Back in the days before the Industrial Revolution – when children would be grateful for a bag of nuts, rather than whining that their PlayStation Portable console was the wrong colour – Christmas was all about feasting and charity, not to mention lashings of sentimentality.
As Dickens wrote in The Pickwick Papers: "Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller thousands of miles away, back to his own fire side and his quiet home!"
If the thought of your own fire side and quiet home makes you break out in a sweat because you still haven't started your Christmas shopping – or even thought about it, despite the fact that the shops have been selling advent calendars since August – relax. Here's a stress-free guide to get-it-right-gifts.
Buy an experience
A voucher for some sort of pampering, be it for an hour, a day or longer, is such an easy gift to get right and yet also appears incredibly thoughtful. A spa day or mini-break is high on every woman's wish list. For information on venues, treatments and offers around the UK, visit eyespa.co.uk or speak to one of their spa booking consultants on +44 (0)8704 113 113.
If you want to impress with one of the big names, you won't go wrong with a gift voucher for Champneys.City spas have burgeoned in the past few years. Particularly noteworthy are Spa NK, in London's Notting Hill, which has a fabulous selection of treatments for women and men, including Eve Lom facials (£115), the blissful Aromatherapy Associates' Rose Facial (£65) and Peter Thomas Roth's Clinical Facials (£95). Call +44 (0)20 8740 2085 for bookings and vouchers or visit spacenk.com.
Also fabulous is Groom, which pioneers treatments with two therapists. The idea is that you can have more done in less time, though treatments never feel rushed. The Weekly Groom Hour consists of a facial, manicure, pedicure and brow tidy and is priced at £105. Men should enjoy the Quick Blitz half Hour (£65) with two therapists – a microdermabrasion facial, which is deeply exfoliating and good if skin looks lack-lustre or you have lots of trapped hairs in the beard area, plus a mini manicure or pedicure, without polish of course. Groom has two smart beauty salons, one in Selfridges and the other in Knightsbridge. For a gift voucher, call +44 (0)20 7499 1199 or visit groomlondon.com.
The Nickel Spa in Covent Garden is just for men and features massages from hot stone to deep tissue, facials from anti-ageing to super-moisturising and a wide variety of waxing in between. Visit nickelspalondon.co.uk.
Say it with scent
Perfume has made a great gift ever since the Three Wise Men appeared with frankincense and myrrh; tree resins were originally used to make incense, but are also prized for their various therapeutic powers.
It can be tricky buying scent for someone else. If you know what fragrance they wear already, a well-trained sales person at a beauty counter should be able to tell you which fragrance family it belongs to, be it orientals, florals, or chypres and your gift recipient should appreciate something that is related ingredient-wise.
Alternatively, a scented body lotion or bath oil (Chanel No 5's is super luxurious and can't fail to please) is a good way to experiment with something new. Likewise, a designer gift set – try Prada, Vera Wang or Molton Brown always looks indulgent.
Always beware celebrity scents and the message they could, unwittingly send. A case in point is Sean Comb's (aka P. Diddy) curiously named Unforgivable, for men. Does giving your loved one a perfume by reality TV's Jade Goody show you have a sense of humour or bad taste? Would the two of you want to be Intimately Beckham? You're on safe ground with Kylie's new scent, Darling, though, because everyone loves her.
Make it a make-up palette
There's something incredibly glamorous about make-up palettes, which all the cosmetic companies produce at Christmas. Some feature lip colours, others eye shadows, while the best feature a mix of both, plus blusher, highlighter and all manner of added extras. The must-haves are Yves Saint Laurent (5), Dior, Bobbi Brown, Estée Lauder, Clinique and Chanel, usually as limited editions, so you need to be quick off the mark.
Stocking fillers
As well as something small and sparkly (diamonds are a girl's best friend after all), little treats to make women happy include: Bobbi Brown's Ruby Nail Shimmer (£6) for the perfect party shade, L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Star Secrets in Penelope Red (£7.99) for a fabulous red lipstick, and L'Occitane's gorgeous solid perfumes.
Lip balms are always appreciated, especially posh ones. Crème de la Mer's The Lip Balm (£35) is special enough to merit its price tag and lasts for ages. Terry Baume de Rose (£29), exclusive to spacenk.com, is similarly covetable. For men, Kiehl's Lip Balm (£10) is masculine and medicinal.
Travel candles make good stocking fillers for frequent travellers and give a more personal feel to hotel rooms. Crabtree & Evelyn's new Winter Birch Fragranced Travel Candles are a good buy.
