DISQUS

Cameron · 1 year ago

With the recession I'm almost more excited about receiving since I feel I'll be getting so much exciting home-made stuff.

For me I'm going to focus on nostalgia. Raid some vintage stores for cool old accessories, sewing patterns and books. I'm also a big giver of movies. Even if it's bad, an old movie can evoke all sorts of positive emotions.

Lael Trent · 1 year ago

I know some of the loveliest people at my office and it’s such a fulfilling task to buy them gifts, just to see that simile on their face. This year I’m buying 5 of my friends the ipod shuffle. The good part was that I ordered them online from www.ipodyourlife.co.in/make_it.aspx, have also begun hunting for music, they favorites actually, so I can load it on before gifting them away. I hope they love the ipod I’ve got them.

Jess · 1 year ago

I am going to surprise my boyfriend with his favourite hockey player of all time's jersey :)
I am also excited just for the gift of time - to give and receive it...everyone making the time to spend with each other and create Christmas memories.

JoeM · 1 year ago

We give to an organization which donates animals to poor villagers across the world - chickens, goats, sheep, cows, water buffalo, pigs, etc. It's a village enrichment program. Each villager must take the male and female animal and share the offspring with their neighbors. The idea being that from the animal husbandry comes eventual enrichment of the entire village from a poor one to a prosperous one. Of course along with the gift comes the responsibility of learning to care for and raise the animals. A single water buffalo for instance can increase the rice yield in a village by 10 fold, chickens produce eggs, pigs produce offspring and fullfil a major role in many farms.

It's always better than receiving a bunch of "stuff" you have to dust or which doesn't matter to our own survival. We give the animals on behalf of our family, friends, and neighbors.

Joe

CarrieM · 1 year ago

giving animals, great Joe. What's the organization?

L'Mae · 1 year ago

Sounds like Heifer International.
Find them here http://www.heifer.org/

MoJo · 1 year ago

This year we're forgoing gifts to eachother, and saving up for a huge gift for our daughter. It's a 3 ft. tall dinosaur that she can climb onto, which makes noises, moves around and she can feed. She looooves dinosaurs and I couldn't resist this when I saw it...

Linda Borland-Fitzgerald · 1 year ago

Matching necklaces for my adult daughter and her best friend, that I had custom made by an artist on ETSY. I'm traveling to L.A. to spend Christmas with my daughter and will be seeing her girlfriend as well. I did this as they were enthralled with the vampire series 'Twilight' this summer and saw these chains with 2 dangling game pieces, one white and one red, just like the cover of one of the books. Meanwhile, they've seen the movie (of course) and because they work in the 'industry' in L.A., they were highly critical of the production, so I'm not sure the surprise will have the impact I had originally anticipated. Oh well, a bit of fun.

DanielleLaPorte · 1 year ago

ETSY is a great place for original gifts. I love to support Etsy artists.

weezie · 1 year ago

My best friend took her daughter and granddaughter Louisa to Disneyland last week for Louisa's 4th birthday; I was in Los Angeles visiting my daughter (who is Louisa's Godmother) and we joined them for a few days. I plan to make a photo book for my friend, her daughter, and my daughter online at Kodakgallery.com. They will be thrilled!

Rebecca Gaffney · 1 year ago

Giving and receiving time is that which has me most excited. To catch up with family and friends and see their beautiful faces.

L'Mae · 1 year ago

For all my visually creative friends: The deluxe set of Colorforms! I found them at a local kid's store. Art supplies for kids. Homemade bath salts for those in cold climates (with oils of euclayptus, rosemary, basil and whatever else the muse decrees). I love your framed poems and lip shimmer ideas!
Hmmm, now the ideas are starting to hum...
Thanks for the inspiration!

Theresa L · 1 year ago

The gift I am most excited about giving this year is a plane ticket to my 17 year old daughter to fly to Vancouver on Boxing Day to visit her older sister, whom she hasn't seen in almost 6 months!
This gift for my younger daughter will also be special for my eldest as she misses her younger sister terribly and has been talking about how she wishes "Andrea could be here (Vancouver) so they can shop together in the Big City on Boxing Day" Well.....that will now be possible. SURPRISE! Andrea will now forgive me for being such a NAG about saving some of her pay cheque for a "rainy day"!

CarrieM · 1 year ago

you are a great Mum T!

Theresa L · 1 year ago

Thanks, Carrie!
I've been fortunate to have had some great teachers (eg Mum Mentors!) as well as support from friends and family

HelloFabulous · 1 year ago

Last year, my brother and I gave our grandparents "12 special memories". Being across the country, we wanted to give them a gift that would "give" to them all year long. It proved to be such a treat - on the first of every month, they opened a new envelope. They were very practical gifts (gift cards, recipes, etc,) but wrapped with love and a special note as to the reason we were giving it.
This year, we have put together a box of "Brown paper packages tied up with string, here are a few of our favorite things". Again, a special treat to open each month - everything from Tim Horton's (they live in Ontario!) gift cards, wool with a pattern to knit a coat for our dog that they love, silicon cupcake liners with our favorite muffin recipes, our fav green cleaning products..the list goes on! Now they have something special to open each month, it is useful yet made with love. They cry everytime and we always get a wonderful email on the 2nd of the month (they open them on the 1st!)...which keeps communication alive 3000miles apart.

CarrieM · 1 year ago

That is so lovely and thoughtful.

Ellen · 1 year ago

I'm not giving material gifts this year - no money.
I am giving myself a month of focusing on spirit and light.

Susie Hutchinson · 1 year ago

We are giving photographs this year. Some of our daughter, and wedding photos of my husbands parents to his siblings.

Suzyn · 1 year ago

Last year, we had a picture of our sons printed on postcard-sized magnets at vistaprint.com. Every single family member now has it on their fridge!

Suzyn · 1 year ago

Every year I make an ornament for each of my nieces and nephews. This year they are little knitted puffs with a snowflake on one side and their initial on the other. And I came up with the best secret santa gag gift - a share of a goat from Heifer.org. "Share of a goat" ought to get a laugh, but no one has to take home any cr*p, and a family in El Salvador will be that much closer to financial independence.

kerrymac · 1 year ago

Homemade, eco cleaners for the home...I posted some recipes on my blog under the eco living category. Chic stainless steel spray bottles and some great Martha Stewart labels will make these cleaners gift worthy for sure. We also made some homemade dog biscuits together for our furry friends.
www.snickerdoodles.typepad.com

CarrieM · 1 year ago

great ideas, is the dog biscuit recipe on your blog?

kerrymac · 1 year ago

Hello Carrie,

We made the dog cookies with a mix we bought...it was super easy. I do have
recipe around though somewhere....I'll try and find it for you.

k

alligator_kate · 1 year ago

Thanks for this inspiration! I make my own cleaners, but had not thought to package them cutely as gifts... I will try it and report back on your blog. :)

Daniel Gibbons · 1 year ago

We're staying with my brother and his wife and seven-month-old for a night or two. I'd love to babysit and give them the chance for a proper night out.

carolynn · 1 year ago

Well....I have to admit, one of the gifts I'm most excited about giving this year is a copy of Style Statement to my niece who is in her early 20's. I'm also going to print and frame some of my own photographs and give those as gifts to friends & family. They're not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

Alison · 1 year ago

She'll love it. Its pure validation: so powerful.

CarrieM · 1 year ago

Ahhh, authenticity is a wonderful gift. Thanks for spreading our message.

Cobby · 1 year ago

I am really excited about giving my husband a year's worth of pedicures at a new upscale barber shop in our area for Christmas. He has incredibly rough feet that crack and hurt. We've tried everything to help make them softer, but nothing has worked. I'm so excited about it because it's something he needs that will make him feel good and will allow me to snuggle up to him at night and rub feet to warm up. I'm also thrilled because the barber shop is pre-selling the gift certificates at 50% off face value to build their client base before they open so I'm getting a great deal too.

Alison · 1 year ago

Aww! Such a thoughtful and wonderful gift. I hope that he loves it!

alligator_kate · 1 year ago

Homemade: The winter cold care package: elderberry syrup, ginger slippery elm throat lozenges, white pine syrup, tulsi honey, garlic honey, boneset tincture, fire cider
Homemade: the home spa treatment: oat/linden face scrub, elder flower face steam, rosemary witch hazel toner, lavender honey mask, white clay and rosewater mask, lavender and sustainably harvested sandalwood body lotion.

In decoupaged cigar boxes.

I know I would like them... I hope my family does. They can be a bit commercial, but I am just over that aspect of the holidays, though I know I'll have some great books on the list.

alligator_kate · 1 year ago

I also read recently in the New York Times, actually, about someone who wrote heartfelt, meaningful thank you cards as Christmas presents... Thank yous to people for being who they are. I love this idea too, and am excited to try it.

Shannon · 1 year ago

So many great ideas offered here, thanks everyone! ...some of them I plan to use. Our family is very much into making gifts and this year, and wish to spend time doing things together instead of spending time shopping for each other. A special gift I am working on is a photo journal of a recent cycling trip that included the Livestrong events in Austin. My daughter and I did the 4300 km trip in memory of a friend who passed away just a few days before we left... the journal is for Adrian's three young son's, and will be part of a collection of reflections and memories from all those who loved him.

Terry Fitzgerald · 1 year ago

Whenever my wife and I are out together i make niote of the things that she sees and likes. Then after we have decided what our gift budget is I go throught he list and pick out the one(s) I think are most meaningful.

writework · 1 year ago

For my husband and older kids (23 and 22), I give each 100.00 (maybe 50.00 this year, due to economic situation!) and tell them to buy their own gift, BUT they must promise to spend it on themselves, and must wrap the gift and put it under the tree till Christmas morning. they get what they want, and I learn more about them in the process-plus I get the surprise (and it usually IS quite a surprise) of finding out what my gift is. Who knew my husband coveted a food dryer thingy? It is radical, but fun.

Jane Winkler · 1 year ago

Gifts to the less fortunate...it makes me feel a bit less powerless during these scary times....

Ngonzi Truth Crushshon · 1 year ago

I'm overally excited about giving love, joy & smiles!
Christmas cards, phone calls and holiday visits.

Ngonzi Truth Crushshon · 1 year ago

overly