By Ali del Rosario-Almeida

It is the season of giving!  Everything about this season is so thrilling especially when you know that the gifts you will be giving are things your loved ones will truly treasure and appreciate. You can give a really special gift that will bring happiness and joy to your loved ones that would not require you to break the bank. The secret is to making sure you buy them at stores that offer really reasonable prices.  And what better way to shop than to shop online? This saves you the time and the effort!

Laptops designed for women are a real hit, especially now at this day and age.  It will be highly appreciated by women, young and old. The Dell team has come up with a really feminine design donned with peonies on the outside. It only weighs 2.4 lbs. so it is easy to bring anywhere, and it comes with an almost full-sized keypad, 500 gigabytes, and a webcam all for only £588.  It comes in purple, pink or many other wonderful colours.  Get it here from Dell.  If the laptop is too much for you or your loved one has a stylish laptop already, you can opt to buy fashionable laptop bags or skins from Laptopstuff.co.uk . The skins are prized at £16.99 and the bags are prized from £31 to £155. There are so many designs to choose from to match the personality of your loved one.

Chic mobile phones are also a great idea.  Mobile phone companies come up with new designs and more features very often so you are sure to give something new and exiting. The Samsung Jet has a clear 3.1 inch touch screen display, 5.0 Megapixel Camera with additional digital camera features, DVD like recorder, a powerful application processor and sleek design for £199 for a prepaid plan.  Check out the Samsung Jet and the affordable post paid plans with Vodaphone, T-Mobile, Orange and 3. You can get the Samsung jet in Lilac only here for £199   

Giving jewellery shows the classy and tasteful preferences of the giver.  And it also insinuates that the person who is given the jewellery is valued by the giver immensely.  Statement rings are very popular this season and the popularity will surely continue on. At QVC you will find a variety of jewelry for sale in much lower prices, just in time for the Christmas season.   The Rose Statement Ring Sterling Silver is very lovely at a promotion price of £31.36 .  The Black Titanium Diamond Set 6mm Ring looks masculine but it makes for a great statement ring for £79.99 from http://www.hsamuel.co.uk.   But a more dainty choice would be the 9 ct white gold diamond locket for £80 from http://www.ernestjones.co.uk. This piece is timeless and unlike the statement rings, it could be worn on more occasions. 

As with fine jewelry, giving watches gives the impression of class and good taste. The Gucci 112 Twirl Series is so timely for the holidays and will be perfect to wear on other special occasions throughout the year.  For £1975 including vat, you may expect a free next day delivery from from here.

Women are always big fans of bags and purses, may they be designer or not.  Your loved one will surely love this black Bottega Veneta Ebano paillette-embellished hobo bag from Net a Porter.  At a price of £2,380 you are sure to give the best quality investment bag.  You may also opt for a classy chain handle quilted bag from here for only £35.00

            Scarves are one of the best and trusty accessories for women young and old.  Scarves can transform any outfit and add sophistication to it.  Scarves can be worn with jeans and a t-shirt paired even with sneakers or with a skirt suit or pant suit to complete a work outfit. For as low as £7.99 you can get a nice design from http://www.scarfworld.com/.

            Best selling books are a great option as well. They are timeless and if you get one that is within the interest of your loved one, your gift will be highly appreciated for sure.  http://www.amazon.co.uk has a general selection of books for women from fashion, health, diet and food, decorum and guides to dealing with life in general. The Fabulous Girl’s Guide to Life is on a discounted price of £6.03 here, it discusses how to handle career conflicts, relationship problems in marriage and in friendship, family feuds, dieting, decorum, fashion and almost everything that we encounter in life. The book is another great work from Kim Izzo and Ceri Marsh, both were also the authors of The Fabulous Girl’s Guide to Decorum and The Fabulous Girl’s Guide to Grace Under Pressure.   

            The trend for coats and jackets has been very much updated this season.  The jackets are inspired by motorcycle riders such as cropped biker jackets and even bomber jackets and these are mostly in leather material.  Get this leather biker jacket at http://www.newlook.co.uk for £100, it is also available in color red.  At the same site you can get this animal jacquard coat for only £35 here. If your loved one is an advocate of veganism, meaning she refuses to wear or use anything from animals aside from maintaining a vegetarian diet, then you must checkout http://www.faux.uk.com/ for faux alternatives like this coat for £125  same as worn by Kate Moss in the picture.

Magazine subscriptions are also great gifts, but it would be good to include a little token gift and it is okay for it to be really inexpensive. Inexpensive but meaningful tokens can be found at http://www.giftshop.cancerresearchuk.org/.  It can be used when getting a supermarket trolley, and there is a need for a pound coin for the slot. Its metal clip can be attached to bag handles, key rings and the token for gym lockers. This token gift would compensate for what they won’t be getting their hands on, on Christmas day for only £0.99. What is good about a magazine subscription is your loved one will be receiving a gift from you every month of the year.  You will find a wide variety of magazines at http://www.magazine-group.co.uk to subscribe to British Vogue at a discounted price of £29 from the original subscription price of £46.80. And find more magazine choices at http://www.subscription.co.uk/ where you can subscribe a year’s worth of Good House Keeping for £39.60 and Harper’s Bazaar for only £45.60.

You may also give a classy perfume like the new Prada L’Eau Ambree Eau de Parfum.  Its graceful scent exudes elegance, sensuality and sweetness. It has a refreshing balance of cedrat, rose de mai, and amber. An 80ml bottle is priced at £54.99 when you order it from here.

            You will be surprised to see that Christmas shopping is actually so much fun especially if it is for women.  Just follow these tips and you are good to go.  First, make sure that what you will be giving is something they need and want and not just a generic gift.  This is possible even when you plan to stick to a budget.  Second, try to get to know your loved ones even more if you have not yet done so, this will help personalize your gifts according to your loved ones’ personalities and tastes.  Third, for as long as you look in the right places you will be sure to find what you are looking for. Also, there are stores that offer perks such as free delivery and other perks when you reach a certain minimum purchase. Fourth, make sure you wrap your gifts in nice boxes or wrappers with ribbons, it makes a lot of difference and adds value to the gifts.  Some stores do the wrapping for free and some do it for a very small fee, all you need to do is ask. And lastly, purchase your gifts early, the best time to buy is now in order for you to get big discounts.  Having to do this happens to be only once every year so have fun Christmas shopping!