Gift Ideas Blog

Well, you got that wonderful digital camera for Christmas, but now what? You’re taking lots of pictures, but sometimes there’s just not anybody around to help you take your picture. Or, you want to take a cool self-portrait for MySpace or another social networking site profile. What do you do?

You could get the Timetale FOZI Tripod, a handy-dandy tripod that fits right in your wallet! It comes in seven different colors, and it folds up flat into the palm of your hand. When you’re ready to use it, simply open it up, put the flap in the slot, and set your digital camera right on top. You can get it to accommodate a cell phone camera, iPhone camera, and most compact digital cameras. See it in action on YouTube here.

It’s a great gift for any cell phone camera or digital camera user, and it’s so small and compact for easy use.

OK, it’s Christmas Eve, and you’re still looking for that last-minute gift. Your options are limited, but lucky for you, many retailers are open extra hours today to accommodate the last-minute rush.

Your best bet is probably a gift card. Gift cards help make up millions of dollars in sales for retailers, and it’s no wonder. They are easy to buy, and popular with gift givers who aren’t sure what their gift recipient might like. It’s also popular with gift recipients because they get to choose exactly what they want to buy, albeit only in the store from which the gift card was purchased. It’s a win-win situation, though, so what’s not to like about gift cards?

If not, try making your own gifts. A homemade heartfelt card written with sincerity and filled with love and friendship just might speak volumes more than a hundred-dollar gift. Some construction paper and scrapbook decorations and stickers can go a long way in creating a personalized and much-loved Christmas card. Then, hand-deliver the card with some freshly-baked cookies or other baked goods. It’s easy to look up a recipe for holiday baked goods and then deliver them on a nice holiday paper plate and wrapped in Christmas-color cellophane and ribbon.

Other great Christmas gifts include floral arrangements, boxes of candy or chocolates (the Lindt Excellence “Holiday Spice” chocolate bar is particularly delicious and gourmet), and gourmet snack tins filled with such poppable foods as popcorn, pretzels, cheesy poofs, or gummy candies.

Well, good luck with your last-minute Christmas gift shopping! When all is done, you’ll be relieved and happy to settle down and celebrate that “most wonderful time of the year” with all your loved ones.

Christmas presents

Christmas will be here before we know it, and it’s time to get all those last-minute gifts before the big gift-giving holiday. Many online retailers are still offering last-minute shipping deals, and it’s quite possible to find a gift online that will still be sent out by companies to your gift recipient by Christmas Day (rapid guaranteed one-day shipping, for a price, of course). But you’ll have to hurry. Many of these retailers are swamped during this time with similar last-minute gift shoppers, so you’ll want to order today to have them ship out the item by Monday to hopefully arrive on time on Christmas Day.

You might actually have better luck going to a store to find the perfect gift during this time. A recent jaunt over to Kmart and Target yielded delightful gift boxes, all wrapped up and ready to be given. They contain various gifts, from jam and preserves sets to shaving kits to hot cocoa mixes in holiday mugs. All packaged nicely in appropriate boxes, you don’t need much effort to get it ready for presentation. With these stores doing all the work, it shouldn’t be hard finding the perfect gift. They’ll also help you out because many stores offer gift-wrapping as well, so it’s all one-stop shopping, without any hassles once you get home.

Also, try a smaller boutique. They offer unique gift items that are personal and not as mass-marketed. Perhaps try an antique store for a vintage twist. My friend recently found at a vintage store a silver heirloom locket that she planned to give to her mother after putting in her own portrait. Such treasures seem to have more meaning when they are vintage and have an old story to them.

If you are unable to go out to shop for Christmas, perhaps consider a home-made gift. One delightful idea a friend used once was to make a huge batch of gingerbread dough. Then, divide the dough into smaller portions, wrap it up in plastic, and give the gingerbread dough away to friends and family members along with a card containing a recipe for making gingerbread and instructions on how to bake it (temperature, how much time, etc.). Perhaps also include a gingerbread man cookie cutter. That little set is cheap and easy to make yourself, yet it will be well-received by your gift recipient because it is unique and a fun gift to receive because you can have a mini-party baking and then later decorating that gingerbread.

Also, you could try creating your own gift basket. Put some coffee or teas, or jams or wines or fresh fruit into a basket, then affix a delightful and colorful bow to the top. It’s an instant gift basket! If it’s a Christmas gift for children, add some toys and candy, and that’s sure to be a hit with the youngsters. Perhaps you could also use Christmas colors of green, red, gold, and silver in coordinating your gift basket items. Or use a green, red, and gold ribbon to tie up the basket. There aren’t any rules; just pick what your gift recipient might like and wrap it up so it looks beautiful. Easy peasy!

Well, it’s just two shopping days ’til Christmas. Good luck, everyone, in finding that perfect Christmas gift!

People start to look pale in the long winter season because of the reduced sunlight and fewer opportunities to go outside, but you can give the gift of tan, bronzed skin with gift certificates to your local tanning salon! In fact, Hollywood Tans is offering a special holiday deal for those looking for last-minute gifts.

The indoor tanning salon chain is offering a seasonal promotion through which you can get a free $10 gift card to their salons with a $50 purchase. So you can give the gift of tanned skin while giving yourself a little treat as well. Help a friend or relative look as if he or she has just returned from a tropical vacation, even though it’s the middle of winter!

Hollywood Tans has several programs, and memberships begin at $19.99. Some options can get you looking tan in as few as one or two sessions. Visit Hollywood Tans to find which of their 320 locations is closest to you and to look at their various tanning plans.

Do you have a friend who’s a businessperson or is always glued to his or her laptop for work or home? Then perhaps a good gift idea this holiday season is Lapworks’ Laptop Desk Futura. Lapworks sells various ergonomic desks and stands for laptops that can ensure comfort and safety for frequent uses of these electronics. But the Laptop Desk Futura is being featured especially for its style and convenience.

The Futura, which is retailing for $29.95, has five incline positions, so you can set it for proper ergonomic laptop use. The laptop stand also has vents, so the surface under the laptop doesn’t get too hot (this is especially good for men because high heat on the lap from laptops has been said to reduce fertility). It has special rubber holds that keep the laptop steady, and best of all, the stand folds down flat so you can just slip it next to your laptop in your carrying case when you’re not using it.

Thin, lightweight, and good for your posture and ergonomics, this gift is perfect for businesspeople and others who frequently work on laptops. Check it out!

Brian over at Asylum.com referred us to one of their recent posts about extravagantly overpriced retro toys. A Mr. T talking doll is going for $60, while a Mork and Mindy lunchbox is going for $220! It may be a lot, but if your gift recipient loves classic TV or ’70s cult figures, it just might be the perfect gift. It also reminds us to hold on to those old belongings and gifts, because you never know how much they might be worth in 20 or 30 years!

Check it out!

So with that delightful digital camera you gave or received for the latest holiday or gift-giving event, you might want some advice on how best to use that electronic device.

The kind folks at HP have provided a variety of photography tips to help you take perfect pictures of your holiday get-togethers and to capture delightful images of everyone with their new gifts.

Before taking pictures in the coming months, check out those picture-taking tips so you can remember those special memories forever.