For the person who has everything...

It’s the end of September. This morning over Crowborough there was a light mist that carried a damp chill. When it lifted, the sky was a cool blue tinged with the soft gold of a sunshine that promised beauty but not great heat. Summer is drawing to a close.

Now come the first fleeting thoughts of Christmas. Shops are already filling shelves with Christmas goods, children start to tell us what they absolutely must have on December 25th, and we start compiling mental lists of everyone we must add to our gift list.

The trouble is, for most of us, there’ll be at least one person on that list who will cause us headaches. You know the one, the person who has everything they need and want. The aunt who hopes no-one will buy them ANOTHER ornament or box of chocolates or bottle of bath salts. The father who has drawers full of socks, ties and hand knitted jumpers. We’ll spend hours – days – trying to think of something for them, and still draw a blank. Direct questions just lead to shrugs and weary replies of, “I don’t know,” or “Don’t give me anything.”

But you want to give something. You want to show them you’ve remembered them, appreciated them, and done something to honour them.

All is not lost. World In Need’s Alternative Christmas Gift Programme allows you to buy a meaningful gift for someone you love and help people who face extreme hardships, all at the same time. Instead of spending money on something nobody wants, you can use it to make a real difference, giving in their name. The recipient receives a card of grateful thanks, your gift problems are solved, and people in some of the poorest places on earth are shown the true spirit of Christmas.

There are gifts to suit every pocket, from stocking fillers to major items, which will be available from October.

It may not be the most beautifully wrapped present you’ll give this year. But it will probably be one of the most satisfying.