Dan's Blogvent Calendar - December 9th

Buying gifts for family is a nightmare.

I thought seeking out presents for my friends would be difficult, and to an extent it was, but I found that potential ideas came much more easily there. We're friends for a reason - we know each other well, we have similar likes and dislikes (to an extent), and that's an advantage when it comes to looking for things to get them. I can source gifts that represent the common ground we share, safe in the knowledge that if I'd be happy to receive them, chances are my friends will be too. Hell, half the presents sitting wrapped up in the corner of my room with friends' names on them are things that I'm tempted to tear the wrapping off and claim as my own. I won't, of course (time for giving, and all that), but it serves to illustrate my point - people you know well are actually pretty easy to buy for.

Based on this logic, you'd think that family would be even easier to buy for. Especially my immediate family - these are the people I've been in the more-or-less constant company of for pretty much my whole life. But when it comes to searching for the 'perfect present' for my parents and sisters, I hit a complete mental block. Sure, I know these people, but we lack those common interests that make buying for friends that little bit easier. For example, my mother loves to read, but I never know what kind of book she's looking to pick up next. My youngest sister watches a lot of TV and movies, but her DVD collection is so extensive and kept ritualistically current that I doubt there are any gaps I could fill in. My other sister, the middle child of us three, has said she would like 'a nice bath set', but as a clueless bloke I have no idea which bath sets qualify as 'nice'. Even my two-month-old niece, whose only immediate desire is to be kept out of soiled nappies and topped-up with formula milk, is proving difficult to buy for.

Easily the most problematic proposition this year is finding a gift for my father. I know him fairly well, I'd like to think - I know what kind of books he likes (historical non-fiction and sporting biographies), what TV programmes he watches (Spartacus, Band of Brothers and Ice Road Truckers are his favourites), what music he likes to listen to (The Who, The Jam, Madness, and *ugh* Adele), and how he likes to pass his free time (playing darts in the winter and cricket in the summer). But despite this fairly comprehensive knowledge of his preferences, he's impossible to buy for. In recent years I've bought him books, DVDs, music albums and clothing, none of which have seen the light of day since they were given. The impossibility of buying for my dad has even started to manifest itself physically in a cupboard in the dining room, a shrine built of holiday gifts left to gather dust without ever being sampled. This year I'm determined to make sure my gift doesn't end up on that pile, but that determination only serves to make the act of choosing a gift to give him even harder.

Christmas is a time when families are supposed to feel closer to each other. It's a little ironic that it's one of the times of year when I feel most distant from my own, purely off the back of this ridiculous desire to present everyone close to me with their own personal Holy Grail. If this goes on much longer, I may just give in, take the easy way out and put some money in their Christmas cards instead. Thanks for reading guys, take care and I'll see you around.

Dan

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Currently playing - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)