement or wedding gifts, personalised leaving gifts, graduation, Valentine's, Easter, or any other significant date, you'll find calendars, mugs, wine labels and even spoof newspaper and magazine covers available to customise as you wish. You can also adopt animals, engrave hip flasks and get your hands on original newspapers from a day of your choice. And even all that barely scratches the surface. Gift experiences, personalised children's books, T-shirts, stationary and a seemingly endless list of other options make buying something for that awkward customer feel far less... awkward.
The first goes back to the mid Eighties and arguably the most significant toy franchise of all time. I loved it as a child, I'm unashamed to admit I still love it now, and as for the films... don't even get me started. Then, as now, my favourite Star Wars character was Han Solo, but my favourite ship? That prize went to the X-Wing, hands down. It was just so frigging cool! And so it was over Christmas '85 or '86 that, with battle-damage stickers running down the side, my newly acquired X-wing and I tore up and down my grandparents' hallway in an attempt to re-enact the Rebel's epic attack on the Death Star. I went at it for hours - pushing down on R2's head to open the wings into their attack position, while yelling "Red Five standing by...", or "Cover me, I'm going in!" Happy days.
The second standout present was equally groundbreaking. It was Christmas 1990 and thanks to friends of the family based in Paris, my parents were able to get it before its UK release. I'd been desperate to get my mitts on one and had searched my parents' bedroom high and low in an effort to find my own little Excalibur. I wasn't successful, but come Christmas morning I knew my luck was in - a rectangular-shaped box, perfect size, perfect weight sat under the tree. For the rest of the day my eyes were glued on the hand-held bundle of joy, while the Tetris theme rang throughout the house. It probably got quite annoying. Not that I cared two hoots - I had me a Game Boy!
Of course, not everyone is quite so easy to buy for - particularly if they've grown out of nightlights and flicking through the toy section of the Argos catalogue. Adults and teenagers tend to be the trickiest. They'll either give you a rubbish list, insist there's nothing they really want, or provide some ideas that'd thrash your credit card to within an inch of its life. Ring any bells? If so, personalised gifts could be the answer to your prayers. There are websites today that specialise in allowing you to easily personalise gifts, typically with a name and message. And they give you a huge range of goodies to pick from, too. Below are just a few ideas you might want to think about.
One very popular personalised gift, especially for a birthday or Christmas, is a football book. Nearly 60 team books are available, all of which are made up of tabloid-sized reprints of original newspaper coverage. Reports often start in the early part of the 20th century and go right through to the end of last season. As for personalising it, there's the certificate on the opening page, which can feature any message you like to the recipient. Then there's the option of adding his or hers name to the front of the book. Okay, so it costs a little bit more, but any footie fan worth their salt will be well and truly chuffed.
Football aside, gifts personalised with names are definitely the bread and butter. And no matter what the occasion, be it engagement or wedding gifts, personalised leaving gifts, graduation, Valentine's, Easter, or any other significant date, you'll find calendars, mugs, wine labels and even spoof newspaper and magazine covers available to customise as you wish. You can also adopt animals, engrave hip flasks and get your hands on original newspapers from a day of your choice. And even all that barely scratches the surface. Gift experiences, personalised children's books, T-shirts, stationary and a seemingly endless list of other options make buying something for that awkward customer feel far less... awkward.
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