Nothing is more deflating on Christmas day than seeing your family feign joy at your gifts. Here’s an expert’s guide to being an excellent present buyer

Words: Edwina Langley

Gift giving is easy, right? You find a present for someone, you offer it forth, they love it. Easy as pie. Only what happens when it’s not easy? When you get to the bottom of your Christmas list and shiver at the words ‘AUNTY SUE’ capitalised and underlined in red. When you excitedly hand over the 24-month aged comté you bought for your sister-in-law on Christmas Day, only to be met with a frosty eyebrow raise and a murmured, “Thanks, I guess” (you forgot she went vegan in November). Containing your own feelings of dejection takes some doing, but it’s also a sharp reminder of how hard finding the perfect Christmas present can be. And on an occasion as fuelled by familial one-upmanship and competitive giving as Christmas Day, there’s a lot riding on getting it right.

Of course, there are those decidedly elf-like people for whom ‘getting it right’ is an inherent skill. These are the people who keep ‘present boxes’ in their cupboards all year round and boast carefully curated Christmas present Pinterest boards. Their beautifully wrapped gifts (lino-printed by their fair hands) bring a tear to every receiver’s eye – so personal, so thoughtful, so exactly what they wanted but didn’t even know it! So how on earth, amid the frenzied last- minute shopping, thumping festive hangover and kitchen full of half-made canapés can we get it right? Calm your Christmas baubles, we’ve consulted gifting experts for their definitive guide to how to become the best present buyer ever…

Put their name on it

It’s A Wonderful Life is on the telly, Aled Jones is ringing out of the radio – it may seem a little manipulative to play on the narcissistic instincts of your nearest and dearest right now, but believe us, it works. Personalised gifts stamp whatever you’re giving with a little bit of the receiver – their name, their initials, their picture – which is an easy way to make it seem like you’ve put real time and effort into the gift, whether that’s an engraved Monica Vinader pendant (from £35; monicavinader.com) or a monogrammed bauble to brighten up their tree (from £12; twenty-seven.co.uk). Elaine Shar, Elfridges manager at Selfridges says one of the key trends this Christmas is “anything personalised”, and really, the options are almost endless. Gone are the days of headed paper; these days you can monogram Burberry scarves and fragrance bottles (uk.burberry.com), leather iPhone cases (uk.monpurse.com) and even covetable Frends headphones (selfridges.com). So everyone in the family can make a name for themselves this Christmas.

The ultimate gifting guide: how to give the perfect present every time