The Perfect Present
Amy knew how to get what she wanted…
Short story by Linda Lewis
Amy loved buying Christmas presents for her family and friends but she liked to get it right — that’s why she started hunting for presents in October.
Some people were easy to buy for. Her sister loved Chanel No 5 in any shape or form and her brother liked book tokens so that he could spend hours browsing in his favourite store.
Now Amy only needed to find one more present and it would be over for another year, but it was proving difficult. It needed to be something special, otherwise Gavin would be disappointed.
In the end, she decided to wander round the shops in the hope that something suitable might catch her eye, but so far that hadn’t worked. After two hours, her feet had started to ache so she headed to her favourite café for a bite to eat.
Olivia was sitting at a table in the window, surrounded by bulging carrier bags. Maybe her friend could help Amy think of a suitable present.
She bought herself a coffee and a slice of lemon drizzle and went over to her. ‘Mind if I join you?’
Olivia shifted three bags from the nearest seat. ‘Help yourself. Don’t tell me you’re Christmas shopping! I thought you’d finished yours weeks ago.’
Amy nodded. ‘I’ve done most of it. All I need is one more present but it needs to be something special.’ She explained the problem.
Olivia thought for a few moments. ‘I know. How about a pampering day at a spa? If you bought a joint ticket, you could both go.’
‘I’m not even sure what that means,’ admitted Amy.
‘It’s exactly what it says on the tin — facials, sauna, hot stone massage, pedicure, anything you like.’
‘Yuck. It sounds ghastly,’ said Amy.
Olivia chuckled. ‘I wonder how we’ve managed to remain friends for so long, we’re so different. What about one of those experience days?’
‘You mean where you
‘All I need is one more present but it needs to be something special’
jump out of an aeroplane or abseil down a cliff?’
‘Yes, I gave one to my brother when he turned 50. He spent the day at Silverstone, got to drive a racing car. He loved it.’
Olivia must have noticed the expression on Amy’s face, because she smiled. ‘It doesn’t have to be something exciting or scary. Let me show you.’ She picked up her phone and pulled up the site. ‘Have a browse.’
‘Wow,’ said Amy. ‘There’s photography, pottery… I had no idea there was so much choice.’
Two minutes later, Amy sat back with a smile. ‘There, that’s done. Thanks, Olivia. I’m so glad we bumped into each other. Let’s have some cake to celebrate.’
On Christmas Day, Amy’s house was full to bursting with aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces, parents and in-laws. After eating their fill, they sat in the front room, then Gavin pulled the sack out from under the tree.
‘Right, everyone. The moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to open the presents.’
As her husband handed out the gifts, Amy couldn’t stop smiling. She loved to see the delight on people’s faces when they opened their packages. It made all the effort worthwhile.
After handing them all out, Gavin handed Amy an envelope. ‘Last but not least, this one’s for my wonderful wife. Happy Christmas, darling.‘
‘I hope you haven’t bought her a book token,’ his sister hissed.
Gavin ignored her. ‘What do you think, Amy? Do you like it?’
As Amy opened the envelope, she grinned. A day learning how to make candles, followed by an evening at the theatre. ‘It’s perfect. Thank you so much, darling,’ she said as she ran over and gave him a big kiss.
When it came to buying presents, Gavin was worse than useless. It didn’t matter how many hints she dropped, he always bought the wrong thing. The final straw came when he gave his mother a set of saucepans for her 70th birthday.
It was their secret, but these days, Amy chose all his gifts, even her own. All Gavin had to do was pay for them.