Forum 4 Shopping: What i want 4 Christmas is "YOU"

Anticipating Christmas..

Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a widely observed holiday, celebrated generally on December 25 by billions of people around the world. But over the years, we have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. It has become another commercial event where vendors emerge with different marketing gimmicks for consumers to part with their hard-earned money. Let there be no doubt about it -- I love shopping for Christmas gifts. But let’s take a good two minutes (or more) to remember the real meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is when Christians celebrate the birth of the Christ child. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. And Jesus was born so one day the price could be paid for the things we have done that are wrong. Jesus came so He could die on the cross for ALL of our sins. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we can ask Him to come into our hearts and forgive us. Then, we are clean and made whole. We can know that heaven is a place where we can go to when this life is over.

Christmas is always my favorite festival and i cannot wait for this year's Christmas to come because Mr Guan and i will be celebrating our 2nd year wedding anniversary at St Regis! Christmas to me it’s also a time to love and share. I have spent two white Christmases before - one in 2010 in NYC and one in 2011 in Utah. A white Christmas is indeed a very magical experience but this year I am choosing to spend this special time of year on this tropical island where all my friends are. So dear friends, I will be staying in Singapore this Christmas! Be prepared to EAT, DRINK, TAKE PHOTOS AND BE MERRY!

Confirmed schedule as follows:

28 Nov - Celeste, Gwen & Alvin
1 Dec - Angela's house warming party cum Christmas with Hsinghui
19 Dec - Hweehong, Angla Chong and Sophia Peh
21 Dec - Lynda, Huifan, Diane & Andrea
22 Dec/23 Dec - Batam Getaway with my girls

Apart from all the Christmas dining, shopping for suitable gifts may also be challenging. The key word here is “suitable”. I have a little habit that I would like to confess. Instead of buying Christmas gift at the eleventh hour or hogging the wagon in the malls, I buy my gifts way in advance, on a day to day basis. I bought 2 gifts for Liting at one go in 2010 in NYC. I have already given one to her for her birthday while the other one will be her present this coming Christmas. For Mako, Angela & hsinghai’s Christmas gifts, I picked up items from the Takashimaya sale this year. While waiting for a dinner reservation some time back, I spotted something for Pik Ling from Tiffany & Co. These are just among many other gifts I’ve already prepared for other occasions and friends.

But Mr. Guan doesn’t understand the rationale. He always tells me, “Why do you want to get your money stuck for two years? Why do you want to spend now and not later?”. But for me if an item goes on sale and I buy it at 50% off, I save 50%! Isn’t this a good deal??

Thoughtful Presents (so I thought =) )

Stop it with the toiletries set and the hand lotions. Your friends would probably still have 10 tubes of hand cream left over from last Christmas.

The IN gifts to give are ….

Yankee Candle – Not only will the house smell extremely nice but it also adds to creating an ambience. Price ranges from $9.90 for a car diffuser to $49.90 for a single wick candle that can burn up to 150 hrs.

1 Kim Seng Promenade

Great World City

#03-33

Rowntrees candies $3.90 each – made in UK, 25% of real fruit juice is squeezed into the sweets. Available at Watson and Cold storage.

Shawls & Scarves – For this season, scarves is a must buy. And the best thing about buying scarves is that almost every single fashion retailer sells scarves. So you can choose the brands and designs according to the budget you have. Some of my choices will be Zara, Dorothy Perkins and, if your budget runs high, Louis Vuitton, YSL and Alexander McQueen.

Cooking utensils for friends who like to cook or bake.

Lemon Zest

43 Jalan Mera Saga

Chip Bee Garden

#01-80

http://www.lemonzestlife.com/

Movie Vouchers – I love receiving movie vouchers, especially the Gold Class from GV, Platinum suites from Cathay and Premier from Shaw. This is definitely a gift for everyone of all races and ages.

ASOS – I love shopping on ASOS for presents. There is surely something for everyone. From accessories to t-shirts to hats and party dresses. To top it off they offer FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE. As it typically takes 10 working days for orders to arrive, you have to start shopping now!

www.asos.com

Smaller Budget

If you want something small for everyone, handmade gifts are the best. Some suggestions are homemade cookies with names or tiramisu in a jar. Simple recipes can be found online. If the recipient is someone close to you, personalized calendars or cute socks are also very good options.