How to put stars in their eyes

Special people deserve special gifts. Communicating love and affection through the purchase of a gift is not always easy, however, and it is often the case that presents have little sentimental value or meaning attached to them. Whilst this is not to suggest that buying the latest games console for a teenager or the most technologically advanced model of Mercedes for an adult offers no reward at all, it can make a pleasant change to send and receive gifts that are not materialistic in nature but are instead truly special. But what exactly is special?

Well, for many people, the aforementioned Mercedes would be pretty special. However, one of the main prerequisites of choosing a gift for someone special is that it ought to be unique. In this respect, unless that Mercedes is a one-of-its-kind special edition, it is virtually impossible to find a gift on Earth that is truly unique. Indeed, this is why many people look to the heavens for a little inspiration.

The opportunity to Name a Star after that someone special is simply amazing. Indeed, the virtually infinite (not all of those twinkling gems can be spotted easily from Earth) abundance of available 'products' in the night sky means that the opportunities for people to name a star are as endless as the universe company overheads will probably be quite low, too.

From the consumer's point of view, being able to name a star offers an exciting opportunity to reach into the cosmos and make a little glimmer of it their own. Of course, the chosen star may happen to belong to an advanced and hostile alien species that lives on some unseen orbital planet. Nevertheless, it remains fairly unlikely that such creatures would ever find out about the human claims of ownership, so hopefully interstellar war is a non-starter. If war cannot be averted, however, at least mankind has Will Smith on its side.

The chance to name a star is especially popular among parents of newborn babies or those a little older (but not so old that they realise a faraway star is not as useful as an Xbox 360). When a child enters the world, parents are struck with all sorts of emotions and it is common during this brief period for them to perceive life from an altogether more philosophical perspective. Indeed, a newborn son or daughter can turn even the hardest of people into jelly-like, cotton wool layered bundles of love.

This feeling along with all other notions of youth and adventure expires on the first night the baby spends at home. Nevertheless, to name a star after a newborn child is a respectful and sentimental gift that the child will one day learn to appreciate as they stare up into the night sky and try to determine which twinkle belongs to them.

Name a Star products are fairly uncomplicated from the consumer's point of view. All that is required is the name of the person to whom the star will be designated and, obviously, a payment of some description. The name a star company will then choose a star from its extensive database (there are said to be more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on Earth) and usually within 24 hours of the order being made it would have registered the name, created a personalised certificate and despatched the gift package. This includes precise co-ordinates of the named star's location, which can then be used in order to identify the star using a telescope. If, however, no such telescope is available, it will remain possible to work out the star's precise location using good old fashioned eyesight and a detailed star chart.

To Name a Star is extremely popular among amorous couples who want to display their love for one another. Moreover, attaching a lover's name to a star that is billions of light years away is far more sensible than having said lover's name indelibly etched onto their skin indeed, when the romance inevitably falls apart, a 'personalised' tattoo would seem utterly stupid whereas there are always plenty more stars in the sky

In summary, naming a star is a great way of expressing love, affection and respect for another person. Stars are snapshots of history yet most will continue to shine brightly upon Earth for thousands of years. The person whose name is attached to a twinkling star overhead will remember that a loved one gave them this truly unique gift. Indeed, such a present will remain a constant symbol of love throughout their life.