The Gift Ideas Blog

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!

Reader Phyllis wrote to suggest a posting she made on her blog Personal Treasures about gifts that give twice, or gifts that benefit charity. She writes about homemade gifts from ETSY.com whose producers donate their proceeds to charity. The post was so popular that she followed up with a second post about gifts that keep on giving.

Check it out, find some great gifts, and help a charity at the same time! It’s perfect during this holiday gift-giving season.

Today we’re going to talk about good gift ideas.

No, not “good” as in the gift recipient will like it a lot. Good gifts as in it does good for the world. For example, consider giving a donation in somebody else’s name. Some charities will offer certificates of donation, and you can present that: “This certifies that John Smith has donated $500 to the American Cancer Society.” It’s a gift that helps a charity and is like sharing the good karma that comes from helping a good cause. There are even agencies that will help you take care of everything. For example, Charity Checks allows your gift recipient to donate to a charity of their choosing, while you get the tax deduction.

Also, consider gifts that are ethical or fair. For example, fair trade items help producers in other countries be paid a fair wage and price for their products. The most famous example are coffee and bananas. Other food products have recently been marketed as fair trade. Do your research and make sure you understand that it’s actually fair trade and the terms of the fair trade agreement before buying just because it says “Fair Trade.”

Give a pound of fair trade coffee as a gift to a coffee drinker. Or, consider fair trade arts and crafts. There are several sites, such as Cebra or Global Crafts, dedicated to selling arts and crafts and clothes from people who otherwise might not have an opportunity to make a living from their handiwork. Look for a company that is ethical and pays the craftmakers a fair wage.

Finally, give a gift that can be helpful to the environment or the world. For example, plants are often a good gift because when planted in a garden, they can continue to offer visual and environmental benefits. Trees, in particular, will grow tall and be a gift that will be remembered every time it is seen. Also, some charities allow you to donate money to preserve an acre of rainforest, or donate money for the restoration of destroyed environmental habitats. Perhaps you could try donating money in the name of your gift recipient, and that would benefit part of the world.

Give a good gift today, bring joy to your gift recipient, and help the world!

It’s summertime and a great time to give a random, fun gift. What are some great gifts to give during the summer?

A lot of people go to the beach during the summer, so you could get a beach gift. What would this entail? Maybe give a fun beach towel. Or a new swimsuit. Plastic shovels and pails and molds to create the perfect sand castle are also appropriate for the beach. Other beach toys, such as beach balls, volleyballs, a sand volleyball net, horseshoes, and kites might be a fun gift for those who spend a lot of time at the beach.

Of course, not everyone lives near the beach, but certainly a lot of people live near a body of water that is fun to visit in hot weather. For example, many people visit lakes or rivers for recreation, so similar gifts can be given.

A lot of people go swimming in pools and other bodies of water, so you could give snorkels, goggles, flippers, flotation devices, kickboards, surfboards, or wetsuits.

Maybe you could create a fun beach-themed gift basket, filled with snacks to take to the beach, some fun beach toys, maybe a tube of sunscreen or coconut-scented suntan oil, all placed in a beach pail or large fabric tote bag to carry all of the above? It’s perfect prepping for a fun day out at the beach. Great for the whole family.

Summertime offers a spectacular opportunity to give the gift of fun. Take advantage of the hot water and give a loved one or friend something exciting for the summer!

How to make your own Easter gift basket

Gift baskets are oh-so popular during the Easter season, but many of the ones sold at convenience or drug stores look plastic and tacky. And it’s expensive to buy a gourmet gift basket, which can cost up to hundreds of dollars. Well, an excellent idea is to make your very own gift basket!

Here’s how:

Get a basket. Do you have any nice baskets lying around the house? Perhaps one left over from a previous season’s gift baskets, or one that was used to pick fruit or carry things. If not, go to your local craft store and get a nice basket. Ones made with a darker straw material can lend themselves to classier-looking gift baskets.

Get filling: Perhaps some nice straw to create a nice base or padding for the gifts to go in the basket. Or, get creative and fold up a nice blanket to put at the bottom of the basket. Or, if you’re so inclined, most stores with Easter merchandise sell bunched-up strips of plastic, like fake grass.

Get gifts: Then, buy gifts to put in the baskets! Needless to say, the gifts should be small enough to fit inside the basket. Popular gifts inside gift baskets include candy, toys, eggs, and other little trinkets and goods. If the gift basket is for children, a stuffed animal is especially endearing. Candy is also frequently put into gift baskets. From sweet Cadbury Creme Eggs and Peeps to special Easter edition M&Ms or Hershey’s Kisses, you can’t go wrong with sweets galore in your basket.

Get a theme: Good gift baskets will have a nice theme that unifies all the contents. For example, the gift basket could have all spring colors. Or, it could all be chocolate-related food. Or it could have all things that are enjoyed by the intended recipient. If your gift recipient likes a particular sport, the gift basket could have things themed to that sport. Personalizing your gift basket will make it that much more meaningful to the gift recipient!

Making your own gift basket can be a fun and rewarding activity for a lazy afternoon. And it doesn’t have to be just for Easter! They are a good project and present for any gift-giving season.

St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, is coming up, and there’s just enough time left to get that perfect present for your favorite person.

Here are some St. Patrick’s Day gift ideas:

- Think of Irish things. Naturally, since this is an Irish-themed holiday, you can think of Irish gifts. Is the gift recipient Irish? Perhaps a flag from Ireland would be a nice desk addition. Or a fun Irish top hat!

- Since green beer is a popular Saint Patrick’s Day beverage, how about making your own green beer kit? Include a bottle or handle of the recipient’s favorite brew (you can’t go wrong with some Guinness stout) along with a nice beer stein and some food coloring, available at your local supermarket.

- Obviously, the holiday celebrates luck and being lucky, so how about a gift of a lucky talisman? Perhaps some sort of lucky charm. Or a box of Lucky Charms cereal as a gag gift. Also, consider giving a bunch of lucky shamrocks or seeds for the gift recipient to plant them him or herself (such as this Luck Growing Garden Kit we featured last year).

- Green anything. Remember that those who don’t wear green will get pinched. Make sure your gift recipient doesn’t have that happen to him or her by giving them something in that hue. Perhaps a fun green polo shirt? Or a pin that says, “Kiss me, I’m Irish.” Or distribute a set of green shamrock stickers to give away. The possibilities are endless.