The Top Three Best Christmas Presents To Give Your Friends And Family

I’m at Radio Verulam today with the gorgeous Danny Smith on his Drive Time show.
(want to listen to my dulcet tones -it’s available for a week here)

So apart from David Tennant wrapped in a bow, what are the best presents that you can give to your loved ones?

It’s tricky isn’t it!

Last year I gave you:

Practical tips on how to know what your loved ones would actually love to receive.

How to afford presents for your children at Christmas.

Plus most importantly the ‘Top 7 Tips On How To Deal With Stressful People At Christmas’!

And a warning about refunds policies.

 

Today I’m going to tell you without doubt the THREE BEST PRESENTS EVER!

 

1) Make Someone Feel Special

Make some one feel you really care, that they are really special and that they really mean something to you.

You can’t buy this.

This means, time, eye contact and no phone/social media.

Listen to them.  Ask them questions.  Find out about what’s going on in their lives, what makes them tick, what they are worried about and what they love.

Don’t look over their shoulder at ‘that other thing that caught your eye’.

Make them feel like they are important, so that they can go out into the world knowing that someone cared.

It doesn’t have to be a whole day, just 30mins can do it.

Pick your family first, then your friends, then maybe someone else – maybe there is an elderly person that needs a little bit of attention right now, or a young child that could do with a chat?

Maybe it’s someone you work with or a client/customer?

That can make a HUGE difference in someone’s day/week and will pay you dividends in happier relationships and successful businesses.

 

2) Give Something To Someone In Need

It can get really overwhelming can’t it?  There is Children in need, the Phillipines and a news packed full of people struggling to make ends meet.

Don’t try to help the whole world or get yourself into debt.

Instead decide on what you can afford to do time/money wise and then go and do it.  Then feel good about yourself that you made a little difference.

Maybe it’s a donation, or a clear out of your cupboards for the charity shop?  Maybe you could get involved and volunteer some time with a local charity?

At my new business Espiritu Salon and Spa (up at Battlers Green Farm in Radlett) I knew that we were going to have a Christmas tree.  But I wanted to do something more worthwhile with it.  So we phoned around and were really chuffed when Homestart in Watford said that they could do with some help.  We are collecting presents for them – so if you are local to me, check out this blog post for more information on how you can get involved.

Doing something like this is great for a team or wonderful for a family to get together to do.

Because a lot of little differences together make a HUGE difference in someone’s day/week and improves your self-esteem and feelings of purpose.

 

3) Take Care Of Yourself

When you take care of yourself, you are more relaxed, happy and fun to be around.  That is so much lovelier than a stressed out person who has managed to do a pile of To Do’s from a list that probably wasn’t that important after all.  Not really important when you think about life, memories, and how sometimes we only have a short time with people.

It doesn’t have to be doing something pampering like your hair, beauty or a relaxing therapy treatment (see how I threw that in there so subtly – btw we have some great presents too if you are struggling to buy something for aunty/grandma/your wife), it could be a walk, or a bath with a few candles or 1hr to read a book snuggled in bed.  Whatever helps you to feel revitalised, even if for just a short time.

Make the most of your life.

Let people make the most of you because you are at your best.

Don’t let fear get the better of you and ruin what you have got.  Instead, count your blessings and be grateful for the simple things in life.

Be you, because you can make a HUGE difference in someone’s day/week, but when you are only letting yourself be half of you, you can’t make as much of a difference.

 

Hope you love my present ideas!

What are your favourite presents?