What tradition marks the beginning of the holiday season for you?
In our house (and now our friends’) it’s coffee. And surprisingly, this tradition has nothing to do with Seattle, but rather Minnesota… by way of Chicago…
Tag Archives: gift giving
Guessing Game Gift Tags
19 Dec
Top off the perfect gift with the perfect gift tag — something that doesn’t just say “To” and “From,” but recognizes those things that make your recipient so gift-worthy. You can make a game out of it, too …
Holiday Birthdays
14 DecMerry New Year! I mean, Merry Birthday! (And, if haven’t watched Trading Places, do so… now.)
The holidays can get confusing if your birthday (or the birthday of someone you love) falls in the middle of them.
I consider myself somewhat of an expert on this, since I’ve had a Christmas Eve birthday for, oh, 30 odd years or so.
People with a holiday birthdays grow up with a love-hate relationship with the season. On the one hand, everyone decorates for you, right? On the other, you can’t help but feel a bit obsolete amid the monstrosity that is Christmas.
Regardless, on behalf of Sagittarius-Capricorns everywhere (Sagittorns? Capricarius?), I kindly ask that you be sensitive to our plight. It may be a bit childish, but when it comes to birthdays, there’s still a bit of a kid in us all.
How could a 1 year old not be confused by this menagerie?
Here are five easy ways to distinguish the “happy” part of the day from the “merry”:
Present Treasure Hunt
5 Dec
Photo by Tom Ryan, Flickr Creative Commons
Ah, the present treasure hunt. Brings back fond memories of me and my sister, scribbling notes to each other with scented gel pens, racing around the house in paper crowns.
All you need is a pen, bits of paper, a gift, and a little imagination.
(It’s particularly handy if you have a gift too big or awkward to wrap.)
What You’ll Do
- On scraps of paper, write clues to lead the hunter to different hiding places. For example, Continue reading
Hostess Gift Ideas
19 NovIf there were a spokeswomen for hostess gifts, I’d be a contender.
No, not that Hostess. Although sadly, with the closure, I will never be able to jump in a Twinkie cubicle pit like this.
Anyone who’s ever hosted anything knows that, after putting so much thought and work into doing something for others, it’s heartwarming to have a little gesture of acknowledgment in return.
Whether you use one of these ideas or (even better) come up with something specific to your host, the key is: You don’t need to spend much. The saying holds true. It’s the thought that counts.
The Gift of Experience
25 Nov
My eyes were not closed to what an amazing gift this was. Coincidentally, we were married in that building behind us five years earlier.
It’s Black Friday, and I’m making my list and checking it twice. What I’m checking for is experiential gift ideas.
Basically, the idea is: think beyond the physical items you’ll wrap and put under the tree. (Let’s face it. Sadly, the majority of those items are just going to end up gathering dust or in a landfill somewhere anyway.)
Instead, think about what experience you want to give the person through your gift. Think about how they’ll use it and enjoy it.
Think about the mental snapshot they’ll have afterward, reminding them of a certain time, person, place, knowledge, or emotion. After all, isn’t that the essence of a life? A collection of mental snapshots filed away in our heart, reminding us of the things and people that matter to us most?
Sue was the queen of experiential gift giving, but frankly, she did so on a scale that isn’t financially feasible for most of us.
Included below are a few of the ideas Sue gave to us. If you’re low on cash (as many of us are these days), you can still use the kernel of the idea and adjust it to fit your wallet.
