Virgo

  Gift Ideas for a Virgo: 12 Presents, Reviewed by Virgo the Sheep Looking for gift ideas for a Virgo? Buying for a Virgo (23 August – 22 September) can feel like sitting an exam. Relax. A Virgo will be kind about any present. They’ll just also notice the wrapping paper is slightly crooked at one corner, and they’ll fix it while thanking you. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, planet of thinking, and Virgos think about everything: how it works, how it could work better, and whether it’s been put back in the right drawer. Their Astrominal is Virgo the Sheep: quiet, clever and secretly running everything. We asked Virgo to review twelve gifts. Virgo was a bit shy about it at first. Then Virgo sent us notes. Then Virgo sent us notes on our notes. 1. A label maker The most exciting gift a Virgo can receive. This is not a joke. Virgo says: “I’ve labelled the drawer. And the shelf. And the label maker. Just so it knows where it lives.” 2. A beautiful planner Dated pages, tidy columns, room for lists about lists. Virgo says: “Page one is my plan for using the planner. It’s colour-coded. Green is for plans. Blue is for plans about plans.” 3. A really good pen Smooth, reliable, doesn’t smudge. Virgo says: “Nobody ever thinks about pens until a pen lets them down. I think about pens all the time. I’ve never been let down.” 4. A desk organiser Little compartments. Lots of them. Virgo says: “Paper clips here. Rubbers here. Spare paper clips over here, in case the first ones get ideas.” 5. A 1,000-piece jigsaw A Virgo starts with the edges, sorts by colour and finishes in silence. Virgo says: “If a piece is missing, I’ll find it. If it’s still missing, I’ll write to the company. Politely. With a diagram.” 6. A selection of herbal teas Calm, wholesome, and boxed in neat rows. Virgo says: “Chamomile for evenings. Peppermint for afternoons. I’ve made a chart. The chart is also calm.” 7. A bento lunch box A place for everything, even at lunchtime. Virgo says: “Peas never touch the rice. That’s not fussy. That’s respect.” 8. A bonsai tree A tiny, patient project. Very Earth sign. Virgo says: “It needs careful trimming, regular attention and the right light. We’re going to get on very well.” 9. A book about something very specific The history of maps, how bridges work, a field guide to clouds. Virgo says: “Most people skim. I read the footnotes. The footnotes are where the good stuff hides.” 10. A woolly jumper, in green Green is a Virgo lucky colour. Wool is, frankly, a sensitive subject. Virgo says: “I’ve checked the label. It’s from a sheep I don’t know. That’s fine. I’m not going to ask.” 11. A clever cleaning gadget A handheld vacuum, a screen-cleaning kit, a lint roller. Virgo says: “Other people get excited about holidays. I get excited about a really good crumb brush. We’re all different.” 12. An Astrominals Virgo birthday card Whatever you choose, put it with a card that gets them. The Astrominals zodiac birthday cards feature Virgo busily organising and helping, framed by a border of true-to-sign Virgo traits. Virgo says: “I’ve checked it. Everything’s spelled correctly. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” Virgo’s three rules for buying a Virgo a present Make it useful. “A present I can use every day is a present I’ll think about every day.” Don’t add clutter. “If it’s an ornament, it needs a reason. If it hasn’t got a reason, it needs a drawer.” Notice the details. “Remember the small thing I mentioned once. That’s what we notice. We notice everything. Sorry.” So, which present would Virgo choose? Virgo says: “The label maker. Obviously. I’ve already made a label for it that says ‘Favourite’.” Not sure which Astrominal you’re buying for? Take the quiz, or meet Virgo the Sheep and the rest of Team Earth. Astrological and zoological. Illogically logical.