Birthdays, Christmas celebrations, anniversaries, weddings - they are all events which elicit presents from friends, relatives and colleagues. But frequently, the process of receiving, unwrapping and enjoying said presents is a formality - we can often guess what will be under the colourful wrapping. In weddings, people really do know what they\'re getting - one of 50 pre-selected gift ideas. Not what one might call unique gifts.

For some though, the act of giving a unique gift is one that brings an extra magic to special occasions of all kinds. But what constitutes unique gifts? This is a difficult question to answer, until someone hands you a voucher offering you a day jumping off a bridge with only a rubber cord stopping you from becoming one with the rocky ravine below.

When you feel a cold sweat sprouting out across your back and your adrenaline gland give you a little spurt of fight or flight energy, you know this is going to be slightly more memorable than that plastic pasta fork you got last year. No, and there is usually no pre-defined wedding gift labelled \'life threatening thrill seeker day\', right next to the Littlewoods toaster.

But you don\'t need to risk your mortal being in order to enjoy one of those truly unique gifts. You might go to a cafe where you can make your very own pot while you wait for coffee and cakes. But one of those truly unique gifts is a total surprise, so you wouldn\'t know you were going to make your own pot until you opened the wrapping.

OK, making a squint shaped leaking ceramic pot with flowers on it is not every one\'s cup of tea. But crucially what makes unique gifts unique - is the fact that the receiver has never done them before. What you\'re giving with this sort of present is a memory. A memory which will outlast a plastic pasta fork is one that a loved one or close friend will treasure until they\'re old and wrinkly or until their memory has faded completely.

Unique gifts: Sky diving, canal boat cruising, microlyte flying, rock climbing, abseiling, wind surfing - hell why not try base jumping? It\'s got to be better than a plastic pasta fork, right? True, it could be a little more costly - but what price can you place on unparalleled fear followed by euphoric pleasure? If you go for the ceramic pot making then you may only obtain a little smug satisfaction. But you certainly won\'t feel smug satisfaction when you show your friends your plastic pasta fork, will you?

As this article has demonstrated, the reasons for getting someone you love one of the many unique gifts out there are numerous. So as you browse your department store and reach for that fetching plastic pasta fork, because it\'s the only item not been bought off the wedding list - ask yourself this - wouldn\'t you rather see your best buddy falling off a bridge screaming with fear? Thought so.