JO SEAGAR’S present guide

These clever ideas for the hard-to-buy-for will make sure you’re not doing a panic dash to the shopping mall on Christmas Eve.

Everyone has a “hard to buy for” list when doing their Christmas shopping. I love finding that perfect gift – it’s so satisfying when you get it just right – but it’s not always easy, and staying within budget can also be a challenge.

I think the secret is to be one of those fabulously organised people who purchase little bits and bobs all year round for the prezzie drawer. They’ve bought everything by August and wrapped it in September. Well, it’s a grand idea and a model that I’m aspiring to but, at 63, I still haven’t quite sussed it yet.

However, in my handy little Christmas notebook I have written down good present ideas to help with the age-old dilemma of what to buy for those tricky people on my list, and I’m happy to share this with you.

Do you have a difficult-to-find-theperfect-gift-for uncle or granddad on your list? Here’s my clever solution: I’ve purchased repair kits for glasses (as in reading spectacles), containing tiny screwdrivers and replacement screws and those little nosepad thingies, plus cleaning cloth and sachets of glass-cleaner wipes. These are always enthusiastically received and only cost about $10.

Teenage boys are often tricky to buy for but the answer for them is a really good-quality, designed-to-last-alifetime can opener! And, for a bit of fun, throw in a couple of big cans of baked beans. My second choice for all teenagers, boys and girls, is a set of jumper leads to keep in their car.

Brothers and brothers-in-law are in for my summer T-shirt special. I buy nice-quality, plain cotton T-shirts and have slogans or quirky sayings printed on them. This year’s two winning mottos are: “I put the pro in procrastinate” and “In my defence I was left unsupervised”.

Having name and address stickers (or if you think they’ll use it, stationery) printed is a thoughtful gift and especially useful for school-age children where every shoe and lunch box or pencil case has to be named. Iron-on clothing name labels are particularly useful.

I’m always on the lookout on my travels for clever but economical gift ideas. When I was in a big music store in London I found a cool stapler-like punch that allows you to press out guitar picks from old credit cards. You can buy these online and they’re the perfect gift for muso kids and adults.

A little cooling fan that fits into your smartphone is a great cheap-but-clever gift for travellers, particularly useful for places like Dubai or Singapore in the hot season. Luggage tags are always a welcome gift and for only a few dollars extra you can have them monogrammed or printed with a slogan such as, “This is not your bag okay!”

Children and teenagers appreciate real tools and kitchen equipment and you can start a collection of these any time. Everyone needs a Phillips-head screwdriver and a good spatula or frying pan.

A little cutting board and knife to do the lemon slices on a drinks tray is a good gift. Add some bottles of the new fancy tonic waters or a bag of lemons or maybe even the bottle of gin.

When it comes to my grandsons’ presents, I’m using an age-old formula that is always good advice:

Something they want – this year it’s strap-on heel wheels for their shoes. Better than those built-in ones because you can take them off when Granny’s had enough of that game up and down the supermarket aisles.

Something they need – new safetyapproved bike helmets.

Something to wear – togs, rash vests and a sunblock nose stick each.

Something to read – this year I’ve chosen Aotearoa by Gavin Bishop, and Hero of the Sea by David Hill, about the adventures of Sir Peter Blake.

Hopefully that’s my list all ticked off and I won’t be doing any last-minute mad dashes through the shopping mall. I will be wrapped and ready early, leaving plenty of time for treasuring the gift of memory making. I’ll be enticing those little grandsons to get caught up in the fun, the music and the magic of this special time of year, but also encouraging them to grasp the deeper meaning of Christmas as a time to give as well as to receive.

Eat drink and be merry my friends and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

“Children and teenagers appreciate real tools and kitchen equipment.”