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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Present advice for SIL please!

6 replies

MamaHobgoblin · 19/10/2008 21:52

She's a bit of a nightmare to buy for. For a start, we have very little in common and I can't really get on her wavelength. For another thing, she (and my brother, and their 6 year old son) live in America, so whatever I get has to be light enough to post, unbreakable and thought of early enough to send! I occasionally get things from her Amazon wishlist, delivered from America, but she hardly ever updates it.

As far as I know, she likes: crime novels and 'true crime' (urk); scented candles (allegedly, but my mother says she doesn't seem to use them); birdfeeders; and (again, allegedly) silver filigree jewellery, but I don't remember seeing her wearing it much.
In the past, I've bought her: a silk nightie; silver jewellery (and made her some too); crime novels off her Amazon list; photo frames; trinket boxes (ugh, but you can see I'm at the end of my tether). She isn't dressy, so scarves, etc are out. She's 45. Any bright ideas?

The thought of christmas is filling me with dread, but I suppose I could lessen its impact by trying not to leave it all to the last minute in the hope it'll go away...

OP posts:
Cies · 19/10/2008 21:56

Ummm, I´m all out of inspiration tonight!

But I don't think it would be a cop out to buy her another book. She obviously likes them. Even if the wish list isn't updated, you could probably find something of that genre by looking in bookshops etc. You might even widen her horizons!

combustiblelemon · 19/10/2008 22:21

Remember Amazon does a lot more than books. I love this birdfeeder. The link is to amazon's US site, which should deliver directly to her.

There are a huge range of candles and bird feeders on there.

dizzywitches · 19/10/2008 22:22

I was the same with my SIL, well, more to the point she's never happy so I gave up trying to please

since having kids I suggested we just buy for them and cut out the adult presents - would that work?

combustiblelemon · 19/10/2008 22:22

This is a better picture from a UK site.

MamaHobgoblin · 19/10/2008 22:25

Cies - I do sometimes get her a book I've loved, but I just don't know if it strikes home. My mother's another crime fiction person, so she's usually the one to get other crime books. But yes, I'll have a trawl through the bookshops!

Combustiblelemon - that's a beautiful thing! She's in Nevada, they get hummingbirds and most of hers are nectar feeders for them, so a different sort might work... Thanks!

OP posts:
mavornia · 20/10/2008 10:38

What about putting the follwing in a little box with tissue paper with a note "things to comfort and cheer":

bedsocks (cashmere lovely but expensive, M&S do fab ones that feel like a hug for your feet and look lovely too - they have them in the per una section as well as the nderwear dept.) I love them for curling up in a chair and reading

Everything I've Ever Done that Worked by Lesley Garner - beautiful little book, not really "self-help", everyone I've given it to has loved it

Burt's Bees or L'occitane handcream (just a small tube)

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