Here is a wonderful guide to help you give the best gifts without the hassel of the holiday rush and bustle.
Holiday Dilemma 1
Another holiday season has arrived and you are not looking forward to battling the crowds, standing in lines and fighting the traffic.
Solutions:
1) Stay out of the stores. Shop by catalog or online. Following are some of my favorite catalogs and online shopping sites.
- Shop by Catalog.
Signals has a variety of fun gifts for anyone. Published by NPR.
www.signals.com or 1.800.669.9696
Solutions offers great holiday gifts and clever organizing gadgets.
www.solutionscatalog.com or 1.800.342.9988
Frontgate is perfect for home and garden gifts.
www.frontgate.com or 1.888.263.9850
Chiasso, for the hipster in your life.
www.chiasso.com or 1.877.chiasso
Flax Art carries great gifts for artists, young and old.
www.flaxart.com or 1.888.352.9278
Norm Thompson clothing and food for gifts and entertaining
www.normthompson.com or 1.800.547.1160
Harry and David gift baskets and more.
www.harryanddavid.com or 1.800.547-3033
Tip: If someone on your list has a favorite catalog, have them turn back the pages of the items they like.
- Shop Online. Never underestimate the power of online shopping.
Ecommerce is growing rapidly. Give it a whirl. Here are sites for everyone on your list.
Children’s toys: www.etoys.com or www.creativekidstuff.com
Children’s books: www.usborneliz.com or www.Chinaberry.com
The book lover: www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com or www.SuperBookDeals.com or www.Alibris.com
The movie lover: www.movieswithasmile.com or www.amazon.com
The music lover: www.deepdiscountCD.com or www.cduniverse.com
The scrapbooker: www.creativememories.com or www.archiversonline.com
To pamper: www.beautyhabit.com or www.drugstore.com
The outdoorsman: www.cabelas.com or www.eddiebauer.com
2) Stay close to home. Don’t forget about the small local businesses in your neighborhood. Buy a gift certificate to a local restaurant or coffee shop. Purchase gifts from a local bookstore or gift shop. Buy theatre tickets from one of many that the metro has to offer.
3) Make Gifts. Here are a few simple ideas.
- Make your own mix bean soup, hot chocolate, trail mix, simmering potpourri or mulled apple cider. (Recipes for the last two are on my website at www.come2order2day.com.)
- Create a basket of Christmas memories, suggests Christmas Organizing.com. They recommend creating a Basket of Christmas Memories by asking someone on your list if they have tangible memories of Christmas. They may remember a certain cookie, ornaments or music that reminds them of the holidays. Put those items in a basket and give the memory. For more ideas go to: www.christmasorganizing.com
- Create certificates of service. Be creative. Remember “presentation is everything!” Offer babysitting, car washing, rides to the store. Promise to shovel snow or provide a loaf of bread once a month.
4) Give clutter-free gifts. Because I am an organizer, I like to give consumable gifts that won’t add clutter to people’s lives. Here are a few ideas:
- Gift cards. Let recipients shop for themselves and get what they really want.
- Gift certificates to Molly Maid or Merry Maids. These start at $100.
- Gifts of food, such as nuts, candy, cookies or an assortment of olives.
Holiday Dilemma 2
You have so many gifts to buy. You need gifts for teachers, colleagues, hostesses and the mailman.
Solution:
Simplify. Buy in Bulk. Every year I wait for Frango chocolates to go on sale, and then I stock up. Some purchase a case of wine. Buying in bulk is less expensive because you will often receive volume pricing. Haskell’s offers 5-10% on most cases of wine, depending on the specials that are running at the time. They told me that is a common practice.
The greatest relief is knowing that you have secured all of your gifts at one time thus eliminating the need to make seven separate trips to the store in search of the perfect gift in the $10-$15 range. Which we know is no small task.
If you are looking for a good educational gift that kids will enjoy, try Usborne Kid Kits. They offer books on a variety of subjects and then include a small project or toy. There are kits about Egypt, pirates , hair braiding and more. They start as low as $9.95, although the majority are in the $15. range. Go to www.usborneliz.com. Hit Catalogue and then Kid Kits.
Karen Henke is the owner of Come2Order in Minneapolis, MN. Visit www.come2order2day and request a free Time-Savers Kit loaded with time-saving tips and services. While you’re there, sign up for a free subscription to the Come2Order monthly newsletter!
Share
Holidays and Seasonal Inspirations
