Superstitions: There are a lot of superstitions and legends involving the giving and receiving of gifts. For instance it was at one time considered bad luck to give a pair of scissors or a knife as a gift because it was feared that the act would "cut" the friendship in half. Therefore knives were never given as wedding gifts as it was believed they would lead to a broken marriage.
Also never give anyone a pair of shoes as a Christmas gift because they would make the person you give them to walk away from you. When you give someone a gift of a wallet or purse be sure to put some money into it, even if only a coin, to ward off bad luck. At one time bakers would throw in an extra roll when you bought a dozen as a "gift" in case any of the other rolls were too small. This "gift" became known as the baker's dozen.
Urban legends: Legends are told as having happened long, long ago whereas urban legends are set in contemporary times and told as having happened to people known either personally to the teller or to someone known by a person the teller knows. The places and names change as they are updated to fit current times and all carry a warning or lesson of some sort. There may even be some truth to the story although the people and places have been changed so many times that it becomes hard to determine what the truth actually was.
One such tale recounts a king's offer of a gift to a famous golfer (sometimes the golfer is named other times he is just "a famous golfer") who after first declining the gift asks for a golf club only to find to his amazement that the king has bought him an entire golf course.
In several different legends, although the people and circumstances change the story and its warning are the same. A son (nephew, daughter, niece...) is expecting a very expensive gift (car, house, inheritance...) from his father (uncle, aunt...) but receives a bible. In a fit of anger he throws the bible at the giver and leaves not returning until the givers death when he notices the bible from so long ago, opens it and finds the (key to the car, check to the car dealer, will leaving him everything etc.).
Then there are the one-up-manship legends. Two or more siblings vie to get the best gift for their mother (houses, cars, jewels) with one going to great expense to get a bird (myna, parrot...) that has been specially trained (to read the bible, sing opera, speak Italian...). The mother politely thanks all (while letting them know their gift wasn't very practical) then speaks proudly of the child who had the sense to bring her the delicious chicken.
There is also a true story of two brothers who re-gifted the same pair of pants back and forth wrapped in very creative ways, from rolling them into a 3' long 1" wide pipe to stuffing them into the glove compartment of a car that they then had crushed and delivered in time for Christmas. The pants went back and forth for 25 years before they finally fell apart.
Holiday Gift Ideas For That Special Lady
Whenever a woman is out with her girlfriends, they love to chat about any and all things going on in their lives. They go to the bathroom together to hold secret meetings about their boyfriends and to gossip about one another. And of course, women love to shop together. Unfortunately for men, this makes buying gifts for a special lady, whether it be someone we are interested in, someone we are dating, someone we are married to, or even our mother, grandmother, or boss - women confuse us when it comes to the right gift. This article should help alleviate this dilemma.
To start, guys who are interested in a lovely woman, or involved with one, here are some great holiday gift ideas for them. All woman love to be pampered, so why not indulge their needs? One of the ways to do this is by giving a hand and/or feet pampering kit. These kits typically contain lotions and other tools to make a woman feel pretty and loved by you. Of course, the next step from this would be a spa treatment for two - you and her!
The spa treatment is also good for those of us who are married to our fine wives. But it is not the only holiday gift idea that you can give your wife. Many of us have children, and any husband should be able to agree that what our wives go through in child birth and raising our children is not a simple task to say the least. So why not show how very proud of them we are by giving them jewelry that they can wear proudly as the mother of our children. One such item would be the birthstone pendant or necklace, where the birthstones of the children, the mother and yourself are arranged beautifully. Of course, if you want it even more personal, having the names inscribed on a silver bracelet is another option. The most personal item would be the photo-bracelet where instead of having the pictures of her children in her purse or wallet, they are proudly displayed upon her wrist.
This wrist photo-bracelet would also be great to give your mother with all of her grandchildren inside. Unique holiday gift ideas abound once you see the potential. Mom's will also appreciate items that they can show off while entertaining guests, while also helping the grandkids feel special when visiting their grandmother. Such items include personal photographic wall calendars, photos on pillows and even a photo montage collection.
These photo holiday gift ideas also travel over to grandma and all she has done as well. Grandmothers, and especially great-grandmothers are to be cherished for the short time they will be on this earth. Most of us have fond memories of our grandmother's in the kitchen making a fine meal, or even more so working on a knitting or crochet project for a grandchild. Why not show how appreciated she is, as well as her handmade gifts, by getting her a kitchen organizer or a personalized craft bag to hold all of her things so that she doesn't have to look all over the house for what she needs when working on her current projects?
Finally, we come to those special women who are in charge of us: our boss (and even some of our co-workers). A business organizer bag would be an awesome holiday gift idea to give to them. However, an alternative to this would be a fanciful coffee or tea collection kit. This could be something simple such as a few boxes of their favorite flavors tied with a ribbon, all the way to an exotic mix of flavors from all around the world.
Whoever the lucky woman is, using these holiday gift ideas from this article is sure to make you popular with the special lady in your life. Just remember to have fun and always remain thoughtful!
Holiday Gift Ideas For Those Less Fortunate
The holidays are a time to meet up with those you love and to celebrate your precious time together on the planet earth. All of us enjoy getting together with those we enjoy spending time with, and we appreciate the limited time we get to do so. However there is a sad side to our celebrating that many have no idea how to help with.
Every year there are those less fortunate souls who cannot afford to celebrate with their loved one's. Many of these people don't even have any loved ones left to visit, and thus they roam the streets alone. So many of us would like to show compassion and kindness to these people, but where do we even begin? How on earth can we make a difference in these people's lives?
One of the greatest holiday gift idea we can give this holiday season that lasts much more than any game console or new exciting technological gadget is giving of our time. Volunteering at a local church, mission or food bank is a most rewarding experience, and I highly recommend it to all who read this. Watching these lonely, almost lifeless people light up with hope and joy, just because someone who cares and loves them has come into their life, is something amazing to behold.
Serving food and drink to these less fortunate souls is also an amazing holiday gift idea. This can be done at a soup kitchen, but if one does not exist in your city or town, then an alternative would be to make up some simple paper-sack lunches with a juice box, piece of fruit, and a simple sandwich inside. If you are a believer, you could also include a scripture of how God love's them, even in their time of need. Try this method and watch how blessed you feel when you know you have helped someone out who desperately needed it.
If giving of your time this way is not possible, another holiday gift idea would be to use your talents to create a gift. Making simple scarves and hats are easy patterns to master, whether you knit or crochet with yarn, or even sew with fleece. Another needed item are blankets - you can find several non-profit organizations who will take donations of knit or crochet squares, or even finished quilt blocks, and then their volunteers sew the blocks together to make completed blankets. These blankets are so very needed for these unfortunate people, and your work will be greatly appreciated.
Another item you can make as a holiday gift idea to give away is stuffed animals. Unfortunately there resides several homeless children in this world, barely getting by while surviving with their parents on the streets and off of the trash scraps they find to eat that night. Many of these children are desperate for a compassionate person, and the volunteers who give these handmade teddy-bears will tell you how a child's eyes open up with renewed hope and life.
Finally, if you are not a talented creator, nor can you give of your time freely, consider helping other organizations such as Christmas Unlimited or Toys for Tots with your money or donated toys and clothing so that the parents who cannot afford to give their children gifts this Christmas will still have a miracle occur and Christmas be saved for their precious children. This can be an ultimate holiday gift idea - I should know. I was once one of these very children!
Holiday Gift Ideas For Under Twenty-Five Dollars
In our fast-paced world full of high-speed everything, one thing that seems to be a prevailing factor in our lives is how so many things require so much of our well-earned money. From paying for the necessities, such as rent or mortgage, car payment, insurance, utility bills, as well as food and clothing, most of our checks seem to fly out the door. Then there are entertainment expenses as well, including cable or satellite TV and even our Internet access. So when it's time to figure out what holiday gift ideas we are going to give out this year, the decision becomes harder and harder on what makes a good gift to give.
In the past it was not uncommon for someone to receive expensive jewelry, watches, handmade clocks and other such prestigious items. Unfortunately for most of us, those days are gone, but we still want our holiday gift idea to make the person feel like a million dollars. The question thus becomes how to achieve this seemingly impossible feat.
Holiday gift ideas that cost under twenty-five dollars have the unfortunate stigma that they are somehow cheap and gaudy, not at all what someone should be giving away for the special occasion. This could not be any more untrue. The fact of the matter is that being frugal in this day and age often times makes sure that most, if not all, of those on your gifting list actually receive something that they can cherish and enjoy from you. And truth be told the price oftentimes does not equal the true value of the heartfelt gift.
Take for instance most books. To the wise shopper, many of the popular titles, including even the new Harry Potter novel, can be purchased for less than $25. And for those who would rather listen to the book than actually read it, there are still bargains to be had. Literature in all its forms are wonderful holiday gift ideas, for even in fiction there are lessons to be learned and fantastical lands to escape into.
Another popular inexpensive gift to give is music and video. CD's are still a popular holiday gift idea, but is more and more going into gift cards for iTunes and Rhapsody services. On the other spectrum is DVD's and the movies, television programs and other such videos that the smart shopper can find still under the $25 range. For the adventurous shopper, with careful inspection and research they may even find DVD, CD and MP3 players for under this range as well, which many would be blessed to own.
Of course as a last resort for a good holiday gift idea, anywhere from five to twenty-five dollars in a gift card (or even a combination of gift cards) will always work. When your recipient gets the card, they will feel grateful for the thought you put into it because it shows them how much you care. How does it do this? Quite simple actually: You show that you have listened to their wants and that you have gotten to know their desires over the time spent together, and thus you buy the cards for their favorite places. What's not to love with this holiday gift idea?
So there you have three wonderful holiday gift ideas, all under twenty-five bucks. Just remember that if you use your imagination, you will find there is so much more opportunity with this seemingly small amount if you but just look for it! Happy bargain hunting and may your gifts be received with gratitude and love!
Holiday Gift Ideas That Are Perfect For Men
Although they hate to admit it, when it comes to men, they are like wolves in their own little packs, searching for their next prey. Men act in ways contrary to women, often seeming to approve of disgusting behavior and desires. The more a woman tries to understand a man, then more confused she becomes about the way he acts and thinks. It is no wonder why women have such a tough time figuring out what to buy their male counterparts, whether it be a lover and mate, a husband, a father or a superior. This article should prove helpful with getting our female creative juices flowing.
Let us first begin with the hot stud we either have had our eye on for some time, or even have had the luck to date and enjoy being with. Holiday gift ideas that work well for him would be anything sports or electronic related. If the guy loves to watch sports, a wall mural or posters of his favorite teams or players would definitely send a good message. If our guy is into physical activities, buying some of his gear such as snowboards, skateboards, footballs, etc are also a great gift idea. However, for the tech-head guy, stickers for his laptop or game console can excite them - or even a new mp3 player for them to play around with and show off to their guy pals.
However, our guys do grow up (even if just a little) and we get married. Holiday gift ideas for husbands and fathers of our children deserve something special as well. One idea would be to get him a beer gift basket that contains bears from all around the world. He gets to relax and unwind, tasting a new flavor he would otherwise never get before, and you get to feel wonderful as the giver. Yet, some guys like only one kind of beer - so a great compliment to this would be personalized beer mugs. Just think of his guy friends seeing this great gift - he won't stop talking about it and who gave this gift to him.
Of course, dads and fathers also deserve a wonderful holiday gift idea as well. Fathers have been there to encourage you to grow and helped make you into the fine woman you are now. Us women should never forget this fact, and need to show our gratitude for all they have done. Oftentimes our fathers love to fish and hunt now that they have more time with us out of the house. So, why not give a gift from within this category? Try for instance a set of binoculars that has a digital camera built right in. Or how about a fishing rod attachment that uses sonar to find where the fish are? Technology has truly come a far way in regards to our dads.
This leads us to our grandfathers, or even how our fathers are becoming granddads soon. Grandfathers are a special breed of men who have made it far in their own lives, and deserve recognition of their status as a grandpa. Some holiday gift ideas for these fine gentlemen would include movie collections based on the would wars, or even a collection of John Wayne films. Yet another idea would be grill set with tools and marinades for his meats, as well as a matching apron that has the grand-children's faces on it so that grandpa may show off his pride and joy.
Finally, we lead to our male co-workers and those in authority over us. Although not as close as family, these men do spend quite a lot of time with us during our lives, and showing respect for their positions and contributions is always a wise choice. Holiday gift ideas for these gentlemen would include personalized business-card holders, a monogrammed travel bag, or even a fine watch (the guys version of high-class jewelry). These men will thank you for your thoughtful gift, and will not soon forget you.
Holiday Gift Subscriptions
Holiday shopping can sometimes be a real headache. Some people are incredibly difficult to buy for. What do you get for the person who has everything? The person who doesn't seem to want or need anything? Or maybe you are in a position, thanks to those wonderful Christmas grab bags, of having to buy a gift for someone you really don't know all that well. A magazine subscription provides for a gift that has a nice personal touch yet doesn't require that you know anyone's shirt size or favorite perfume and as an added bonus can run you as little as $10.00 for a full year. With a little general knowledge of the kinds of things they like you can give a gift that they can enjoy all year.
Do they enjoy cooking? There are dozens upon dozens of food and beverage magazines on the market running the gamut from backyard barbecue to gourmet dinners. Southern Living, Taste of Home, Light & Tasty, and Diabetic Cooking just to name a few. Appetizers to desserts, diet advice, helpful hints, step by step "how to's". As a nice little extra benefit, this is a gift that can get you invited to a lot of really good dinners!!
Do you have someone on your list that is forever clicking away on his or her camera? Outdoor Photographer, Popular Photography or Shutterbug among others will keep them up to date on the latest information on equipment and techniques for less than the cost of a couple good steaks.
For sports fans there are more magazines than you can imagine. Football, golf, hockey, racing, tennis, and soccer - you name the sport you'll find dozens of magazines for the fan. Stats, biographies, interviews with players, owners, coaches and announcers, the rundown on everything that is important to the sport. There aren't too many people who haven't heard of Sports Illustrated, BASS, American Rifleman or ESPN the Magazine, but there is also Shark Diver, Watercraft World and Triathelete. Many sports magazines like the NASCAR Scene also have online versions of the magazines that you can subscribe to once you have a subscription to the paper version.
Without searching too hard you can find magazines for wine lovers, motorcycle enthusiasts, crafters and people who love to travel. Avid campers? Backpacker, Camping Life and MotorHome will provide them with hours of reading pleasure. American Woodworker, Country Sampler and Dollhouse Miniature will keep your favorite crafters busy for hours on end, possibly netting you a few really nice home made gifts in return!
Boy's Life, Seventeen and CosmoGirl! are just a few of the magazines available for the teens on your list. Baby Bug, Children's Digest and Disney's Princess will give parents of toddlers plenty of "read to me" material.
Magazines provide, information and entertainment on just about any topic you can think of. No matter what kind of person you have on your holiday gift list you will be able to find an appropriate gift in a magazine subscription.
Comments