The Accountant
David Simpson of BDO Simpson Xavier admits that in the not-too-distant past suggestions for getting accountants presents for Christmas would include either a personality or a life-time supply of flannels. Not now, Simpson protests. "An accountant has to be modern, upto-date and in touch with his clients," Simpson says.
For this reason he would go for a pair of Hugo Boss shoes (£150 at Stephen and Michael Barrie) or the Rex PC Companion (£149), to keep things to do and a diary safely stored in a microchip.
The Computer Nerd
Stephen Cawley, deputy editor of PC Live magazine, puts the MP3 Player (£169 at Compustore) at the top of his Christmas wish list. This piece of technology allows music to be transferred and manipulated from computer to player and gives crystal clear digital sounds. But because, according to Cawley, "he who has the most gadgets wins", the Snapscan from Agfa (£99.99 at Dixons) - a tiny device you can carry around to scan in pictures, documents and photographs - is something no computer nerd, sorry, enthusiast, should be without.
The Console King
`What I do is quite unhealthy," admits Padraig Crowley, designer of computer games at Funcom. But buying games for Christmas does not have to mean the recipient will be locked away in their rooms for ever more. Speed Freaks (£24.99 at Game Zone), a racing game designed by Crowley, can have up to four players racing the cartoon-animated drivers. For those who want to be alone, get Dreamcast (£250 at Game Zone). It is Sega's answer to Sony's PlayStation (£95) and the graphics, Crowley says, are great.
The Art Lover
Of course, Ciaran McGonigal would prefer to mortgage the house twice and invest in a Monet or Manet. But if you are just not prepared to do that, then the director of Limerick's Hunt Museum suggests going for Bruce Arnold's book on Jack Yeats (£29.95 in Easons). A more energetic present would be a subscription to Friends of Museums (£35) which gives you access to lecture, events, trips and other arty past-times.
The Wine Buff
Whatever you do, don't get coloured glasses or heavy cut glass decanters. These items, according to Charles Searson of Searsons wine merchants, are truly "passe". The plainest, thinnest class of drinking implement is "in", and the type designed by Riedel for a particular wine can be bought at Mitchells or Searsons for between £6.95 and £40 per glass. For the millennium, Searson wouldn't say no to a nice bottle of champagne. But he warns against anything too expensive. A millennium New Year's Eve will no doubt result in tired, tipsy drinkers who might not know a good champagne from sparkling cider. A Bollinger, Roederer or a Veuve Cliquot for around £50 would do the trick.
The Bookworm
John Connolly knows it is hard to buy books for people. He got a present recently of a book on cigars, yet the novelist doesn't even smoke. But there is no excuse for bad books, he says, as "there is always a good selection at this time of year - general things that everyone will like". Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor (£15 at Waterstone's) is "very moving", the Final Detail by Harlan Coben (£8) is "pretty excellent" and Colm Tobin's Anthology of Irish Fiction (£25) is "fairly comprehensive". But if you want to be bold and know someone who collects toilet humour, Connolly recommends going for South Park, The Script, Part I (£12).
The Kid Who Has It All
Chloe and Naomi Agnew, both starring in this year's Olympia panto, Puss'n Boots, are definitely not above music CDs. Westlife, Britney Spears or Steps would all find welcome homes inside their Christmas stockings. For Chloe (10) a mobile phone would be a welcome accessory while Naomi (six) is banking on Santa bringing her a Furbie baby (£27.99 at Toymaster).
The Party Girl
`You can spend £800 on a Dolce & Gabanna black dress but nobody will notice," warns Joanne Byrne, public relations agent and general party queen. "But if you get something that has personality that not everybody has, something that's a little different, people will notice." A Helen Cody handbag (around £100, tel: 0862605374) or a necklace by Brigette Byrne, Joanne's own sister, (between £80 and £150, tel: 086-8280440), are the type of unusual accessories that any self-respecting party girl should be looking out for this year's humungous bashes.
