What follows are gifts ideal for people to whom you don't feel particularly close, but are obligated to acknowledge. And also people who you like lots, but are too poor generally to be all extravagant and that jazz. I have been accused of populating these lists (I say "lists" because I have a whole series planned out) with items that I like. To which I reply, shut up Rob, I never give things that I don't like myself, so in that sense I'm actually being extremely caring and sharing. Etc.

Let us begin. And yes, most of these are lady presents, because I am a lady, and that's how I roll.

• From Kikki-K the Vastkust 2010 diary, $29.95. Until I got an iPhone and became dependent on iCal, I was addicted to diaries. The thought and planning involved in each year's purchase was serious business and so I don't take this recommendation lightly. But you know, it's blue, which is good. And it's from Kikki-K, which obviously is even better. Plus it's week-to-a-page, which is really the best way to go. I used to be a day-to-a-page person until I realised that when you're dealing with high quality pages and leather binding, day-to-a-page equates to a 3kg brick in your bag each day. Also, it's called Vastkust; that means west coast in Swedish, so for novelty value alone this diary wins in its own right.

• An almost identical option along the same vein is the Cykel photo album, also from Kikki-K, $19.95. It's supposed to be good for the young at heart. That's people like me who are juvenile but somehow manage to keep people fooled. The album isn't really my first preference, I quite like the blue 4x6 cloth brag book, which is also $19.95, but I feel that the cykel has greater present potential because it has some stickers inclued. I'm all about the added extras. I could also launch into a story here about my beloved orange cykel from Sweden, that was a composite constructed from multiple parts of other cykels, but I'll spare you the details. Anyway, the great benefit of this album is its price (same with the brag book I might add), because that means we can add a few extras and still come in under budget. I think the 4-pack of coloured, matching cykel gel pens is just the order, for $9.95.

 

• Moving away from Kikki-K (it had to be done, although it's probably going to reappear down the line....), the most delicious smelling candle in existence. The sweet pea & jasmine soy wax candle by Ecoya is, I swear to god, the best smelling candle around. Buy the one in the jar, $29.95, because it burns for 50 hours, and then the purty jar will look nice with other purty things in it. I'm not going to lie to you, the other flavours smell nice and all, but sweet pea and jasmine is the best. That is all.

• For someone who likes taking pictures, these tripods are awesomes. You can put them anywhere. Well not like...anywhere... but each to their own. If I were buying for someone with a compact point-and-shoot I'd go for the Monkey Grip Flexi, $19.95, and get them 10 bucks worth of printing too. Not sure of the logistics of this idea exactly, but Big W Photo uses Fuji paper stocks, and their 6x4 prints are only 15 cents each. So that's about 60 prints for 10 dollars, which ain't too shabby. I've printed there before, large sizes too, and the quality was better than some I've had done at a camera store.

 

• I used to love the smell of all the L'Occitane lemon verbena products, but when I worked at Myer, they used it in the liquid soap dispensers in the bathrooms. As a result, I no longer love the smell of any of the L'Occitane lemon verbena products. In fact, after an unfortunate encounter in Gardemoen Airport duty-free with the eau de toilette of their other fragrance ranges, I discovered not only that I don't particularly care for the smell of any of them, but also that said fragrances are extremely persistent when it comes to my skin and their staying power. That said, I am a fan of lovely things that smell lovely and I don't think you can go past any of the body products in Crabtree & Evelyn's La Source range. A testament to this is the fact that we sold it in another place I worked, and it was the only thing I was ever tempted to shoplift (note that I didn't, since I don't do that kind of shit, but the thought was there...). I think that it would work also for a man of the metro persuasion, since it's not particularly feminine, but obviously one must judge such things on a case-by-case basis. I think the relaxing body lotion, $26.95, is the way to go.