 Framed Photo |
| Have an old photo laying in a box that would be nice to have framed and put on a shelf? Take it to a store that has a photo kiosk (Walgreens, Wal-mart, Target, etc.) and get a print made of it. Buy a nice frame and wrap it up for a nice, thoughtful gift! |
We are leaving today for Kansas City and will be gone a week or so. We are busy packing up our gifts and getting out our warm coats, hats, and gloves (which we haven't needed in Texas yet) and looking forward to some time spent with family. I'll be posting pics throughout the week of our various activities.
 Alcohol |
| Wouldn't be Christmas without some alcohol being involved! Wine is always a good gift especially if it is coupled with a beautiful wine bag that makes it especially nice for giving. You could also splurge for some top shelf liquor for someone who wouldn't normally pay the extra cash. Maybe get a martini glass set, add the vodka and mixer and you have a complete gift that any martini lover would enjoy receiving. You may also consider buying someone a good wine opener or a nice set of bar tools. |
 DIY Gift Baskets |
| Consider putting together a gift basket for someone on your list and then wrap it all up with some of this awesome stuff. -Holiday themed basket. Pack a pretty ornament, a holiday CD and a poinsettia together for a nice Christmas presentation. -Recipe basket. Put together the ingredients for your favorite recipe and hand write the recipe on a nice card. -Fruit/plant basket. Find some interesting fruit and a small Christmasy plant to put together. -Sports themed basket. For the sports enthusiast, pack a basket with interesting sports memorabilia. -Any other interest you can think of, find items related to that topic and put them in a basket! :) |
 Event Tickets |
| I'm a big believer in giving things to create new experiences for people such as the hotel stays or classes that I previously mentioned. You might also choose to buy someone (or an entire family) tickets to an event they may not otherwise attend. Family with small children? Maybe tickets to a Disney on Ice event. Poor college student? Two tickets to see their favorite band. Somebody who loves comedians? Tickets to a comedy festival. Or if you don't know who they may want to see, gift cards are also an option. If you buy the tickets but the actual tickets aren't available yet to give for Christmas (because they are being mailed or whatever), you will need to have something to physically give them as their gift. In the past, I have created my own document that explains the event, the date, etc., and had it printed at a place like Kinko's or CopyMax on very heavy paper which makes it nicer for giving. Ticketmaster has a Holiday Guide that makes it easy to find events by demographic or location and also info on purchasing gift cards. http://www.ticketmaster.com/holiday2006?tm_link=tm_home_d2 |
 Class or Lesson |
| People often love the idea of learning something new and it would be a great gift to get them a class or lesson on a topic they've been wanting to know more about. I once gave my mom a session with a professional makeup artist (not that she needed it, just because it's fun) and gave Andy a flight lesson. Other ideas might include guitar lessons, yoga classes, cooking class, art class, beading class and anything else that might be of interest to someone. |
On Monday, I took Payton, Aubry (who stayed the night the night before) and Blake to see Charlotte's Web. I packed the tissues because I knew it would get me and it did. I've heard that it's best for ages 7 and up but Blake enjoyed it. I think kids that enjoy Babe would like this movie because it's similar CGI animation. I highly recommend this movie for kids. We have so many movies to see over the next couple of weeks - more on those as we see them. :)
Payton is now out of school for 2 1/2 weeks so let the fun begin! On Saturday, we went to Putt Putt and drove go carts, played mini golf and video games. I forgot my camera and used my camera phone but can't figure out how to get the pics off without paying a fortune to upgrade my account. We had so much fun and Blake's ability to do more means more fun for all of us.
Sunday was my birthday and we went to my favorite Japanese restaurant. It was extra yummy this time and the perfect birthday dinner.
Payton trying to hide from the camera (tiny hint of braces)...
Typical rock, paper, scissors game while we waited at least 45 minutes for our food.
The onion volcano that fascinates Blake every time...
Blake loved the food - he exclaimed "this is so yummy!" and the other people at the table got a kick out of that.
 Magazine Subscriptions |
| Kids love to get mail that's just for them so why not sign them up for a subscription to a magazine on a topic that they love? Many magazines will even let you subscribe online and provide a printable gift card that you can give for Christmas (preferably given with a current issue of the magazine if you can get one on newstands so that the kids can see what they can expect in the mail). Adults also love to get non-bills in the mail so subscriptions for us are also nice. Popular Science happens to be a favorite at our house but there are so many on every topic that it should be easy to find one to suit just about anyone's interests. Amazon has hundreds of magazines available with printable gift cards that you can purchase within minutes. |
 Fresh Flowers |
| Every year we send Andy's mom a big poinsettia like the one pictured above. Other fresh flowers that are great at Christmastime are fresh wreaths and fresh flower centerpieces for Christmas dinner. Many local florists will deliver the same day that you call to place an order so it's an especially good gift for some of the people you may not have gotten a gift for yet. |
"I'm 32 years old, that ain't the end. But it sure ain't where I began."
- from Jewel's song "Stephenville, Texas"
