Last minute gift ideas for the tricky people in your life

There’s only one thing more difficult than hunting for that perfect outfit, handbag, statement necklace or pair of shoes and that’s buying the perfect gift for someone else - especially when you’ve left the bulk of your present buying till the last week.

Equally, there’s nothing more annoying than receiving an expensive gift that will never see the light of day and knowing you’re stuck with it, when you’re just itching to cash it in and use the money towards that stunning dress you just have to have.

Though it’s tempting to buy for others what you’d really like for yourself, gift buying is about what the recipient will like and get use out of, so try to resist buying accessories you love for someone who never changes their handbag or earrings.

Shopping for the Men in your life can be the most challenging – the older ones will be happy with some new funky pyjamas or a classic but fashionable jumper that can sometimes be found on a good day at Zara, but those at the more choosy end of the spectrum, who insist you shouldn’t shop for them will have to settle for a trendy scarf - even my excessively fussy other half agreed to keep the eye-catching Gant scarf featuring brightly coloured squares I paid a pretty penny for at Selfridges last year, and has since received an inordinate amount of compliments on it. As someone who’s adamant he doesn’t like “boring and dull” (i.e. classic) colours, he also hung on to the multicoloured Paul Smith striped pyjamas which are really way too nice (and expensive) to be confined to just the bedroom…

Teenage girls should appreciate little sets of lip gloss or nail polish that are everywhere this time of year. Primark is great for really cheap sets of coloured varnishes and trendy stretchy belts with big gold clasps that look best on those under 25. They also have cozy leopard print slippers with black satin bows and cute slogan t-shirts and weeny check shorts for sleeping in for just a few pounds so you can afford to be generous. Otherwise I spotted some nifty little rubber digital watches called ‘Rocks Watch’ (www.rockswatch.com) in Fenwick that come in three sizes and a choice of 15 rainbow bright colours for only £10 including delivery if you buy online.

Shopping for Teenage boys can be less straightforward. Last year I did well with some winter M&S hats that they insisted on wearing straight away, though this time I hunted around until I spotted some brightly coloured Star Wars t-shirts I’d be happy to wear myself from H&M.  Hollister is also a good bet if you don’t mind paying more. Otherwise, there are always DVD’s and gift vouchers…

Sisters/in-law can be as easy as buying for yourself or lot more complicated… depending on how fussy they are. Aside from the trusty old pair of pretty pyjamas (you can never have too many), for those who aren’t accessory addicts or lovers of toiletries and are the type to find fault with an objectively pretty item of clothing, there’s always the Ottolenghi cookbook which is full of original recipes accompanied by mouth-watering photos.  For sisters or friends who do like to add to their wardrobe staples, I spied a good selection of belts in Zara, including a black stretch one embellished with this year’s must-have studs and a special and unusual looking feathered belt I managed to resist adding to my own collection, which went down a treat with my sister-in-law.

Mothers/in-law are pretty tricky and what looks like a great present idea can turn out to be less than ideal i.e. the four pairs of ‘right on trend’ extra long black patent leather gloves I snapped up only to realize after I’d distributed them, that although they appeared to look good, even the smallest size was too big for everyone and no one would be wearing them. By the time I got round to taking back my own pair, they’d been reduced to a paltry £3, down from £24. This year, I played it safe and stuck to pretty and useful decorative mirrored little jewellery boxes from M&S. 

Now that this year’s gift buying headache is over, it’s never too soon to start worrying about everyone’s birthdays and what to get them all next year…