Never do this when giving gifts at Christmas

I prefer to let myself loose in a city and naturally stumble upon the perfect Christmas gifts. A brilliant book for my father-in-law, something complicated and cool for my sister (because Gen Z), thoughtful gifts for my brothers, and something-fucking-fantastic for my boyfriend. That kind of work. In practice, I'm already worried about the PostNL strike in three days because I still have to order everything. This is one of the many (many, many) mistakes I apparently make, if I have to believe the experts, so take advantage of it.

Don't give just because you want to receive
Read that one more time, yes. It is forbidden to give your partner a gift that you would like to see under the Christmas tree yourself. Just wrap it up for yourself and put it under the tree. Or even better: google your own gifts on your beloved's laptop. Google's smart retargeting will do the work for you. A brilliant tip, right? But until then, I won't give my boyfriend (with a buzz cut) that new Dyson under the tree.

A little in balance
With Sinterkerst and New Year (yes, I now celebrate it with my family after Amayzine), we agree on a budget and draw lots for a poem. We choose an amount that is manageable for a modest student budget AND an adult income. Additionally, the youngest in the family receives a gift from everyone (lucky one) and we get a pair of cheeky socks from the parents AND a chocolate letter from grandma. Very straightforward. But whatever you do, don't buy gigantic gifts if you know someone else can't afford to give much back. And: definitely don't give gifts if you agree not to do gifts. This always leads to awkward faces.

Don't get blinded by stuff
Research shows that the most valuable gift is really just time. It's not that simple, because time might be the most precious thing. A dinner together, an overnight stay in a crane, racing around a track, making pots together. Come up with something original and give it as a gift in the form of a nicely wrapped card. Small disclaimer: do set a date between now and the next Christmas. Our friends still have an overnight stay owed to them and have been married for five years now. And we keep saying it's in a barrel and won't spoil.

Source: Quest