Posts Tagged ‘gift idea’
Many of us are faced with a time in which some of our close friends and family are enduring tough economic times. We want to help, but we also don’t want to embarass them by extending unwanted charity. Especially in those types of cases, we want to be sure that the presents we select for them for special occasions are put to good use, needed and enjoyed. I have a few suggestions:
A fresh fruit basket is Healthy, beautiful, delicious and always enjoyed. If you live near your gift recipient, you can find a lovely basket or other attractive container and fill it with fruit that is in season in your region of the country, obtained at a farmers market, and fill it out with a few exotic fruits picked up at your local super market. If your loved one is farther away, you can arrange for any of a large range of beautiful fruit gift baskets to be delivered to the recipient’s home. It will help them to reduce their grocery bill on their next trip to the super market.
A unique meal is another way to remember a special occasion. One alternative might be to take the friend to a special restaurant. If price is no object to you, be sure to suggest some of the pricier entrees on the menu, so that your guests know that they should not worry about ordering whatever they prefer. For example, you could say something like, “The crab legs are perfect here, but, if you don’t like seafood, try the filet mignon.” If they live too far away for that, you can actually find delicious, gourmet, chef-prepared meals online that arrive frozen and can be heated in almost no time. (I actually keep my freezer stocked with these.) Or you might send a gift certificate to a special place in their town.
A final recommendation is a scrumptious dessert. Now, lets face it, nobody should indluge in too many desserts, but on a birthday, anniversary or holiday, everyone deserves a chance to feel a little pampered. Bake cookies, if that is a skill of yours, and hand deliver or have them delivered. For something a little more special consider giving them a delicious pie or a New York style cheesecake. Whether you make it yourself or have others do the work for you doesn’t matter. It will be appreciated and definitely enjoyed either way.
You may observe that all my recommendationinvolve food. Someone who is going through a difficult time may not want to accept charity, but nobody can reject a genuinely special gift. If it reduces the grocery bill by a bit, that’s just a bonus.
For the little princess in your life these are the best gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season.
For girls up to nine in age the make your own jewelry kits are a hot item as are the edible jewelry kits. The fashion design studios for dolls and pets are also a number one on the wish list this year. Games that link to their game systems or TV and are interactive like dancing or designing are items all girls are interested in.
Boys always have some hobbies they are interested in and this year is no different in the gift department. Every boy wants to be a super rock star so any musical instrument he can play or games that include them will be a mega hit. Sets for building things or making things are a popular item this year as well. Bikes that once were the best thing a boy could ask for are no getting replaced with scooters and mini electric bikes.
For younger kids these items are top on Santa’s gift idea list this year. Learning games and Computers made just for their age group. There is also ride on me trains, interactive play sets and dolls. Most ask for is the musical instruments such as an electronic sound guitar and musical play kit with tambourine, cymbals and drum.
Teenagers love anything having to do with Music. Whether it be compact disc to MP3’s. You can never go wrong with any of these as long as you get the right songs and groups that are in with their crowd these days. Tarot card kits, cameras and crafting kits are also high on teenagers list of items they would like. They are also coming around to loving anything retro like old records and players too. Remote control toys and kits are a sure way to get your son’s attention during the holiday time of year as will the perfect video game and system.
College age young adults really want gift ideas they can use in their down time to relax and do in the comfort of their dorm rooms. Arts of any kind as in painting sets, sketching and sewing are great things to wrap up for them. The young adult guys like anything that has music to do with it instruments, handheld games you name it they want it. You can always add in some of their favorite style books and movies for an extra surprise.
This year books and movies about vampires are the talk of all kids from pre-teens to teens so any of those novels or movies would be a sure way to guarantee a happy holiday.
You should always give gifts out of love and let your heart rule the gift ideas you have for each special person within your life. Cost does not matter its the thought and the time you put into the gift that really matters the most. After all that is what the holidays are all about?
Gift baskets are out of date! Or is it that they’re just plain boring? Actually, I hope the correct response is neither. I’m actually a gift food merchant. Kind of has a special ring to is, doesn’t it? Granted, it may be less significant that solving the global warming problem or removing a pesky mouse from under your kitchen cabinet, but it’s an honest way to pay for the roof over my family’s head.
I can read your mind: “All of his gift problems are solved; year in and year out everybody on his list gets stuck with another gift basket.” How dare you think about me in that way! In fact, I face the same dilemmas that you face during any gift giving, decision making crisis.
I do not give food filled bundles of joy to my entire gift list. However, even if I did, the choice would still not be easy. At my store, we offer scores of fruit baskets, gourmet meals, wine gift baskets and far more than that, even. (I know what you’re thinking right now, “Please, oh please, just tell me where this wonderful paradise is located so that I can go there to buy your most expensive offerings for everyone on my gift list!” A little patience is called for on your part.)
Before you bribe me (or threaten me) to share my store location with you, I want to tell you about my own decision making approach.
First, I decide on an appropriate category of gift. If Uncle Milton has his drinking problem under control for the first time in ten years, I should not even consider the wine baskets. Instead, I think I’ll send him an assortment of gourmet cheeses and a fresh fruit basket.
Dear, dear Aunt Mildred is a great wine talker. I don’t think she truly enjoys sipping her wine, but she loves to try to impress everyone with what she knows about it. She thrills to have a new member of her audience so that she can explain what makes a good vintage year, the varieties of grapes that are used in her favorite blends and, especially, how much she paid for each bottle (as well as how much she paid for the carpeting you just ruined by spilling your glass). She’ll get a simple wine gift basket, but I’m not going to spring for the champagne! (I’m also not going to pay for the carpet cleaning; not after what that cat of hers did to my new coat.)
Everyone in our family, except me, says that my nephew Alfred finally made his girlfriend an honest woman. I, on the other hand, never doubted his girlfriend’s honesty, but I have some reasons to suspect Alfred. In any case, they finally got married. To tell you the truth, even I agree that it’s about time. Alfred spent the last eight years trying to decide if she was worth the cost of a diamond ring. (I suspect that he eventually settled on crystal, which, considering Alfred, would be thought of as generous.) What he wants is a check. Well, he’s not getting that from me. Instead, they’re getting a meal of live lobsters and the trimmings from me. Actually two, of course. My thinking is that this is the only way to get his bride out of the kitchen. Alfred would never pay for a restaurant meal, so, in a sense, I’m sending the restaurant to them.
Second, I decide how much I’m willing to spend on these losers.
My perfect grandson isn’t getting a food gift. I’m getting him the latest Cell Phone system, complete with an unlimited calling plan. I would get him a sports car if only you would buy a lot more gift baskets!