Tips on Great Christmas Gift Giving
Its that time again! Where gift-giving is as frequent as those Christmas carols played in the malls, elevators and wherever else friends and family gather to shop, celebrate and max out those charge cards!
But its not that hard to purchase the perfect Christmas gift idea for your friend or family. Whether it is the hard to buy for father or the "has everything friend," your gift giving will be a little easier this Christmas if you follow a few important tips! And don't forget to stay turned for more shopping tips so you will join that Christmas song FA LA LA LA LA... Love that shopping!
Tip #1
1) Quality, Quality, Quality! It might cost a little more but avoid those checkout, pre-wrapped gifts like the shoe polishers, nail kits with ugly cheap nail polish or anything that is screaming: "I don't really know you and have no idea what to get you for Christmas!" It doesn't take much more money to pick out that perfect gift for your father or mother when you just decide to look for quality rather than grab a quick item. It might cost a little more but you won't see it at the next family garage sale!
Tip #2
Give a gift that reflects your own relationship with the recipient! For example, growing up, I loved to bake cookies with my mother. It was our special time together so last year, I gave her a great new cookie sheet, cookie cutters, new spoon, fancy toppings and a cook book especially on cooking! I included a Christmas coupon that stated that it was good for an afternoon of cookie baking... and now I knew how to keep my hands off the hot oven! She was thrilled and, less than a week later, we rang in the New Year with a few dozen cookies and some new shared memories!
Tip #3
Tailor your gift to the recipient... know their hobbies, their interests and their passions! I have a friend who watches more movies than most of us watch in a year! Instead of that usually DVD, I decided to put together a bowl filled with movie goodies. The bowl said POPCORN on it and I filled it with popcorn and those movie size snacks that are easy finds for less than a dollar each at the local drug stores. I threw in two movie passes and a perfect friend's Christmas gift was born! He even told me later that he had portioned out the snacks for each movie he watched (oh to be a disciplined man!)
Tip#4
Make it personal! Sometimes the difference between a so-so Christmas gift and a truly special one is to enclose a card telling your husband why this is the perfect gift for him. Or you can write a truly sappy card that is sure to please your wife and remind her why she loves you so much! A small gift can turn into a special memory by just adding a card that is well-written because it is written from the heart!
Tip #5
Personalize it. It takes a little extra time and a few extra dollars but even a small gift can become very special when it is personalized. Who doesn't like to see name or initials on an item, whether a keychain or a silver chain bracelet. For the budget minded, I suggest purchasing beach towels or hand towels from a local discount store and checking with those friends who have really fancy sewing machines. Initials are an easy task on some machines. Or break the bank and drop them off at a place who monograms. My family gave these gifts as graduation presents and it was such a hit we repeated the idea at the holidays. Easy, fun and very affordable!
Stay tuned for more gift-giving tips!