The Hits: I don't have the gift of present buying

The Hits DJs, Adam Green and Megan Banks. Photo / File

"Less than a month til' Christmas" states the cheery co-worker strolling up the hall.

"How's the Christmas shopping going?" formulating all manner of non-festive replies in my head I hastily reply "Oh you know, same as last year!" Which means I haven't even remotely got close to even thinking about who I need to purchase a present for let alone begun to swipe my plastic debt machine.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some sort of Christmas Grinch with a penchant for Halloween over holidays, I DO love Christmas, I'm just horrible at buying gifts. I have a tendency to try and put myself in the gift receiver's shoes.

"Hmmm If I was Sarah [my lovely wife] what would I want for Christmas" I'll ponder to myself strolling through the doors of Kmart.

"I would definitely want a radio-controlled drone with a camera and a new charcoal barbecue", and so off I'll meander, over to the toy section, where I'll forget I'm shopping for presents and marvel at the fact a flyable helicopter is now 20 bucks.

And there are so many people to think of. Like how far out in the circle of co-workers should the present buying spread?

Yeah, there's the office secret Santa, which no doubt will involve a flyable helicopter that I've taken for a test run, but what about gifts for the others?

Roughly $40 a gift for those immediately next to you, down to $5 for those down the hall, and if there are multiple offices, a box of Favourites chocolates with "Merry Christmas, Help Yourself" should be sufficient for the other 30 people you work with right?

Cherry Ripes for that one that sent you the angry email in June you're still stewing over.

The kids. Oh, the kids. They've been dropping hints since October. One wants a new puppy, which is so far off the cards she may as well have asked for matching family Ferraris, and the other wanted a pony.

Only a pony? What about a holiday home in Pauanui and a launch to head out on after your ride?

So I'll do what I usually do at this time of year, and that's give up.

Hope like heck the wife has all the gifts under control (She's a gift-buying savant) and then spend Christmas morning wondering what I bought her this year! Hope it's something good!