Posts Tagged ‘idea’

Food Gifts Make My Life Easier

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

I am not a great shopping enthusiast.  Except around the Christmas and Channukah holidays, I hate the parking problems, I don’t enjoy browsing aisle after aisle looking for something that would be just perfect for Grandma or Uncle Arthur.  I certainly do not like waiting on line with frustrated people waiting for the lone employee to handle yet another exchange.  During the holidays, I enjoy strolling through stores simply people watching, without being weighted down with packages.  The experience for whatever reason puts me into a holiday mood, but I do my actual shopping and buying almost entirely online.  That’s a practice I developed in the very early years of the Web.

Online shopping didn’t save my life all by itself.  Just because I started using the Web before any of my friends, I still had to make the decisions.  And then, around five years ago, or so, I discovered food.

That wasn’t very honestly phrased, because I discovered food when I was still an infant.  But I didn’t discover food as a gift idea until recently.  You see, at that time I received a gift basket full of hardly edible sausages, processed cheese spreads (mostly chemicals I think) and crackers that were about as crunchy as a rock.  However, the poor quality of what passed as food in that gift turned out to be my inspiration.  “What,” I thought, “If I had received genuinely good food?”  How different that would have been, and how much I would have enjoyed it.

Since that moment of momentous insight on my part, I have been a dedicated sampler of a variety of food gifts that I buy for myself on the Internet.  I have found that the online gift food stores handle everything from shipping to the accompanying gift cards.  Yes, I actually send myself a gift card to test the store’s dedication to detail.  The Internet boutiques are now the sources for all of my gifts, except those gifts of my loved ones who happen to live very nearby.

The wide selection of quality gift foods available is truly remarkable.  It ranges from live lobster dinners to a fresh fruit basket; from cookie bouquets to live lobsters; from wine gift baskets to imported caviar or fine Wisconsin cheeses.

For those on my gift list who live nearby, I usually assemble my own gift baskets.  Even in those cases, the Internet comes to my rescue with helpful suggestions about how to make my self-assembled gift foods more interesting.  The available articles also have great gift ideas for special people who often happen to be especially difficult when it comes to choosing a gift.

So join me in thanking the web (maybe Al Gore?) for allowing me to walk through an aisle of a store, empty handed, with a huge smile.  I can do that, now, just to soak up the spirit of the season.  I’m a tourist when I’m there instead of a harried shopper.

Troubled with Giving Gifts

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Deciding on a gift purchase can make me anxious: what can I get for Andy on his fortieth birthday? What should I give my wonderful father for his retirement? How can I surprise my hubby with something sweet on our anniversary?

Buying gifts is not my specialty. When I’m the one that has to select a present for someone, I am a complete wreck: what should I buy Aunt Sue for her retirement? What would my parents like for their fifty-first anniversary? How can I possibly surprise my husband on his birthday? And what can I possibly locate to congratulate my son, the young man who has everything, on the successful completion of his college career?

And suppose I do find the perfect present for all of my family and friends, how would I sent it to my father, who just moved to Florida?

And even if I do locate the right thing for everyone, how can I easily send it to my Aunt Ruby who recently moved to Atlanta?  How can I get a gift to my husband at work on Veterans Day? And could I send my parents a meaningful wedding anniversary gift without driving all the way to Baltimore?

Gift baskets turn out to be the magic solution, the answer to my woes and a wonderful way to say that “You are in my thoughts.”

Given the wide choice of gift baskets available, I’ve had no trouble locating a present for anyone on my list. However the truly great part about buying gift baskets on the internet is the reward of not having to become concerned about shipping anything through the mailmyself or even worse—making a long trip! And, if I really want to surprise my husband on our anniversary, I can fill his day with hearts and flowers before he even comes home from work. That can produce a wonderful benefit!

Since my discovery of gift baskets, the process of choosing gifts for my family (and my friends) has become painless! If you find yourself overwhelmed when it comes to gift getting, I advise you to consider gift baskets.

Even my daughter appreciated a gift basket, so I know you’ll find a great gift for anyone on your list!

Getting in Shape: Some Ideas for Giving in Shape

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

We all know people that when you pass by the vitamin store in the mall, we’re not surprised to see them browsing the shelves.  They are the health conscious one in the neighborhood, the one we all unsuccessfully aspire to be.    For the third year in a row, they’ve made it their new year’s resolution to lose those holiday pounds, but this time they’re actually going to go through with it.  No matter what, we all know someone who is “carb conscious.”  When it comes time for their birthday or any gift giving occasion, you know you have to find something that fits their lifestyle, whether that lifestyle is a reality yet or still in the aspirational stage. But, at least you have a good starting point.  You can take this information and turn it into a gift that will inspire them.

One unique gift idea, especially for new comers to the fitness world, might be to get them a trial membership to a health or athletic club.  Here you can find up to date work-out equipment and facilities that your friend can choose from.  They’ll also find a supportive and well trained staff.  They might find that getting a personal trainer can keep them going beyond the point where, in past efforts, they may have simply quit.  Getting a friend a membership is a great way to motivate someone to get out of the house and get started on shedding the pounds.  Even if your friend already has a membership to such a club, you can still give them a free month, or even a gift certificate to be used at the club for additional services or products.

If a gift of a club membership is a bit more than you planned to spend, there are other gifts that can provide the same message of support.  Visit your local sporting goods shop to find inspiration for other appropriate gifts.  Health stores can give you plenty of gift ideas, too.  You might get them a health guide on the latest exercise trend.  

Just because they want to lose weight doesn’t mean they can’t eat.  Many sports shops will have cook books for the health conscious.    In the same locations, you can also find useful gadgets such as pedometers that can be worn throughout the day to encourage walking instead of riding or the stairs instead of the elevator.

If you’re looking for a more personal gift, one of the best healthy gift ideas you can get is a fruit basket. A fruit gift basket is a great gift idea for anyone who is health conscious and watching their weight.  Think of the food pyramid that you may have first glimpsed when you were in grade school.  Fruit is just plain healthy; it is totally cholesterol-free and provides many of the essential vitamins that we all require.    There are all sorts of fruit baskets from which to choose, one of which will fit your budget as well as delighting your health-conscious friend.  One exception to keep in mind, however, often people who are just beginning a low carb diet are not permitted fruit.

So whether they’re just starting into fitness or have been exercising for years, showing your support for their efforts to drop some weight by getting them a healthy gift is a great way to wish them a happy birthday.

The Online World Has the Gift Ideas You’ve Been Searching For

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

I must admit…I’m a gift klutz.  I guess it’s not really that I’m bad about the presenting part, itself.  Whenever it is gift-giving time, it just takes me forever to move beyond the decision stage.  I’m just plain terrible at coming up with original gift ideas.  My solution, as you may have guessed by now, is the Internet.

The web has plenty of both traditional and non-traditional present ideas  Now I realize that everyone is out to make a buck, but that doesn’t bother me in the least.  I’d actually be willing to pay someone just to make the decision for me, so why not buy their products if they can come up with good ideas.  In my country, that’s the patriotic way to look at it!

Is there anyplace other than the online world where I might be inspired to get my mother a New York cheesecake in place of the tin of cookies I sent year after year?  Fortunately, I can stretch this one idea out for many years simply by changing the flavor of cheesecake from one birthday to the next.

My sister-in-law has my same decision making problem.  She went online and discovered a bracelet idea for her grandmother.  It worked out beautifully for her but it raised the bar to a higher standard for me.

There are gift ideas online for various age groups like retired folks or young couples.  You can also use a search engine to find articles recommending gifts of all the gift giving occasions from Christmas to Bar Mitzvahs, from anniversaries to house warmings, or even those holidays when nobody seems to really know the origin, such as Sweetest Day or St. Astor’s day or Siamese kitten day.  You can even search by the category of the item that you want to give.  For example, you might know that you want to give a video game for a Playstation, a piece of jewelry that includes diamonds (you’ve just moved out of my price range) or even a gift for a dog.

Indeed, there are entire website pages and sites dedicated to people who give gift ideas for gift klutzes like me to steal and claim them as our own.  If you have any great gift ideas, please put them online so that I can find them or you could just send the item directly to me and I’ll forward it to my favorite recipient.  You can count on my everlasting appreciation.