Gifts

Gift giving.

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but in the last week, I’ve been told three times that I have a special knack for thinking of great gift ideas. Toot toot. It actually made me feel good because for once in my life, I felt as if my unconventional ways have come in handy.

However, I do attribute most of this ‘gift giving ability’, to my folks. I have a mother who likes the finer things in life and she has the means to go out and get whatever her heart desires. I have a father who is the exact.same.way. So, I have to pull out all the stops when it comes to buying gifts for the significant people in my life. I mean, no wonder I grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth and the only difference between me and my parents is that I do NOT have the means. Lucky me.

Back to the topic at hand. I’ve had to get creative with ideas. I try to think about their interests, the discussions we’ve had lately, and just think if there’s anything that they truly need and every time I do that, I come back to these core words…

Love. Time spent. Spoken words. Actions.

It sounds cheesy, but gift giving isn’t difficult. We as humans are just prone to overcomplicate the uncomplicated. If we just think for a moment, what in the world would make this person’s day, often the first answer we think of, is the best answer. Most of the time, we don’t crave tangible things. Yes, a part of us would love that nice new car, those designer shades or handbags, a pair of Paige jeans, or the new Apple products…but what’s most precious to me as I get older are the memories I’m creating with my bests, not the material items I spend time working for.

The best advice I can give on gift giving is this. Are you ready? Listen to your heart. What would YOU want to hear if it were YOUR birthday. What would you want to receive? What would make your cup runneth over? Often times it’s honestly as simple as a hug, words of affirmation, a card saying the things you’ve wanted to hear for a long time, a “thank you”, an “I love you”, or just knowing how much you mean to them by spending sweet time together.

But, if you’re still confused, if this blog entry hasn’t helped you in any way because you feel like, Okay—if this were that easy, we wouldn’t be reading your crap “gift” blog, then pay attention because here are some for sure’s that will get you through any gift giving situation.

• Bouquets-There aren’t many women out there that don’t love to get flowers at work/home.
• Manquets are my favorites for men. Buy his favorite things: alcohol bottles, socks, t-shirts, candy, travel size deodorants, anything; and attach them to dowels and throw in a sports themed pitcher or plan vase.
• Food-Duh, we all love food, Edible Arrangements, Fairytale Brownies. Yes, please. -
• Massages/ salon services/ - for the people who don’t normally like spending money on this.
• Sweat pants- Lounging? Sign me up. New sweatpants are like fresh, clean sheets. -
• Family photos-if you can endure 3-5 hours with your siblings and family, trust me, this one is always a winner and you’ll ALWAYS walk away with stories from that day. (like the time one of my family members farted on a rock to make all the guys laugh and now that rock is known as “Fart Rock”
• Grilling utensils. Back to food again. Are we seeing a trend yet? How about kabob baskets, wood chips, a smoker perhaps?
• Dinner at a nice restaurant where you have to get really dressed up. (because what person doesn’t love to slay)
• Wine tours/ architectural tours/ an evening in the city, somewhere away from the hometown where you always go.
• Cologne/Perfume- ah the sweet, sweet nectar of freshness. Be still my heart.

The possibilities for gifts are endless, it’s just up to you to choose the right one and I’m 100% sure that you will.

B.