Received Fri, 24 Nov 2006 06:20:27 PHT

Selecting Christmas gifts - how to select Christmas gifts and what Christmas gifts to avoid

What Christmas gifts to buy and what to avoid - here a brief Christmas shopping guide.

For most it's already Christmas shopping time
even though the most valuable Christmas gifts are priceless and never can be purchased, Billions of $ may be spent during coming weeks for Christmas gifts.

Hence if you really want to buy a gift for a loved one, you should seriously consider some of the below points in selecting the right gift to avoid later disappointment.

There are items of very personal nature - these items are either carried on body or used by he body, hence such items always should be selected by the person directly. Here a few such items that you ONLY and strictly should purchase in the presence of the recipient of your gift:

SCUBA equipment
skying equipment
water ski equipment
para-sailing equipment
tennis racket
golf equipment
bicycle
and any other equipment that is used on the body.

let me explain a little:

above and other of similar kind needs either a very precise fit in size, weight, form, shape, material or other criteria. such equipment has a direct effect on the wellbeing of a person as well as on his health. a mismatching piece of sports or recreation equipment can be hazardous to his wellbeing and thus to his level of comfort and finally hamper his safety or health.

example tennis racket:
size of grip, material of handle, weight, size of racket head, tension of strings and many other factors are of very personal preferences and need to be matched perfectly for a player to really feel comfortable. a mismatch in tennis racket could in the worst of all cases lead to "tennis-elbow" a painful condition of wear and tear of a tennis players elbow.

ski - water or snow ski
length, and all other factors of a pair of ski needs to fit the body size, skiing experience, type of skiing preferred and many other factors and preferences to be of ideal safety and comfort.

SCUBA equipment
needs to perfectly fit to body, in size, material and technology SCUBA equipment is directly responsible for safety, comfort and life of a SCUBA diver.

these are but a few examples
most or all of above equipment needs to be tested on body, worn, or even test used. some equipment is available for rent - and for example a diver may test a few different models of equipment to make up his mind and gain experience in selecting the best choice for his personal style of usage.

the same may apply for all other equipment such as golf, tennis, mountain bike, ski, water ski and others. all such equipment usually is available for rent before purchase.

keep in mind that a gift to a loved one is something very special for the recipient. having received a gift FROM a loved one usually creates kind of an obligation to wear that piece of equipment even it fits less ideal or terribly.

so what to do if you still want to purchase such a gift for a loved one ?

invite that person NOW for a dinner, movie or whatever reason in disguise of your true intention. then go shopping by strolling by a few select shops you have researched before. while walking by these stores - watch your friends reaction to particular equipment, look where he / she stops and studies the offers and variety of equipment.

if you are sure he / she wants the kind of equipment you have in mind - then bring him into one such store with a wide selection of equipment models on stock and admit to your friend that you NOW plan to make him a gift of HIS choice of a particular equipment. every day is Christmas day and it is far better to purchase such delicate pieces together with the person who actually is using it than to make mistakes that last for many years creating a degree of discomfort rather than pure pleasure and fun.

select by quality and safety of equipment and never by price. malfunctioning or mal-fitting equipment can hamper the safety of a user as much as his health and wellbeing / comfort. sport equipment however is expected to create fun, improve health and just be part of leisure time rather than a source of stress and frustration.

every day is Christmas day - a day for a loving surprise
the advantage of making such Christmas gifts a few days or weeks before actual Christmas eve gives you the freedom and piece on actual Christmas eve for the real Christmas - Christmas in our hearts.

Love and bliss

hans