The Gift Exchange

The older that I get, the more I realize how important family is, and that my family is really fun to hang out with! Growing up, especially as a teenager, I didn’t want to hang out with them. I wanted to spend time with my friends, not my embarrassing parents and siblings! Now I have a great time with them joking around and reminiscing about the good ol’days. Well, it just so happens that August is Family Fun Month. Just think of all the things to do with your family during August. Having big barbecues, going to the beach maybe a road trip or two.

My family is big on picnics. We go on probably 10 picnics each summer, oddly enough none of us own a picnic basket. So for my parents’ upcoming anniversary, I’m thinking about getting them the California Wine Gift Basket and maybe at least one of the picnics that we go on will include a picnic basket. So, how do you and your family have fun together? Do you have any special trips that you take or activities that everyone likes to do? I’d love to hear about them!

Right about now most of you are enjoying the warm days of summer with nary a thought of Christmas. Behind the scenes at GiftTree, however, Christmas is in full swing. This year we have created some of the most spectacular gift baskets ever. Within the next couple of weeks we will be photographing all of them for our holiday catalog. Let me share some of the highlights. The over all look of the baskets are rich in color and texture. Copper and gold colors abound as well as deep burgundy. We’ve added even more highly rated wines, gourmet foods, and keepsake containers. We’ve found some of the best chocolates in the world and included them in the gift baskets. We have expanded our line of personalized gifts and will be offering more and more gift baskets with personalized ribbons, engraved plates, or hang tags. Our tower box designs for 2008 are drop dead gorgeous and the contents are delectable. I am especially fond of the lemon with raspberry filling cookies and the chocolate caramel filled cookies. We have built relationships with outstanding confectioners across the USA and will be offering their products on our website and in the catalog. Stay tuned. Christmas will be here soon!

Everyone knows about Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Grandparents day but what about a day for Aunts and Uncles? I come from a great big family and some of my strongest relationships are with my Aunts and Uncles. Aunts and Uncles are the fun ones; the ones whose house I could escape to as a teenager. Growing up, they were the ones I could talk to when I didn’t want to talk to my parents. Now that I’m an adult and have a niece and nephew, I hope that I can be that person for them.

I just discovered that July 26th celebrates those special relatives. I think this year I may send a little something to my favorite Aunt and Uncle. Nothing big, just a little something to show them that I’m thinking of them. GiftTree has a Monogrammed Mug that I think would be just perfect. I can have their monogram engraved on the lid and it comes already gift-wrapped which makes it even better! So, come July 26th, let’s make our favorite Aunts and Uncles feel special on a Holiday just for them.

I come from a family of 5 girls and 2 boys that are all endowed with comedy, lunacy and downright dementedness. With national Sister’s Day coming up on Aug. 5th, I would like to dedicate this blog to my 4 twisted sisters who are by far the most fun-loving group of females I’ve ever met (and I say that as unbiased as I possibly can!) We fought tooth and nail over hair, makeup, clothes and boys in our teenage years, and why our mom is even sane I have no clue. As adults we drove each other home when we had partied too much, babysat each others kids when we needed a break, propped each other up when true love let us down, cussed each other out over now trivial things and all cried like babies when Old Yeller died.

Now in our 40’s and 50’s and still going strong as grandmothers, I realize that the women who helped shape me into the nut-case that I am today are perhaps the most taken for granted of all. Without my sisters where would I be? They have cheered me on, booed me off, lifted me up, stared me down, given me horrible advice sometimes and yet ALWAYS without fail, they have been there for me through thick & thin. I don’t think I’ve given them enough credit for all they’ve added to my life. I kinda like who I turned out to be, so to my sisters I say thank you for taking my crap all of these years and putting up with my bossiness. Without you I would not have a sense of humor, a mended heart OR the capacity to embrace life without fear of rejection. In today’s world it is rare to find women like you, and I am lucky to be related. Happy Sister’s Day!

One of my favorite past times is learning about your not so well known Holidays. It fascinates me that nearly every single day of the year has one of these unknown Holidays. Not only does July have Independence Day, but it also celebrates one of my favorite treats, Ice Cream. In 1984, President Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month. It’s celebrated on the third Sunday in July, and I plan on celebrating big time! Ice Cream may not be the most healthy thing to snack on, but if you ask me, it’s good for the soul. Whether it’s in a bowl, on a cone or in a shake, cold ice cream on a hot day just plain makes me happy. I read that 90% of the US population enjoys ice cream, so I know I’m not alone. I’ve told you about this gift before, but I cannot praise it enough. Our Engraved Ice Cream Bucket with Scoop is just the gift for any ice cream lover. One of the greatest things about it, is you can have it engraved and we offer free engraving on this gift. So whether you personalize it with “Sue’s Ice Cream” or “Happy Ice Cream Month”, this gift is sure to please any ice cream enthusiast. Oh, and for those of you who like Peach Ice Cream, July 17th is Peach Ice Cream Day.

In 1935, US Congress proclaimed a new holiday/event called “Friendship Day”. This event was originally created to honor your friend’s friendship. I myself, wasn’t aware of this holiday/event until I started working here at GiftTree. Now that I am aware of Friendship Day, I am looking to send a gift to a very good friend of mine. I do love flowers and would like to stick to flowers but their are so many choices that I just can’t seem to decide. Their are two arrangements that I had my eye on for some time now; The Flourishing Garden Basket and the Happy Blooms Basket. Both are alike but individually unique and I can’t seem to decide which one to pick. Please help me decide just post your choice under the comment and end of the month I will make my decision. Thank you for all your help!

Wendi Estrada, Operations Manager

“Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.” Elbert Hubard.
I have one very close friend in particular I am thinking about and it’s so true. We know each others flaws and weaknesses but who cares? We are friends, through thick and thin (literally), good and bad and over the years our friendship has only grown stronger. Friendship Day is coming up quickly, August 3 to be exact, and we have a gift that really sums up friendship and that is the Friendship Treasure Ball. To be honest, when I first saw this gift, my first thought was “cheesy” but after I took the time to read the directions my perception of the gift changed. The idea is that your friend keeps the ball and at the appropriate time (whether this be a time to celebrate a joyous event or comfort in a rough time) puts another small gift in the ball and sends it back to you or to another friend in your circle of friends. The gift could be as simple as flower seeds from your garden, a handmade friendship bracelet or it could be a gift certificate to the day spa (hint to my friends)-you get the idea. The ball can be sent back and forth and around throughout the years, a symbol that true friendship is a treasure that is both priceless and timeless. I am going to send my friend the Friendship Ball and see how long we can keep it going in our group of girlfriends as life is a journey of unexpected twists and turns but one thing I know I can count on is their friendship.

The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday but definitely not my pets. They absolutely hate the loud noises and the bright flashing lights. I read that more pets get lost on the 4th of July than at any other time of the year. With the 4th just next week, it’s time to start planning ahead.

Remember to keep a collar and ID tag on your pet. My dogs have a tendency to chew the fabric collars off of each other, so we make sure to have the chain collars on them. I have a friend who has her dog micro chipped so she can track him if he’s lost.

My dog, Frank is an expert at escaping. His nickname should be Houdini. So if your dog is anything like my dog, you’ll want to resist the urge to keep him tied up outside. If they get spooked, they may very well find a way to escape the loud noises.

Also, don’t bring your pet to the fireworks display. Dogs can hear three times greater than humans, so all those great big booms are going to terrify him. You’ll want to keep him in a quiet room with the curtains closed. I like to keep the TV on for my dogs if I’m going to be gone a long time. I’m not sure if it actually helps them, but I figure maybe it’s a distraction from all that’s going on outside.

And I always make sure they have plenty of food and water along with a chew toy so they can calm their nerves by chewing.

With all that said, Have a Safe and Happy 4th everybody!

Now that the 4th of July is around the corner, have you had time to plan your BBQ with your friends and family? Hot dogs, apple pie, corn on the cob, and of course potato salad. Don’t forget your picnic table! GiftTree has a variety of 4th of July gifts for your party table. One item I must recommend is the American Spirit Flower Bouquet. It’s a perfect 4th of July arrangement that is made of red, white and blue flowers in a beautiful blue vase. This patriotic arrangement makes a stunning centerpiece for your 4th of July table.

I remember giving my grandpa a hideous looking necktie for Father’s Day when I was about 10 years old. I painstakingly wrapped it up in some paper my grandmother provided me and to make sure he didn’t open it up too easily, I used his entire roll of black electrical tape. It was beautiful to behold (or at least that’s what I thought when I saw my grandpa’s surprised face.) Come to think of it, I never saw him wear it. Hmmm.

Well, necktie styles have evolved quite a bit over the past few decades but they are still an important part of many a man’s daily attire. Fortunately for him the “gift wrap” has evolved too. Take for example our Personalized Father’s Day Tie Case. Could the wrapping be any more stylish than this? You can buy a few ties, (it holds 8 or more) tuck them in, zip it up and toss it his way for dad’s day this year. He will be surprised, (in a good way) and you can use his electrical tape on other gifts instead!