What to buy your other half this Christmas

Hannah Turner

Hannah Turner is BASC South East’s regional officer. Despite having two small children, she loves getting out in the field shooting or cooking game.

Can you pinpoint the year when Christmas changed from a magical family celebration to a rather stressful and expensive minefield? For me it’s been the last five years when my role changed from Christmas guest to hostess. One of the biggest challenges is finding the right presents. So, I have come up with some ideas on what to buy your other half this Christmas which are fit for any countryman or countrywoman.

Finding that special something

In the runup to Christmas I find myself desperately shopping online in search of that special something. Most of the time, you’ll find me huddled up on the floor with sticky tape stuck to the bottom of my socks, desperately tugging at that last piece of wrapping paper to try and make it fit.

Christmas can be such a minefield to navigate through. From inviting the wrong guests, choosing the wrong presents or serving chestnuts with sprouts to Aunt Mabel who once told you twenty years ago she was allergic. I mean, come on, how could I not remember that?

Well I am going to help take the stress out of one aspect of Christmas by sharing my guide on what to buy your other half this Christmas.

My guide on what to buy your other half this Christmas

Whether your other half is new or part of the furniture, male or female, the bee’s knees or in the doghouse, they have made it to Christmas and deserve something nice to open on the day.

It doesn’t matter if they are out shooting five days a week or just like to wear tweed now and then, I have got you covered.

After doing some research, here are some ideas on what to buy your other half this Christmas. Feel free to steal them as after all, us other halves need to stick together!

No. 1

A classic, you can’t possibly go wrong with a new Barbour wax jacket!

Even if they already have one, it is probably a bit smelly and can now be worn for those mucky jobs instead of trips to the pub. And, as an added bonus, they will look smart by your side and won’t smell like the dog kennel!

No. 2

A new flat cap.

Now to explain this choice some more, here’s a little theory of mine… Some people are brought up being told to ‘look with their eyes and not their hands’. And when they grow up, unless something they are looking for is lying conveniently on the top, it is lost forever. It doesn’t seem to occur to them to look under things! For this reason and to avoid the two-minute mad panic of “I can’t find my hat”, a second hat could be just the ticket.

No. 3

A smart new gun cleaning You can get some really fancy kits in beautiful wooden boxes. If you haven’t heard the words, “Oh what a lovely piece of wood” come out of your partner’s mouth, you may have to question if they are a country person at all. The slightly sneaky or rather clever aspect of this present is that they will be so eager to use it that they may well clean all of your guns too. Brilliant bonus!

No. 4

A weekend away at a Sporting Lodge.

If you are looking for something a little more extravagant, then why not splash out on a weekend away? There are very good Sporting Lodges all over the UK as discussed in this article by The Field. And as a fringe benefit, it would make perfect sense for you to go along too.

No. 5

Top of my list – A new pair of Fairfax and Favour ‘The Regina’ tan suede boots. Yes, these are ladies’ boots and no, my husband is not into wearing ladies footwear, before you raise your eyebrows. But I will let you into a little secret; my husband’s happiness is directly related to my happiness and these boots would make me very, very happy indeed. Consider gifting yourself something to make you happy, which makes them happy in return… what’s wrong with that?

So, there you have it, my little guide on what to buy your other half this Christmas. If all else fails, get them something alcoholic and chances are they won’t remember what you got them at all!