I am a fan of Mystic Stitch patterns and have done several. I am working on one now that is also just in the grays, black and shades of white type pattern. Mine is also very large like this one. My advice for you is that if you have not cross stitched for several years this is not the project for you to get first. I don't know how long you have until the gift is to be presented, but I have been working on my project for over a year and am only half done with it. The company says they can be done by beginners, but I do not agree. The colors and shades are so much alike that you have to be really careful.
I don't mean to scare you off, but these are just the things I have learned with Mystic Stitch projects. They are beautiful though when finished.