By Nisa Yang – Fashion Editorial Team

With the sudden sharp drop in temperatures, there is no doubt that winter is officially here. It’s also the season where it is finally okay to be outspoken about your excitement and continuously talk about one of the most joyous celebrations of the year: Christmas. In fact many are already feeling the Christmas spirit, with Halloween just gone and Bonfire Night wrapping up, shopping centres and districts have already laced their stores and streets with beautifully, extravagant decorations and lights, illuminating our dull, wintry days where it more or less becomes pitch black by 4pm.

Planning and getting the right inspiration is the key for the right gift

However, in order for Christmas to actually happen, the vast amount of preparation beforehand can be quite daunting, especially when it comes to gift shopping. A lot of gift shopping. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by Nee Hao, 70% of Chinese females in the UK said their partners didn’t give enough thought when choosing a gift for them. Yet, choosing the right present is no easy task and it is all too often that we, ourselves, receive unwanted gifts and not know what to do with them later. Or end up uploading them to eBay discreetly. These unwanted items all tend to have a common ground, and that is they are always too generic. You’ve already seen them a hundred times when you did your own Christmas shopping and they didn’t interest you one bit – hence the reason why people are willing to spend more time on discovering and scouring out individual pieces instead via the Internet.

Chinese students exchanging Christmas presents has become an iconic gesture

In the Chinese student community, exchanging presents has become one of the most iconic things about the academic term leading up to Christmas and it gives the opportunity to show how much we appreciate and cherish each other. It’s interesting to follow the western custom by trying to be as secretive as we can about it whilst trying our best to figure out what they really want, as it is always a bonus when you know you’ve nailed their present, and look forward to seeing their reaction when they finally unwrap that handpicked gift you chose especially for them. Sisi Choi said that when she was an undergraduate studying at Lancaster University, her close friends each bought a ring to give each other for Christmas, and every time they have a reunion (once every few years because of long distances) they will wear the rings. It brings back memories and provides a special bond that represents the special time they had at university. 

Finding the right present just got easier

As we all know, the Internet is a wondrous place. Online retail has shot up significantly over the past years and it is perfect for those who lead a busy lifestyle who don’t always have the time to personally go out shopping as it is delivered straight to your door. It is also a great and limitless way to discover unique and personalised gifts from around the world whilst at the same time, supporting smaller businesses and independent brands – such as the award winning online jewellery boutique Lily Charmed. 

Online stores like Lily Charmed, who generally provide brilliant and quick services, are able to offer more bespoke and personal pieces at affordable prices for their beautifully designed jewellery that is made from quality silver and gold. Their designs are simplistic yet detailed, such as their Gold Bee Necklace (£42), Silver Snowflake Necklace (£30), and Silver Infinity Necklace (£32), which makes them rather versatile pieces that can be worn and cherished everyday. These type of gifts are more likely to be treasured as they are less common than the more commercial products that are littered across larger department stores.

To make their jewellery totally unique, Lily Charmed customers can add that personal touch by engraving their own message on a range of pendants and lockets or create their own charm necklace to suit the person they are gifting to by adding letter charms and other stones. Each piece is also complimented with a personalised message card – that can be printed in either English or Chinese – which creates a deeper meaning than a standard Christmas gift. In addition Lily Charmed provide a free gift-wrapping service and international delivery. It is presents like these that will provide a constant reminder of the person and the sentiment behind it, for years to come.

Meanwhile, Nee Hao visitors can save 10% on all purchases with our exclusive discount code: NEEHAO10 until 15^th December 2015.

Go to the website

www.lilycharmed.com