Christmas Presents under Tree
I'm always looking for new and different gift ideas. What is your favorite gift to give? Do you have a "signature gift"? Do you go for practical or luxurious? I've known people who buy multiples of scented candles or a particular book that they give to everyone from their children's teachers to Grandma. I love scented candles and have thought about getting lots of them to give away this year. These smell really good and are on sale for $5 this week in the Bath and Body stores. I also saw these in a magazine recently and thought they looked like a good idea for the gals on my list.
I would also love to know if you do your shopping online and what sort of experiences you have had with it. I hear there are supposed to be lots of "Cyber Monday" deals this year, but I've never done much shopping online.
I love scented candles also. I think they make a great gift
ReplyDeleteI like the idea my sister started with my daughter. She has given her 2 Christmas ornaments each year since she was born. She is 15 years old now. I put them on the tree since they are so beautiful. I think that is a great idea.
Then Comes Wife: A Manhattan Wife's Journey Back to Tradition
ReplyDeleteI love to give either:
1. A Homemade Baked Good
2. CD series from my husband's ministry
3. A photography session with me
The key for me is to make it personal and specific to the person's need.
My new favorite for handmade good is Etsy. Everything on there is so cute!
btw...I added my backlink...hope that is okay :)
I love the gifts that I give my siblings! Last year I collected old prom dresses from friends, rounded up my old worn out high heels and scoured Goodwill for crazy outfits to create the most amazing dress-up collection for my sisters (age 4 and 6). They're playroom is the envy of every gal in the neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteThis year I've been recording myself with a program called Audacity making them a CD of their favorite songs and stories. I add in jokes and little personal messages.. I think it will be fun for them since I don't live in town and I can't be there for bedtime stories. :)
We're all chipping in booking my parents a night in a hotel in downtown Indianapolis. I think those kinds of gifts where you're giving someone an experience can be the most thoughtful! Concert tickets, a day at the zoo, manicures or even homemade gift vouchers for a special day together can be the very best!
I also like giving magazine subscriptions (you can find some sweet deals online), luxurious pajamas (TJ Maxx) and have found fantastic books at Goodwill!
I LOVE gift giving!
My gift to friends and family is a custom apron or handbag.
ReplyDeleteI started making these a few months ago and it is now gifts for birthdays and holidays.
I enjoy making crochet items because this is what I do best. For family members especially I like to make something extra special just for that person from myself.
ReplyDeleteMy traditional gifts that I give to my daughters is a yearly Calendar. They look forward to that special gift and have even said that is the only gift they look forward to every year. It doesn't even matter what the calendar theme is (puppies, Eagles football, Scripture, flowers, etc.) as long as they receive this anticipated gift. I started this when they were around 12 years old and now my oldest is 28. Kind of a silly gift I guess but that's one I have to get!!!
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My favorite gift to give is baked goods. I make lots of cookies and homemade candy and decorate baskets to put them in. People seem to love them because many people don't seem to make Christmas cookies any more (that I know). I know they will like them and it isn't junk they will just throw away.
ReplyDeleteI have a large family, and the older they get, the more difficult it becomes to buy the gift that will be loved. My current preference is to give cash with a special gift. I have given cash in a discount/used book--I rarely buy new. It is an acceptable practice in the family. A bag/box of candy or homemade treat works with teens, a pair of warm and yummy socks, or any other small, but usable item will work as well. My daughter gives themed baskets.
ReplyDeleteI love books, especially trade books for children. I buy them just for myself. I have my favorite artists and authors. I have my favorite places to peruse for "good buys," and purchase them throughout the year. While most of them are given to the grandchildren as well as nieces and nephews, my daughters, with or without children, appreciate them. I make sure I know the genre of my family's reading preferences and keep them in mind during the year.
I always give my children pj's and a chocolate advent calendar. Even at 18 and 25 they look forward to these gifts. I also try and do a gift basket with a theme for my siblings... giving them what they like and wouldn't buy themselves. I shop a lot on line and am always very satisfied! Good luck this year.. can you believe how close it is??
ReplyDeleteI love a good scented candles as well especially one with no chemicals or paraffin in the wax. I am busy with shows and making gift baskets with my gourmet candles.
ReplyDeletein addition to what other members have said.. making homemade goods/treats... I tend to start my holiday shopping early. Woot.com has some awesome deals! I've scored a Kitchen Aid blender/food processor for far less on that site and that's for my mother... Woot.com also has other sections (kids). I got most of my kids' presents from that site.
ReplyDeleteI love the gift of candles but I guess not everybody else does? Those bath and body works are my favorite right now. I usually make a homemade something to give to every family that we know and then my family has a gift exchange where we only buy for one person. I love the idea of having a signature gift as long as it's a good one and not a fruitcake, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI don't really have a signature gift but I always go to candles if I am stuck because everyone loves them. I do shop online if what I need isn't nearby and this year I will be doing some of that.
ReplyDeleteBoth of those things look great and I've given both! One thing I like to do is give something that people already use 'up a notch'
ReplyDeleteLike I know a few tea drinkers but I will get some great teas - special ones that they have never tried. You can buy small amounts for not that much in pretty cans. Its a great gift... Ditto same idea for coffee drinkers..
Last year I gave several neighbors a fresh pineapple tied with a red grosgrain ribbon and a greeting from our family. They were thrilled, and so was I--at $2 a piece!
ReplyDeleteBOOKS! I love them for all ages. And music.. if you really know what the person likes.
ReplyDeleteI can live without another candle for awhile. ha ha
ReplyDeleteActually I usually give baked goodies. I usually make my signature cookie assortment. I also make cream scones and include a jar of lemon curd with it.
I think my signature gift is homemade candy. I make white chocolate peppermint balls, peppermint bark, toffee, saltine toffee, truffles -- whatever the person loves. Then I put the candy into individual cellophane bags and tie with red and green ribbons and give two or three different types to each person. Never fails to impress and quite economical. :)
ReplyDeleteLast year I made homemade choc fudge topping for ice cream. I put into a nice jelly or small size fruit jars, then sealed. It looked nice with a ribbon and a homemade suggestions tag. This year I will be making different kinds of topping - milk choc and dark choc.
ReplyDeleteTracey, I really like your idea of the pineapple with ribbon. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThey are so beautiful. I think that is a great idea. I am loving it!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sharing!
We always give homemade cocoa mix, with candy canes and mini marshmallows...we also bake mini loaves of cinnamon bread or whatever mood strikes us along with about a dozen types of cookies...we mix starting this week-end bake and freeze the bread...we bake the cookies closer to christmas and freeze them until the day before we pass them out...and if the children don't eat them first...it is a great surprise..i purchase tins and gift jars at the salvation army and yard sales throughout the year...everyone has a hand in it, from toddlers to teen-agers, and my d-il
ReplyDeleteBooks.
ReplyDeleteThere's something special about finding a book that matches your loved one's interests.
And I love to receive them, too.
I think those kinds of gifts where you're giving someone an experience can be the most thoughtful! Concert tickets,
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