Christmas Day is for eating, drinking, watching bad TV - and trying to cover up your embarrassment as you realise your husband's Aunt Maude has spent her pension on your present while you bought her a set of hankies.

在圣誕節那天，人們吃吃喝喝，看看沒營養的電視劇——還要試圖掩飾因送禮不當產生的尷尬，如你丈夫的麥德阿姨用退休金給你買了貴重禮物，而你卻只送了她一套廉價手帕。

Present-buying can be a minefield; from how much to spend, to whether to risk surprising recipients with a gift they don't want, to knowing if you should buy your neighbour you only say hello to a little something.

圣誕節買禮物是一件很棘手的事，要買多少錢的？是否買收禮人不想要的禮物，出其不意？是否要給點頭之交的鄰居買點小禮物？這些都是需要考量的問題。

Here, FEMAIL has asked experts including dating gurus and personal shoppers for their top tips on present-buying etiquette to ensure the only thing that's red this Christmas is Rudolf's nose.

那么，買禮物有什么講究？為確保大家這個圣誕節購禮不鬧笑話惹尷尬，FEMAIL征求了專家意見，包括約會專家和私人購物者，現為大家提供以下重要購禮貼士。

YOUR PARTNER

給伴侶的禮物

Spend: New romance £20-50; long-term couples £100-£150

花銷：新情人20-50英鎊；配偶100-150英鎊

'If you've just started seeing someone you don't need to spend a fortune,' says dating guru James Preece (www.jamespreece.com).

“如果你剛開始與某人約會，那就沒必要給對方買很貴重的禮物。約會專家詹姆斯·普里斯說（來源：www.jamespreece.com）。

'It's much better to impress them with your imagination by choosing a gift that’s a little bit different. £20 is about the right amount, with a maximum of £50 if you can afford it.'

“發揮想象力，選擇與眾不同的禮物讓他們印象深刻，這個法子更好。至于花銷方面，20英鎊最佳，如果負擔得起，多花一些也無妨，但不要超過50英鎊。

Or you don't even need to go that far, says relationship expert and founder of BeLoveCurious.com, Helen Rice. Plan to spend a romantic evening together or have a fun day out. Feel free to give the person you're dating something thoughtful, just don't spend a lot of money.'

“或者根本沒必要想那么多。人際專家、www.jamespreece.com網站創始人海倫·賴斯（Helen Rice）說。“安排一次浪漫的晚餐或出去開心玩一天。隨意送一些花心思的玩意兒給你約會的對象，只是不要花很多錢在上面。

'If you're in a long-term relationship then your budget really reflects on your personal situation,' adds James. 'You don't need to go crazy, but it's a great opportunity to show you love and appreciate them.

“如果你與對方是長期交往的關系，那么你花錢多少確實會反映出你的個人情況。詹姆斯補充道。“雖然沒必要瘋狂行事，但這是向他們表達你的愛與感恩的好機會。

'It's also best to buy a few cheaper presents rather than one big one. Part of the fun is the mystery and unwrapping, so it will last longer if you give them several to enjoy.'

“買幾樣便宜些的禮物好過等額買一樣貴的。收到禮物的樂趣部分來源于禮物的神秘感和拆禮物，所以如果你送他們好幾個小禮物，那份樂趣會更綿長。

Set a mutual budget

雙方花銷保持一致

'For a new couple, a mutual budget is definitely a great idea,' says James. 'There's nothing worse than one of you going overboard when the other has done the opposite.'

“對新婚夫婦來說，花銷一致無疑是一個好主意。詹姆斯說。“你花了大價錢而對方卻恰恰相反，沒有比這更糟糕的了。

He even points out that this is a good test to see if you have differing financial views.

他甚至指出這也是很好的考驗，可以看看雙方是否持有不同的消費觀。

'Some people are natural over-spenders and think that the more they spend then the more you’ll love them. If you aren’t in sync with your spending habits then it can spell problems further down the line.'

“有些人天生大手大腳的，而且認為他們花錢越多，你就會越愛他們。如果你不遵循你自己的消費習慣，接下來就會出現各種問題。

Long-term couples will likely already have an idea on what to spend, based on previous years and their financial situation - but it is still a good idea to set a maximum spending limit.

而老夫老妻們根據之前那些年的經驗還有他們的經濟狀況，可能已經拿好主意要買什么了，但制定消費支出最大限額仍是一個不錯的想法。

Surprise them

給對方驚喜

'Whatever relationship stage you are at, you absolutely do have to surprise them,' advises James.

“不管你們的關系到了哪一步，給對方驚喜都是必須的。詹姆斯建議。

'For new daters, show that you’ve been paying attention to their hobbies and conversations. If you remembered something small that they said, they’ll be flattered and happy you noticed.

“對于剛開始約會的對象，要表現出你留意到他們的喜好，記得與他們的談話內容。如果你記得他們說過的一些小事情，他們會為你留意到那些小事而受寵若驚，感到高興。

'If you’ve been together a while, you’ll probably have a list of suggestions of things that they want. It's fine to get them something off that but you also have to think outside the box. That's the only way to make it a magical experience for them.'

“如果你們在一起有一段時間了，對方可能會向你暗示過很多他們想要的東西。其實送他們別的東西也是可以的，只不過你也要在禮品盒的包裝上花心思，因為那是唯一一種讓對方覺得你的禮物妙不可言的方式。

Of course most partners drop hints - so make sure you listen.

當然，大多數伴侶都會給對方一些暗示——所以要確保你有留心聽。

If you're still struggling, take them shopping and make a note of what they like, or ask close friends and family for ideas.

如果你還是拿不定主意，那么帶他們去購物，然后記下他們喜歡的東西，或者向他們的密友和家人打聽一下他們的喜好。

Of course for some a gift that really matters is something that's wanted and perhaps wouldn’t otherwise be affordable, so just asking if they want a surprise or not may be the safest bet, says Helen.

對于一些人來說，禮物貴在合心意，而不是多數人買不起的價格，所以先問一下對方是否想要一個驚喜可能會更穩妥，海倫說。

Good gift ideas

送禮佳品

Something handmade or baked; a personal IOU voucher - i.e. a massage/home-cooked meal/naughty treat etc; a book that you love and would like to share with them; an event/show tickets; a piece of art; cooking or craft classes; spa days; weekend away; gadgets.

手工制品或烘焙品；私人欠條憑據——即欠一次按摩/一頓家常飯/一場玩鬧等；一本你喜歡并且想和他們分享的書；一張比賽/表演的票；一件藝術品；給他們報廚藝班或工藝品制作班；spa體驗；周末出游；一些小玩意兒。

Bad gift ideas

送禮餿品

Novelty or joke items; chocolate, underwear and toiletries (too boring); gift vouchers; something from your local petrol station bought on Christmas eve.

廉價小飾物或笑話集；巧克力，內衣和化妝品（太無聊）；禮品券；平安夜在加油站小商店倉促買的東西。

YOUR CHILDREN

給孩子們的禮物

Spend: £100-150 each

花銷：每人100-150英鎊

Of course a lot of what your budget is depends on your income, but the important thing is to set one - and stick to it.

當然，你的花銷取決于你的收入，但重要的是你要定個預算并且按預算購禮。

'The pressure to make Christmas magical and give their precious darlings everything they want can be overwhelming, and some families find themselves in debt for a good part of the next year,' points out Diana Mather, an etiquette expert working with One4all Gift Cards on its gift-buying campaign.

“讓圣誕變得奇妙，滿足他們珍愛的人所想要的一切，這種壓力是巨大的。有些家庭發現他們為了過好圣誕而負了債。禮儀專家黛安娜·馬瑟指出。馬瑟從事One4all禮品卡購禮促銷工作。

'Children’s expectations should be managed and realistic guidelines drawn when discussing Christmas presents.

“在討論圣誕節禮物時，要管一下孩子們的愿望，提供一些現實的參考建議。

'Young children like to open big colourful gifts, and are often just as happy playing with the cardboard box as the gift itself,' she points out.

“小孩子喜歡打開大包裝、顏色鮮艷的禮物，而且通常玩禮品盒跟玩禮物一樣開心。馬瑟說。

If there is something you simply have to buy your little one that pushes you over the spending limit, ask family to pitch in with the cost, Diana advises.

如果有樣東西你實在想買給你家小孩，但是買了會超出預算，這時你可以讓家人解囊相助，黛安娜建議道。

Give gift guides to family

給家人愿望清單

The idea of creating a wish list and 'demanding' your family cough up seems very un-British, but duplicate, unsuitable or unwanted gifts currently wastes £2.4billion at Christmas in the UK according to wishagift.com, which allows you to create gift lists online. so it's a worthwhile practise.

制作愿望清單，并“要求你的家人說出他們的愿望這個點子似乎非常不英式風，但根據wishagift.com網站（該網站提供在線創作禮物清單服務）的統計，在英國，通常由重復的、不合適的或者不想要的圣誕禮物而造成的浪費價值24億英鎊。因此，制作愿望清單還是值得一試的。

'The key to going about it is to be reasonable with your expectations,' says Karina Thomsen, founder of wishagift.com. 'Also add a good variety of ideas and price ranges, and don’t necessarily be 100% specific.'

“制作愿望清單的關鍵是愿望要合理可行。wishagift.com網站創始人卡琳娜·湯姆森說。“另外，可在清單上添上各種好點子和價格范圍，不必百分百明確具體。

For example, say ‘Molly loves colourful hair accessories’, and then the family member can still have the freedom to choose one they think she'll like.

例如，上面寫“莫莉喜愛彩色的發飾，然后家里人仍可以自由挑選他們認為她會喜歡的一樣發飾。

Good gift ideas

送禮佳品

Books; drawing pads with paints or crayons; building blocks such as Lego; clothes.

書籍；配有顏料和畫筆的圖畫本；兒童積木，如樂高積木；衣服。

Bad gift ideas

送禮餿品

Bead kits; anything messy or noisy if you want your sanity to remain intact this Christmas.

一套珠子；任何亂糟糟或吵鬧的玩意兒（如果你想在這個圣誕節中保持神智正常的話）。

YOUR TEENAGERS

給十幾歲孩子的禮物

Spend: £150-200

花銷：150-200英鎊

Teens usually want things that can be expensive, but Diana thinks just because it's Christmas, it doesn't mean rules should fly out the window.

青少年通常想要那些昂貴的東西，但黛安娜認為不能因為是圣誕節他們就可以沒規沒據了。

'Limits should be set and if they want the latest iPhone 6s, my suggestion would be that they work to earn most of the money and you top it up,' she says.

“要有限度，如果他們想要最新的iPhone 6s，我的建議是讓他們自己掙夠大部分的錢，然后你貼補剩下的。她說。

Ask them what they want

問他們想要什么

Teenagers are picky and if you buy them something that you think is 'cool' it's likely to be met with a roll of the eyes.

青少年愛挑剔，如果你給他們買了你覺得“酷的東西，他們很有可能會翻個白眼給你。

Image-conscious teens are also likely to want the latest gadget and best designers.

愛臭美的青少年也有可能會想要最新潮、最時尚的小玩意兒。

If you can't afford it, talk to them to figure out a compromise, whether that's getting the gadget second-hand, or asking them to contribute to the cost.

如果你買不起，就跟他們談談，找出一種折衷辦法，不管是買二手的還是讓他們自己也出點錢。

Also let family know what your teenager has asked for, but give them the least-expensive requests. And expect the same in return if they have teens.

另外，也要讓家族里其他人知道孩子想要什么，不過只把那些花錢最少的愿望告訴他們。如果他們也有十幾歲的孩子，那就要回一樣的禮。

Make present-buying fun

讓買禮物變得有趣

If your teen has a job or gets an allowance, they should be buying their own presents, but make it fun and set a reasonable budget.

如果你的孩子有工作或者有零用錢，他們應該自己給自己買禮物，不過可以讓買禮物變得有趣些，而且要制定合理的預算。

Diana tells, 'We made it a rule to try and buy the most innovative thing for under £10 for teens and £5 for younger children.

黛安娜說，“我們的慣例是嘗試用少于10英鎊的錢給青少年買最有創意的東西，而小孩子的則少于5英鎊。

'This made the children take time and think about what people’s likes and interests were, and what their brothers and sisters or cousins would really enjoy.

“這促使孩子們花時間思考人們的興趣愛好所在，以及買什么才會讓他們的兄弟姐妹或表親真正感到歡喜。

'It worked very well and my sisters and I still have a low budget for ourselves and our partners.'

“這招很有效。我和我的姐妹們依然是花很少錢給我們自己還有我們的伴侶買禮物。

Good gift ideas

送禮佳品

Gadgets; gift cards; music; games; books

小玩意；禮品卡；音樂；游戲；書籍。

Bad gift ideas

送禮餿品

Any surprises where personal taste is involved, in particular clothes, accessories and perfume/aftershave.

帶有個人喜好的任何驚喜，尤其是衣服、配飾和香水/須后水。

YOUR FAMILY

給家人的禮物