Christmas gifts: ideas that keep appreciating

With Christmas fast approaching (have you noticed how that process somehow accelerates in November) the time has come for the financially minded to focus on gifts that will not only please but increase in value. And surely this is also the time to be a tad more imaginative; so let's ignore the obvious and rather boring notion of gifts involving shares, investment funds and other financial products that are hard to touch and feel during the festive season. They certainly have their place in the investment galaxy, but are a bit so-so as gifts.

With this in mind, here are seven gift ideas worth a look even if you end up giving out book tokens or yet more i-something gadgets.

Many people are talking about whisky as the new wine of the investment world as prices for rare and high quality whiskies have recently been rising faster than the price of collectable wine. We're talking about so-called investment grade Scotch where bottle prices start from well over HK$2,000 and can easily rise beyond that level - a record price of over HK$1.5 million was paid for a 62-year-old bottle of The Dalmore single malt last September. But there is a great deal of Scotch available at prices well below this astronomical level. And, of course, the beauty of whisky is that it can both increase in value and be drunk. One bottle for the portfolio and one for the tumbler.

Here's another so-called alternative investment that provides both enjoyment and value. Classic cars such as Ferraris and Bugattis are doubling and trebling in price, but this is not an option for those who are light of pocket. To get on the classic vehicle ladder can be quite reasonable for a car in a bad state of repair but restoration costs, running costs and road taxes for these large capacity engines soon turn the concept of reasonable on its head. However, a rise in price for one of these classic beauties may dispel financial concerns and be a constant reminder of the style and generosity of whoever provided the gift.