It's always good being part of the Euroffice story – I like to think of it as a sci-fi Bollywood blockbuster – but it's even better when the Christmas present your mother wants is office supplies, well, stationery at least.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I've decided that my mother wants some A4 printer paper, or inkjet toner cartridges. Perhaps a nice two-drawer filing cabinet. You know, the kind of things that mums ask for (especially if it so happens that their sons find the gifts easy to get. What with the courier delivery and all.) But, in my case, my mother really does want something for her home office: she'd like a refill for her Filofax.
I got my Filofax when I was 19 or so while I was at university. Comically, in retrospect, I used to take it everywhere with me. I'd take it to meals, to lectures and so on. Like a kid with a new pair of shoes who wears them in the shower, I'd never leave home without my Filofax.
Admittedly, the brand has had a bad rap since the 80s. It was associated with yuppies and big shoulder pads, but if you can overlook that stereotype – as you should – this personal organiser is a very useful office diary that can be customised to meet your needs. They're available in A4 paper, A5 paper and other sizes and come in a variety of colours. You can get paper diary refills of various designs and layouts, so if you want a day-per week diary or week per-page, or planners for project management you're sure to find what you're looking for.
So, as a diary, as a personal organiser, the Filofax ticks all the boxes. However, for me, the real beauty of my Filofax is that it's made out of leather. (Though you can get 'leather look' ones, too.) Now, I know that you can get other diaries that are made out of leather. They're impressive and beautiful things, but because not many other products can be refilled, they can't live with you, they can't travel across the years with you.
A Filofax can become a companion, develop a patina, get bashed and scraped and develop a personality. Then, when it's full up with notes and thoughts, you can refill it. It lives again. It's not just an object with a history that's to be opened to remind you of meetings, projects and successes. It's there to be used again and again.
Perhaps that's why mum wants a refill for her Filofax.
