How to buy the perfect present

The receiver, rather than the giver, determines the true value of a gift

- PHIL SLADE

It was 9pm, December 24, 2014. I had been working hard in the months leading up to Christmas and had, unfortunately, left the purchase of a gift for my wife to the last minute. Accompanied by an unusually high number of similarly panicked men, I scoured the windows for inspiration. How much something cost was far from my mind, outweighed by the stress of being caught out as a thoughtless and uncaring husband. We were somewhat struggling financially at the time, but no worries. I still had room on the credit card. Future me was nowhere near as important as present me. Two hours until the shops close. What was I going to buy?

I love Christmas, but for many of us it can be financially stressful with all the additional expenses, and it seems to be getting worse for many families. This is confirmed by a 2023 Christmas Report by the global research company Pureprofile, which shows that 65% of Australians are looking to spend less this Christmas.

One of the biggest expenses for many people is gifts. We have many meaningful relationships in our lives that we like to honour with equally meaningful gifts, but often we make the mistake of thinking more meaningful needs to be more expensive.