The process of buying Christmas gifts for the ladies is a process some people enjoy because they love to watch the happiness it brings to the recipient of the gift. But other people do not enjoy it as much because there are so many factors to put in place before buying the ‘perfect’ gift. What if she doesn’t like it? What if she thinks it’s too basic? What if it’s not even her style? Or worse, what if she pretends to like it but dumps it in that part of her closet where she puts things she will never use again?

One solution to avoid buying her something she probably won’t use is to ask her friend for suggestions. However, this is often seen as a lazy way to get someone a gift. After all, you did not do all the dirty work of searching for something cute for her. This short-cut is only acceptable in the early stages of your relationship. At that point, you don’t know her that well, so you can ‘cheat’ on gift giving. But if you’ve been together a while, she’s likely to be upset that you couldn’t figure out what she likes.

The other solution would be to get her a Christmas gift basket with a compilation of various small gifts, each signifying its own importance. Anyone would feel pampered upon receiving this, especially during the holidays. The Moet Christmas Gift Hampers would be suitable for someone who loves a good French bubbly. This hamper has over 1400 grams of goodies ranging from Baylies dark chocolate and Belgian rum to soft honey nougat with macadamias. This would be an excellent idea for your wife. It’ll help soothe her is she feels you spend too much time at work and forget to set aside time for the holidays.

Christmas is often a time to reconnect. Maybe it’s that college roommate who went overseas for a lucrative job. You haven’t seen her in years, so you’re not sure what she’s like, or what she’d like. Rather than scouring her Facebook page to see what her tastes are like, you can indulge in a touch of nostalgia. She may have grown up, but she’s still your college buddy at heart.

Put together a gift hamper that has a bottle of her favourite college perfume. Throw in a six-pack of the beer you drank in college, or a few bottles of that cheap wine you used to get from the local store on Friday nights. Now add some CDs from your favourite band back then, and the top ten movies from your freshman year as a box set. Finish off with your college hoodie or team jersey. Set aside an evening to hang out and immerse yourselves in the good old days, letting her know there’s one space in the world that still feels like college.

Of course, Christmas presents don’t have to be tangible. If you’ve been working away from home all year and all you want is some quality time with mum, you could gift her (and yourself) a mother-daughter spa day. Spend the day being pampered as you relax, unwind, and catch up on your time apart. If you’re up to it, you can even stretch your spa excursion into a weekend away. Spas often give you branded hampers to remind of the lovely experience, so you’re sorted.

Sometimes, that spa getaway is a bit beyond your end-year budget, so why not create a spa at home and invite all the girls? It’s not that hard to do, and the homey, personal touch could end up being more memorable than anything you could buy at the store. Of course, you’ll still have to buy a few spa basics. Scented candles work well, though if you’re having a lot of female friends and relatives over, you could turn this into a fun spa prep and make your own candles at home. There are lots of YouTube tutorials to guide you, and it’s far more affordable.

Get everyone a cosy bathrobe, light the home-scented candles, decorate the room with soft lighting and flower petals, and indulge yourselves in soothing music, good conversation, and beauty treatments concocted from kitchen ingredients. Make a little gift bag for everyone, containing your home-crafted scents and household spa trinkets. It will be a grand Christmas memory for everyone.