Etter 20 år eller deromkring i Trondheim er jeg miljøskadd, så nå for tiden må jeg høre denne for at det skal bli jul.

Today I will make the suggestion that you consider not buying a gift for that person who «has everything». Seriously, if you’re looking through the helpful lists in the media and the catalogues for an idea – ANY IDEA – for a gift for Uncle Oswald or Aunt Jean or Cousin Francis:

Stop!

I know Christmas is all about giving and shit, but, really, if a person falls into the category «has everything»:

THIS is what you get them.

Or something from HERE.

Or, you know, go with the charity of your choice. Almost every charity provide something in this vein nowadays.

And I know it’s not easy. I keep thinking «but what if this person is really offended and there’s an awkward silence and I ruin Christmas for everyone?» Well, ok, maybe not quite as bad as that, but I do tend to think of worst case scenarios. But this year? This year, fuck it, I am going to go with it. If I can’t think of a meaningful gift that conforms to William Morris’ maxim (which is, actually, quite a good rule): Have nothing in your house that you do not either know to be useful or believe to be beautiful (quoted from memory), well, then.

And, yes, absolutely: If you feel like you ought to buy me a gift because you expect I’ll get you one, or even if you just want to buy me a gift because I’m a swell person and all, then go ahead and follow my advice. Because I’d so much rather have 10 square meters of mine-free soil in Afghanistan than another thingamabob that I have to keep because Aunt Sally gave it to me. REALLY.

Another video, this one a little less traditional, but an accurate expression of how I feel about Christmas (though not so much the white wine in the sun part, wrong end of the globe for that).

If you are looking for a gift for the booklover in your life, this ought to hit the mark:

I had one of these once, and it’s a treasure trove of book tips. You wouldn’t want one every year, I think, because that would make Mt TBR insurmountable, but you can’t go too far wrong with it. (Clicking the image will take you to amazon.co.uk, but I’m sure it’s available elsewhere as well.)