Getting Personal

                How the odd or unusual make for extraordinary gifts
            
                It never ceases to amaze me just how infrequently adults use their imaginations. Remember when you were a child how a large cardboard box held endless possibilities to be converted into a space rocket, lion's cage or doll's house? You had to beg your mother not to throw it away, then spent the whole of the summer holidays engrossed in the magic that was your box. What happens to our imaginations when we grow up? It is probably down to the real life responsibilities and pressures that unfortunately come with maturity, but it is such a shame that our imaginations get put on the back burner. It is no different when it comes to selecting a great gift for a friend or family member. We tend to take the easy option of giving something quite ordinary, tried and trusted, and pass by the fabulous but slightly odd or unusual gifts. Unusual gifts are a joy to receive, particularly as there is a strong possibility that the one who is celebrating will probably never have seen this particular item before. How thrilling it is to receive unusual gifts something weird and wonderful that will enthrall not just the recipient but all those who set eyes on it.

Unusual gifts are also a pleasure to give. You know that an unusual gift will do the trick, make them laugh, keep them happy, remind them of you. If you know someone who loves spending time in their garden shed, and many of us do, an unusual gift of 101 Things to Do in a Garden Shed is a witty little book crammed full of ideas to do while holed up at the bottom of the garden pretending to be busy and constructive. To the shed lover a shed is sacred ground, a private getaway, worth more than a private island, and so this unusual gift will help them to pass the time before rejoining the hustle and bustle of domesticity. For all those so called grownups who wait until the kids are safely tucked up in bed before playing with their remote controlled cars, the Radio Controlled Morphibian is a great and unusual gift that will give them hours of fun. Not only is it a suitably unusual gift but it looks unusual too. Best described as a cross between an outsize beetle and a lesser known shrunken sports car, this unusual gift can scramble over some of the most difficult landscapes going – think back garden and pond and you will get the picture. As an amphibian vehicle this unusual gift can traverse water too. This is a great chance for a Morphibian race, so you could always treat yourself to one of these unusual gifts while you are at it. 

I doubt if many people are given a black widow spider as a present, and I know squillions of folks who would turn themselves inside out at the sight of a spider of any kind. But even those arachnophobes among us will take great pleasure with this truly unusual gift of a Radio Controlled Black Widow Spider which stands at an incredible size of 27 x 30 cm. I cannot get my head round a fear of spiders, and take every opportunity to observe them doing their thing in the garden, weaving webs, catching flies. But maybe even I could be fooled by this unusual gift. This little honey is extremely realistic, able to scuttle around with such rapidity and agility that you cannot help but think that it is real. The fact that this unusual gift is remote controlled means that this can scare the knickers off everybody who comes across it, without them suspecting that you have anything to do with its movements including a very realistic 360 degree turn. 

For all those rock wannabe boys and girls out there waiting for their unusual gifts, who love to play their favourite guitar solo in front of the mirror, or even worse, on the dance floor in front of all those people, without a guitar, I salute you. You show that your imagination is still working well. With the Rolling Stones and other bands of that era still rocking it without the aid of a Zimmer frame, there are lots of rock grans and gramps around who will almost swallow their false teeth laughing with glee at the unusual gift of a V-Beat Air Guitar. This weird and unusual gift is a mock guitar that comes in 2 pieces. The body is worn conventional style attached to you and the upper part of the guitar neck, which is a separate piece, is held close to the guitar body. While you strum and pose the motion sensors on this unusual gift will emit tonal sounds that will bring joy to the faces of those who get their air hands on it. Everyone loves receiving unusual gifts, so awaken their imagination and let them play again.

Related article: No prizes for guessing (Unusual Gifts)