What to give a car owner, and not only a car owner

Looking at the calendar, you sometimes wonder how many holidays we actually have in a year: red dates, not counting weekends, there are plenty. Every holiday calls for a gift — that's how it's been for ages. And yet, how original and interesting it would be to give someone a gift with no occasion at all, just because. And it doesn't really matter what it is: tickets to the Bolshoi Theatre or a modest souvenir.

A gift symbolises not just the time or the sum of money you're willing to spend on congratulating a particular person — it also symbolises your wish to give them a surprise. So thinking about what to give this or that person you know should start with what they're interested in in life, what their hobbies are. Sociology shows that most car owners treat their cars almost like a member of the family, setting them apart from all the other equipment they also use every day.

So if the intended recipient of your gift owns a car, there's a very good chance that motoring is one of their hobbies, and if nothing better comes to mind, feel free to look at car accessories, of which there's now an endless supply on the market, for any taste and any budget.

What could that be? Just about anything, from a branded umbrella with the car manufacturer's emblem (things like that are sold at official dealerships) to a key fob shaped like the car maker's gold (or even platinum) emblem (sold at jewellery shops). Either way, a gift like this quietly underlines that you spent some time searching for and choosing something just for this person.

Without exception, everyone remembers hearing from their parents as a child that the best gift is one made by hand. And why is that? It's because such gifts carry the giver's warm energy and keep the warmth of their hands. And joy given from a sincere heart always comes back tenfold. What's more, in making these gifts we express ourselves through creativity.

All children adore soft toys. But the prices in shops can be steep, and nothing quite feels right anyway. The solution then is to sew a toy yourself. If you know how to hold a needle and thread, making gifts like this won't be a problem — there are plenty of patterns and instructions to be found nowadays. And if a trip to the circus is out of your budget today, a cheerful clown stitched together from scraps of fabric will come to the rescue.

Besides rattles and soft toys for beloved children, a gift for any home can be rugs, blankets or curtains, made with patience and love out of small scraps of fabric.

You can knit a scarf or a sweater for your loved one — it's bound to become the favourite item in his wardrobe. Girlfriends can be given charming embroidered cards. Embroidering on cardstock is convenient, since it doesn't bend or slip. A gift like that will surely be remembered among the countless template-printed cards given “just to check a box.”

Handmade gifts can also be made of papier-mâché (which is how the French described torn paper). It's very simple, but requires care and patience. Some shape gets covered in several layers of small pieces of soft paper. That way, even a plain vase for a dried-flower arrangement can be turned into a real masterpiece.

In short, anything at hand will do for gifts like these. Even salt dough can find a use. You can sculpt figurines from it, and even create bas-reliefs. For instance, by gluing burlap onto cardboard, then adding a few painted relief figures on top and putting the result in a wooden frame, you get a wonderful and unusual picture. And a gift like that doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate to always be original and one of a kind. And the people you give such gifts to will understand that a lot of time, ideas and effort went into thinking it through and making it. After all, how pleasant it is when someone gives us their time! So make warm gifts for your family and friends, and share happiness and warmth with them.