Christmas is a magical time of the year when you spend days choosing thoughtful gifts for your friends and family. Sharing and giving gifts is as old as Christmas itself when the three wise men came bearing gifts for Jesus in Bethlehem.

Christmas gifts are often bought last-minute and not a lot of thought is put into them. The Shenzhen Daily offers some suggestions to help busy city dwellers make an early decision and have fun in the process of choosing gifts.

Gifts for men can be Zippo lighters, Swiss knife kits, crystal ashtrays, model cars, and electric shavers, which are popular at big department stores like Shirble and Rainbow. More expensive choices can be Montblanc pens, wristwatches, and garments.

For women, it is always safe to choose perfumes, cosmetics and skincare products, and jewelry and garments. Ornaments like scarves, hats, brooches and handbags will also please them. Actually, to boost business during the Christmas season, all major shopping malls in town are offering discounts and other sales promotions, especially in downtown Dongmen and Huaqiangbei areas.

Gifts for children can be a bicycle, skating shoes, a soccer ball, toys, CDs or books. Apart from big department stores and a street selling children's garments and toys in Bading Street, Futian District, stalls at wholesale markets in Sungang and shops in Dongmen also offer a bunch of things for children, at cheaper prices.

A trip to the Disneyland and a buffet dinner they have craved for a long time will also give children an unforgettable time.

Christmas gifts do not have to come gift-wrapped. Magazine subscriptions make excellent gifts because there is a magazine to suit every taste (cookery, gardening, cars) and because it is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year.

Tickets to a sold-out show can be a gift to your husband or wife, or your teenage son or daughter. This unique Christmas gift has the power to amaze someone you love and have them remember the treat that you give them for years to come.

To really impress those who receive your gifts, much more effort than simply shopping around will be needed.

A very thoughtful gift for someone you love is a scarf knitted by you. If you do not know how to knit, then the weeks or months before Christmas is the right time to learn and surprise the recipient. A mother or grandmother is sure to be bowled over by such a caring gift idea.

And still remember The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry? The lesson you can learn from that romantic yet sad story is: MAKE SURE the gift is what people really need.

Nowadays people tend to evaluate gifts by the money they are worth. Sometimes, their beloved ones only want a little more time spent together.

Editor: Donald