After struggling with another year of budget-busting inflation, we’re more likely to give each other things we actually need this Christmas, according to a professional gift picker.
Lizzie Scholes, 28, works for a corporate gifting company in the United Kingdom, selecting the ideal presents for clients.
And with present-wrapping season in full swing, Scholes told SNWS she’s seeing people change their priorities dramatically, placing practical gifts at the top of their lists, rather than frivolous baubles that will end up collecting dust — if they don’t end up straight in the trash.
A desire to reduce waste — along with lighter wallets — could be leading to changing priorities, Scholes said.
She expects to see more “helping hand” gifts — food baskets, prepared food subscription services, or even free visits from a landscaper, which could be a lifeline to someone struggling to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.
Scholes, head of gifting at Needi.com, said:
“The big component for me is finding things people actually want, and what they need.
“2023 is the year of buying things people need.
“Economically people don’t have as much to spend, so helping hand gifts are good too.
“The biggest trend I’ve seen this year is giving someone something with a purpose they’ll actually use.
“Once when I had just had a baby, someone gifted me a visit from a cleaner. It was the best gift I ever got.”
Not that small, charming, personalized gifts won’t be appreciated, a journal or diary with someone’s name on it, for example.
The trick, Scholes said, is bringing together what someone might “actually need” with what can give the receiver “a pick me up.”
“Our way of gifting is moving away from generic brands and trends, to more thoughtful and sentimental gifts,” she said.
“That’s what we want to change in this gifting industry.
“There’s no point getting someone something that’s on trend if they won’t actually like it.
“It’s about finding something that will make that person happy and gives them that little bit of joy.”
