The Gift Exchange

The giving of flowers has been a unique tradition that started to become commonly practiced hundreds of years ago. During the Victorian Era, a time when people typically didn’t believe in expressing their emotions, the language of flowers (floriography) and the meaning behind which flowers they sent became a new form of expression. Soon, many factors went into giving meaning to the gift. Color, size, condition, and pairing one flower with another could alter that meaning altogether. Even the way the flowers were presented and received meant something very specific, down to which hand was used to do the giving. These meanings ranged anywhere from hateful tactics, to a show of love and devotion without ever having to say a word.

Over time, giving flowers has become quite common, but the language of each flower given has slowly disappeared. Giving flowers has now typically become something thoughtful given from the heart- no matter which flowers are used in the arrangements.

The meanings of individual flowers can be very interesting though. For example, one of GiftTree’s fall floral arrangements, Fall’s Finest Bouquet, includes chrysanthemums, roses, carnations, and alstromeria.

CHRYSANTHEMUM: Cheerfulness
ROSE: Love, passion
CARNATION, RED: Admiration
ALSTROMERIA: Wealth

It turns out that the symbolism behind the bouquet is truly as beautiful as it looks. This seems to be the perfect gift to express a deep desire and love that you have for someone.

Guest Blogger: Jordan Bergeron

I’m not typically one for nostalgia, but there are moments where it can’t be helped, and with the holiday season here, it’s just one of those times. Most people don’t know this, but I’m originally from Texas, and while I’ve mostly lived here in Washington, Texas will always be my home. Growing up, my family use to have these huge get-togethers around the holidays where we’d all gather at my grandmother’s house. We would celebrate Thanksgiving or any of the major holidays (sorry Arbor Day) with the entire extended family, and while there was always a shortage of room (when your mother has seven sisters, and your grandmother lives in a small house in Louisiana, space just begins to evaporate), there was never a shortage of food.

My grandmother was a cooking queen and would make everything from scratch. From cajun rice to crawfish gumbo, and just about any dessert imaginable, every Thanksgiving she would just be a whirlwind in the kitchen. The one thing that everyone looked forward to, however, was her pecan pie.  I can remember watching her, my mother, and my aunt all around the table making the pie crusts and prepping the pecans for the filling. You could always tell when it was almost time to eat because the house will would smell almost sickeningly sweet from all the pies she was baking.

It’s been at least six or seven years since I’ve gone home to see my extended family for the holidays, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be adding one more year to that.  But this year, when I get together with my close family for Thanksgiving, I’m bringing a little something special. I noticed one of the new items we’re carrying is a Pecan Pie Kit with Engraved Spoon. Even though I, nor my brother or my mom, are the best of cooks, it’s seems like something simple enough for us to be able to have a little slice of home.

In the past several years,  I’ve noticed how I feel and think about wine has totally changed. When I first starting drinking wine in my early 20’s, my husband and I would go to the store, find the cheapest, biggest jug of wine we could find, and then feel all super classy while drinking it…ha ha!! So funny how time and experience changes things!

Fast forward a few years and a kid later. I am older. I am wiser. I graduate to white zinfandel. I know what you’re thinking, but I really had no idea how big the wine world really was. All I cared about was taste and price. Granted, it was a bit more ‘expensive’ than my jug o’ wine, but it was cheap enough for me.

Then I became pregnant with my daughter. So I forgot about wine. I was so focused on the kids, that wine didn’t come back into my life for a few years. Once it did, I realized I wanted to expand my horizons. I wanted to know the difference in a chardonnay and a cabernet, and why were people in the wine world so weird about it? Tannins? Complex? Legs?! What did all this wine lingo mean?

I started out gradually…I found a white wine I love, a riesling. It’s light, it’s sweet, it’s refreshing. I started going to wine tastings. Found out I actually like red wine – ME. It can definitely be an acquired taste. I found I love a good shiraz, and even a nice Oregon pinot noir. What really surprised me the most was my new favorite choice – chardonnay. Back in my early 20’s, I remember taking a sip of this wine and thinking, who in their right mind would think this is good? Well, I do now!

Needless to say, I have enjoyed my wine journey. I’ve learned a ton of new things, and I’ve learned my mother was right – just because you don’t like something now, doesn’t mean you won’t like it later. Working here at GiftTree has also helped me gain so much knowledge in wine. In fact, we recently had a wine tasting with our designer, and got to try the awesome wines that we sell in our wine gift baskets. I love my job! Cheers!

Cats are probably the most well known animals for doing whatever they want, whenever they feel like doing it. Somehow, aside from this personality trait, there are so many well behaved kitties out there that we came up with a little something called Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul Basket. Let me tell you why I should have found this gift years ago.

Once upon a time I fell in love with my 21st birthday gift. He was a little black and white ball of fuzz that I named Goliath. Goliath was fun and cuddly for the first few weeks (obviously trying to make a good impression so we would keep him) until he got comfortable and decided who ruled the apartment. Whereas most normal cats meow until we pick them up, Golli just climbed right up our legs and into our loving arms. With his claws. He next advanced to walking across the stove while we were cooking hot meals, sticking his rear outside of the litter box to do his duty, the list goes on.

We quickly found out that he had been weaned too early and would suck on people whenever he got the opportunity. He knew that he would get pushed away by most guests, so he would wait until they were sleeping so that he could drool on their un-expecting fingers for hours on end. If they woke up and pushed him away he would pretend to sleep next to them and slowly inch his way back. When his mouth was close enough he would suck as fast as he could until he got in trouble.

One night my roommate and I had a few friends over and we were all sitting around my bed talking, apparently not paying enough attention to my kitty. He sat down right in the middle of our circle, closed his eyes, and peed.

The Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul Basket comes with a warmhearted collection of stories about feline affection, mystery, and charm, letting cat owners grow a closer bond with their furry loved ones. For the kitty lover, we include almond roca and sour cherries, and your cat will get a generous amount of mice toys stuffed with cat nip and a mouse scratch pad with a fuzzy red pom-pom tail. Everything comes in a wonderful red leather tote that is perfect for storing kitty toys.

I definitely deserved those treats for the kind of strength it took to raise Goliath, and he needed some treats of his own to keep him occupied with other things. Since I didn’t think of this idea sooner I thought it would help to get him a brother to play with, David. What was I thinking?! Now there are two of them…

This week marks my mom and step father’s two year wedding anniversary. They decided to go all out and take a trip to Washington DC for a week and I am thinking, what would be a better thing for this loving daughter to do than to send her parents something nice to their hotel room. They will love the surprise while they are across the country and not expecting to hear from their favorite (and only) daughter.

I am going to be sending them the Sunflower Patch Bouquet. My mom absolutely loves sunflowers. They are so beautiful and I know she will love the arrangement, and me for getting them for her! I better win daughter of the year or something. I just hope my parents have a great trip and know that I am thinking about them while they are gone, mostly because I miss the home cooked meals! (just kidding, mom!)

Who says you need to only send corporate gifts during the holidays to your clients? Gift giving in the corporate world is a great way to show your appreciation any time of the year! Here are some great reasons to give a gift to your clients/customers/employees:

1. Holidays (not just Christmas) – Why don’t you send a gift for a less popular gift giving holiday, such as Independence Day. It will be unexpected and appreciated!
2. Birthdays
3. Thank You – Send something to show your appreciation for a job well done.
4. Welcome to the Team – Giving a gift to a new employee will make them feel welcome.
5. Good Luck –  Is your client up for a promotion? Starting a new major project? Send something to let them know you are thinking of them.
6. Wedding Anniversary
7. Thinking of You/Sympathy
8. New Baby
9. Congratulations – New position, promotions, etc.
10. Retirement
11. Clients/Employees’ Children’s Birthdays
12. Motivating or Encouraging Employees
13. Just Because – Who doesn’t like a present, just because?
14. Weddings
15. Keep in Touch – Haven’t heard from a client in a while? Send something to let them know you’re there if they need you.

Any way you look at it, there are several reasons to give a corporate gift. At GiftTree, we make corporate gift giving easy and quick with full service gift programs for all budgets and styles. Visit our Corporate Help Center for more information.

I know I have talked about baby names in the GiftTree blog before, but I have a real  dilemma and need some help! With so many siblings we have come up with some interesting ways that we were named as kids, but Matt and I just can’t seem to agree on any names for our little one. He seems to like more traditional names while I on the other hand like a more unique sounding name. Regardless if we have a boy or a girl it’s middle name will be James so that is the only thing we have nailed down so far, and our last name, of course. We have also stuck to our guns on not finding out what the sex of the baby is going to be so that makes it twice as tough.
With all this going on I have been looking for baby stuff and really want to get the Engraved Baby Shoe Keepsake, but what do I put for a name? I could use all the suggestions I can get right now so please help me out here! The baby name books are just not cutting it. Thanks everyone, I look forward to hearing your suggestions!

Showcased in one of our most popular luxury wine gift baskets, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon is often said to be a wine that needs no introduction. While this may be true, there certainly is a rich history behind the wine and it all starts with one word: Charles.

Before there was Caymus, there was the Wagner family farm, which was a small plot of land in Napa that Charles Wagner purchased with his life savings after fleeing the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906. An immigrant from Alsace, this first Charles planted the crops that everyone planted in those days to survive: a bit of everything. Napa Valley had not yet come to the prestigious prominence that it enjoys today as a top American Viticultural Area, but lucky for Charles, he planted some grapes for good measure and decided to give winemaking a shot. Unfortunately for Charles, this was just in time for Prohibition, which put a damper on the first Charles’ dreams of winemaking.

In 1943, another Charles (Charlie) Wagner shared the foresight of his namesake and purchased some additional orchard land in the very heart of the Napa Valley. As the first Charles did, Charlie also planted edible crops like plums and walnuts, but by the early 60s, it looked like wine grapes might be able to sell more profitably. So Charlie followed the trend of many of the early pioneers in the Valley and planted his vineyards with Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Luck steps into this story again when a good friend up the road was making some pretty good wine out of Cabernet Sauvignon. When Charlie was offered some cuttings from the vineyard, he leaped at the chance.

Enter the third Charles in this story: Charlie’s son, Chuck. Up until about 1971 when Chuck was 20 and Charlie was 60, the family had been selling the grapes and not producing wines except for home consumption. Charlie made his son an offer to start a family business making wine and they named its winery “Caymus,” which was the name of a group of American Indians that lived in the area.

Their beginnings were modest. The two men and a single helper farmed 55 acres of vineyard by themselves. It took them four months just to prune. All winemaking procedures were done by hand, including pumping thousands of gallons of wine into 600 gallon tanks. In 1972, they released their first Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1975, a famous wine critic named Wilfred Wong tried the Caymus 2003 and said it was the best Cabernet he’d ever tasted. The telephone began to ring in the Wagner farmhouse, and everything else, as they say, is history.

I am so thrilled that GiftTree is now carrying cookies! These cookies are so good, I would drive to the airport and stand in line for them. But the best thing about these cookies is how affordable they are. Cookies are good for ANY occasion at all. It’s what I send my Dad now because at his age, he has 2 of everything and while he doesn’t want any more “stuff,” he still likes to eat sweets and he claims that they are easy to hide from my mother. Cookies are the way to go for me now because everything’s better with cookies!

Guest Blogger: Jordan

You see them at work, at home, or when you’re out on the town. They’re everywhere you don’t want them to be. Everybody knows at least one, and if you claim you don’t, then chances are you’re one of them. I’m talking about pranksters. Those wonderful (or not so wonderful) people who can make our lives either entertaining or frustrating, depending on which side of theirs you’re on.

While I’ve only worked at GiftTree for a short time, I have come to two conclusions. One, the place is full of pranksters, which means everyone seems to have a great sense of humor, and two, this place can be a prankster’s dream. You wouldn’t think it right away, but with a decent imagination and a wealth of options, just about any gift offered can be turned into a prank. That is why I’m creating this guide. To help you, the prankster, create more entertainment in your daily life and the lives of those around you. I’ll be providing you with tips, ideas, and possibly a true story or two, throughout multiple blogs to help you in your efforts to make this world a more amusing place…for you.

Tip of the day:  Keep it simple

When it comes to a gifting prank, sometimes the simplest of gestures can be the most effective, and good pranks don’t require a very expensive gift, either. Sometimes all that one needs is a great message on the card. Imagine your special someone receives a nice bouquet of balloons or a simple but beautiful arrangement. They wonder what they did to deserve such a wonderful gift. They open the card expecting a message of love and devotion, and BAM! That’s where you hit them!

Now, clearly the message will differ from person to person, and as this is a company blog, I won’t post suggestions of what to put as a card message, but we’ve had some pretty good ones role through here from many different people. And all you pranksters out there I’m sure have the wheels turning and a smile creeping up on you as ideas begin to form.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:
1.Know what’s off limits. A good prank in jest can turn into a very bad situation if you pick a sore subject.
2.Keep it simple. Long elaborate stories on a card take too much time to read. Simplify your prank message to one sentence, tops.
3.Know you can get caught. Don’t think there are ways to keep from getting found out. Plus, it’s likely the recipient will know it was you anyway.

Lastly, I’d like to hear about your pranking endeavors, both gifting and otherwise, first hand or from others. What’s the best prank you’ve heard that was actually pulled off?

Until next time, happy pranking!