What to give this holiday season?
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We can’t begin to tell you which digital camera, which refrigerator and which sexy negligee are the right gift for your special someone. But we can tell you about some really fun gift ideas that came our way this holiday season.
Here are our top picks:
How cool is that?
Here are 15 creative suggestions from Gregg Fraley, innovation expert:
1. Write something personal in a well-selected or handmade card.
2. Send pictures. Find or create a really good photograph. “An old-fashioned printed photograph is something that is treasured,” he said.
3. Create a cool package of themed stuff designed around the person’s interests.
4. Give a Christmas ornament from someplace special.
5. Have a Christmas tree surprise party. Sneak into the house of your way-too-busy friends and put up a simply decorated tree for them.
6. Make your own Christmas ornaments.
7. Make a donation in their name to their favorite charity. Find or make a nice card to tell them about it.
8. Create a quilt for a sick child. www.sewonderfulquilts.com will supply the materials, you do the creating.
9. Give the gift of time. Spend an afternoon or evening with the person on your list. To make it seem more gift-like, wrap up a small box with a clock inside and enclose a note suggesting a day to do something you both like.
10. Write a poem. Package it well.
11. Write a list of acknowledgments ” i.e., 10 things you love about somebody.
12. Share your favorite recipes. Write them down and package it with love.
13. Give your heritage. Perhaps it is time to pass on some family heirlooms to the younger members of your family.
14. Hand write a miniature book. Buy a blank notebook and fill it with whimsical thoughts you are having around the holidays or thoughts you have about the friendship or love you have with someone.
15. Give a historic tree. At www.historictrees.org, you can give someone the offspring of the trees Johnny Appleseed planted or oaks from Elvis’ Graceland.
1. The Astronaut Autograph Club (AAC) will send one autographed photo and personalized letter from a Hall of Fame Astronaut for each month in 2008. Cost: $499, or $49.95 per month. Order at http://www.astronautscholarship.org/2008_aac.html or call (321) 455-7014. Proceeds go to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
2. Kids get sound books, so why not adults? Les Beletsky’s “Bird Songs from Around the World” (Chronicle Books, $45 hardcover) features a built-in digital audio player showcasing the songs of 200 birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornitholoa as well as original paintings by artists David Nurney and Mike Langman plus bird descriptions.
3. Organic Bouquet (www.organicbouquet.com) has lots of unique selections such as one dozen 5-foot-tall organic roses, $295.95; herbal/edible swags and wreaths made of chili peppers, bay leaves, oregano and other herbs, $44.90 to $124.90; and the Flowering Tea Gift Set, featuring a decorative flower blooming as your tea steeps, $39.95.
4. Light Affections (www.lightaffection.com) takes the traditional photograph, carves it into a resin sculpture and combines it with a lighting system that illuminates every aspect of the sculpture. Sizes range from nightlights to large frames. Prices start at $39.
5. MemoryMixer2 ($59.99) is designed for the scrapbooker. User flexibility is its key. You can use a template or you can start from scratch, you can add traditional scrapbooking elements, alter photos and incorporate video and music into your memory book. Save it to a CD/DVD, e-mail it or upload it to a Web site or print it out into a hardbound book.
Go green
Green is the new black this holiday season, which means eco-friendly gifts are popular.
Here are three we liked:
1. Eco-Artware.com has a wide selection of unique and ecologically friendly gifts. The eSoft toys are made from recycled sweaters with embroidered eyes by a group of artists in New Hampshire. Toys include elephant, piglet, rabbit, kangaroo, penguin and duckling. Starting at $26. Maki Squarepatch offers one-of-a-kind patchwork tote bags made from “previously loved fabrics.” Starting at $38. For the well-dressed man on the list, surprise him with Vintage typewriter key cuff links; $38-$43; or decorate your tree with ornaments made from unplayable 45 rpm records ($18 for a set of three); and finally the picture frames made from slate tiles salvaged from Vermont barns start at $34.
2. KN Luxury Home Bamboo Sheets are made from a blend of bamboo and cotton fibers. Price: $160 for queen, $180 for king. Available in Bon-Ton stores (Herberger’s and Younkers) nationwide and online at www.bonton.com.
3. Spare Change Jewelry recently introduced its green jewelry line called Shades of Green. Each necklace is accompanied by a small pack of wildflower seeds. Pieces sell for $26 each. Available at www.sparechangejewelry.com.
Gifts that give back
In this year of meaningful and memorable gifts, many people are checking out gifts that give back.
Here are six that caught our eye:
1. Buy a Charitable Bouquet from organicbouquet.com and it will donate 5 percent to 10 percent of the purchase to the organization for which the speciality bouquets are named. Recipients include: The Nature Conservancy, The Humane Society, One Shared World, World Neighbors, Ploughshares, EMpower, BreastCancer.org, Gifts in Kind, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Keep America Beautiful and Global Giving. Prices range from $39.95 to $74.95.
2. FoodTees are not so much about the charity as they are about the quirky messages. Still, a portion of profits go to the Food Studies Institute, an organization dedicated to improving food choices in America’s schools. FoodTees come in shirts, aprons and totes. Each depicts a food with a snarky message underneath (for example, beneath celery is the slogan “stalker,” beneath an onion “cry baby.” Prices range from $20 to $29 depending on the type of shirt. Available at www.FoodTee.com or www.DietDetective.com
3. Ovations for the Cure will donate 100 percent of proceeds from its Hope Collection of Jewelry ($9.95 to $69.95) toward finding a cure for ovarian cancer. The collection includes cell phone charms, bookmarks, earrings and bracelets with butterfly accents, pearls and teal Swarovski crystals (teal and the butterfly are the symbols of ovarian cancer support). Just for fun, check out Happy Feet ($100), jelly slippers accented with Swarovski crystals (http://www.ovationsforthecure.com/OFC_store.php).
4. Bake Me A Wish gives you a gourmet cake and the Make-A-Wish Foundation 5 percent of the proceeds from your purchase. Cakes start at $27.50 and serve six to eight people. Choices include: Tiramisu Classico Cake, Caramel Apple Crumb, Chocolate Mousse Torte Cake, Cookies and Cream Oreo Cake and Red Velvet Chocolate Cake. Order at www.BakeMeAWish.com or call (888) 987-9474.
5. The Emancipation Network of Dennis, Mass., sells products made by survivors of human trafficking and returns profits to the artisans. Pieces include $10 to $32 silver, crystal and sea glass necklaces, bracelets and earrings and $8 to $20 handmade paper products made in Nepal and Thailand. Available at www.madebysurvivors.com.
6. If you want to see what your gift can do to improve a little corner of the world, check out the offerings in the 2007 WorldVision Catalog (www.worldvisiongifts.org or (888) 511-6511). It has more than 100 ideas for gifts ranging in price from $15 to $20,000, including:
* An alpaca for warm wool and increased income, $15 share of an alpaca
* Hybrid or drought-resistant seeds for a farmer, $17
* HIV Caregiver Kits, $25
* Clean, safe water for a school, $50
* 10 fruit trees to boost health and income, $60
* A bicycle for a young girl to attend school, $85
* Stock a school in America with essential learning tools and supplies, $100
All tax-deductible.
Great gadgets
1. For the guy with a state-of-the-art home entertainment system, how about one single remote? The Media Center Universal Remote Control ($100) by Gyration Inc. can link PC, DVD player and TV with the universal remotecControl. The device features a motion-sensing mouse-cursor, like the technology on a Wii.
2. The iLuv - i166 Stereo Audio iPod Dock, AM/FM, Dual Alarm Clock System ($69.99) offers a dual alarm clock system, AM/FM functions and powerful built-in speakers that can be complemented by your own subwoofer via a unique subwoofer output jack. You also can run it by remote control and watch videos on compatible i-Pods. Available at www.i-luv.com
3. Think of it as a personal dental coach. The new Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide ($149.99) provides instant while-you-brush feedback via a wireless display. It tells you when you are brushing too hard, how long you should brush, where you’ve missed a spot, when to change the brush head — and it even winks at you when you’ve done a good job.
4. If you know someone who constantly clips articles and recipes from magazines, the new Scanalog ($49.95) offers a way to keep track of it all — without all the paper clutter. The interactive CD-Rom allows users to scan articles, save them and actually organize them on their computer in 11 pre-selected master categories. There are an additional 102 subcategories within the 11 categories and room to create 95 categories of your own.
5. It’s a fork. It’s a knife. It’s Knork ($50), a combination fork/knife that cuts through steak but won’t cut your tongue. Stainless steel.
Pampering our pets
If you have pets, you know Santa Claws won’t forget them.
We loved these toys:
1. fling-ama-string ($24.95) by Moody Pet. This gadget is the ultimate in string flinging for string-chasing cats. Hang it on the doorknob and turn it on. One side of a long string is attached to a white flat elastic "conveyer belt" which is constantly rotating. The string flings in and out. Choose from two speeds. Available at www.moodypet.com or by calling (888) 671-5663. See it for yourself at www.moodypet.com/string_video/.
2. Keep your dog warm and ultra pampered with the Blanc de Chine denim coat ($90). Available in teacup and mini sizes — plus matching human sizes.
3. Tell your dog to invite his friends (and their owners) over for a game of Funagle, a board game for dogs and their people. The humans match with friends to see who is best at getting their dogs to complete fun activities like the "Moonwalk," "Push-ups" and the "Hollywood Kiss." The game can be played with two to four people and one to four dogs. $35.50 at www.darfinc.com.
4. The Cat Tent is a miniature pup tent created for the cat. Constructed of cotton and poly-cotton, it has a removable floor pad that keeps the structure secure. $37.98 at www. The Cat Tent.com.
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