Dear LPG,

I know that it is an age-old question, but what do you buy for the person who already has everything?   It is something that my children have been asking me for years, and I am sure that as we approach every November, nearly every person of every age finds their thoughts overcrowded with the same problem while they do their best to work out what to get for endless numbers of friends and family members.   I recently found my mother being the focus of my plight.

She is well into her eighties, self-sufficient and still drives wherever she wants to go, so not much will surprise her when it comes to getting her a present that she will appreciate.

Through somewhat past harsh experience, I know that bath salts and skin care creams leave her with the conclusion that the present giver thinks that she might need more personal pampering, and she even once asked if I thought she had a personal problem.  She has also mentioned that ‘smelly presents’ as she calls them, no matter how expensive the brand you buy, are the sort you give when you cannot think of anything else.    I tried chocolates, but I got accused of trying to make her fat.  She has so much jewellery that anything sparkling is not a good idea, and she says she has so many ornaments that there is no more shelf space for them at her home. I learned a long time ago that she regards money and gift vouchers as a present-buying cop-out, too.

Then there are the experience presents.  I have tried afternoon tea at a nice hotel, so the surprise element of that one is now done, and a hot air balloon ride or parachute jump might leave her a little out of her comfort zone.

But then I had an idea that might help anyone in my position, and I thought I might share it.  My mum has got to that stage where she is having chronic backache, and we have spent a lot of time at the doctors and hospital having it scanned, x-rayed and checked.   She has tried patches and many of those electronic pain relief gismos.  I have even presented her with a couple, which feels like offering her an object designed to inflict even more torture sometimes.  She also has tried therapies such as massage acupuncture, and nothing seems to help. 

But I have recently read that float therapy is perfect for arthritis and back aches and also calms the mind and helps with sleep problems, although one size does not fit all.  We are talking about arranging for the person you are buying this experience for to spend anything between one and three hours suspended in salt water, which they can’t help but float in.  The idea is that you see, hear, and feel absolutely nothing for a while, and you also lose any sense of gravity.  From what I have read, being unable to swim will not be a problem because the water you are suspended in is typically less than a foot deep.    

I will let you know if it works when she has been, but you have to admit it is a pretty original idea for a present. 

GN, Kent

LPG found some information on this subject but warns that some of it comes with some advertising while reminding you that we have pointed readers in this direction for the information value…

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