The Gift Exchange

I have always been a big fan of personalized gifts. Being able to add your own message directly onto a gift that you’ve chosen especially for someone, makes what could otherwise be an ordinary object, into something memorable and sentimental. Now that we’re adding many new ways to personalize our gifts here at GiftTree, I am overflowing with ideas of what to give the many important people in life for birthdays, important occasions, the holidays and just because moments.

Many of my friends and family are having an eventful year. Engraving special dates or notes onto wine bottles, or the silver hang tags that suspend elegantly from the bottles neck are a great way to celebrate their pregnancy, new homes or engagements. Adding brass plates engraved with words of love or initials to one of our gourmet gift baskets allows my family or loved ones to proudly reuse or display the container after they’ve enjoyed its savory contents. Embossing ribbon to be hand-tied around most of our gift baskets makes it easier to decide on which one to send, because I can make it more personal no matter what I choose.

Alrighty, so hopefully some of you remember per my past blogs that I am traveling to my sister’s wedding from the West Coast to the East Coast. I am so excited however, I am not at all excited about traveling with my eleven month old daughter. Not that I think she will be bad or misbehave, I guess I’m just nervous. I’m afraid that her ears won’t pop, or that someone on the plane will get her sick. All silly things I know but I still feel like a pretty new mom and all these minor things still freak me out. It’s like the last thing I want is for her to be scared or uncomfortable….I know, I know, over protective. I can’t help it! So do any of you seasoned parents or grandparents out there have any advise or tips on flying with a toddler for this new mom? I know sticking her in a bubble is not an option, or is it?

Oh yeah F.Y.I., for those of you wondering what I decided on as a gift for my sister per my “Weddings, Weddings, Weddings” blog, I went with the Engraved Picture Frame I’ll let you know what their reaction was when I return.

Cyrenaic hedonism - Founded by Aristippus of Cyrene, Cyrenaics supported immediate gratification. “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Even fleeting desires should be indulged, for fear the opportunity should be forever lost. There was little to no concern with the future, the present dominating in the pursuit for immediate pleasure. Cyrenaic hedonism encouraged the pursuit of enjoyment and indulgence without hesitation, believing pleasure to be the only good.

If this is your motto then the The Caymus Showcase is definitely the gift you want to give either to your fellow hedonist or yourself. Filled with three wines rated 94 points by both Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate, it also has goodies such as the Auberge Camembert cheese spread, Aaron Bell Seasoned Crackers, Saraivanov Smoked Salmon, and Signature Caviar. Then on top of all that it also has sweets!

And if that’s not enough for you, you can have the ribbon personalized to say your name or the very lucky person’s name who will be receiving it, and then have it delivered next day. So even if your just someone who enjoys the finer things in life or you’re succumbing to your inner Cyrenaic hedonist, this is indulgence at it’s very best.

August is a very busy month for my family. We have several occasions to celebrate in August and it seems like there are festivities going on every weekend and a few during the week too. I really appreciate that I can order a gift from GiftTree and it arrives already gift wrapped. I get it delivered to my desk, but it arrives just as it would have if it had been shipped to anyone else.

Tonight after work, we are celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday. She is a big coffee drinker so she is getting the Monogrammed Mug. It will be wrapped in a pretty aqua paper and tied with a brown ribbon. Tomorrow night we’re celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary. They’re getting the Amazing Grace Engravable Wind Chimes. My mom loves the song and they’ll like the chimes for their new home. I had it engraved with their names and the date of their wedding, August 17th, 1969. This gift will be wrapped in black and gold dragonfly paper and tied with a gold ribbon. It’s a very nice presentation.

I’m not a lazy person, just super busy. I don’t have extra time to spare for shopping and wrapping. I am tempted to purchase a greeting card kit to have here at the office so whenever I order a gift, I will be completely set. No need to go to the store for anything. Ah, sounds like a piece of cake!

If bride’s maids and best men of today think they have it tough, they have no clue. Back in the day, the responsibilities of these two now very traditional positions was vastly greater then planning perverse bridal shower entertainment, or bachelor party debauchery. These positions actually consisted of dangerous undertakings, and scary propositions.

The best man found it’s origin from the Germanic Goths, where it was customary for a man to marry a woman from within his own community. Of course, when woman were in short supply, a military like recon mission would be launched on a neighboring village. This is where the groom would select only the “best” man he knew to take along for this stealthy and very dangerous endeavor. Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

Is the new mom you know emotional these days? You will definitely bring her to tears with this gift. Tears of joy that is! The Motherhood Mirror for a New Mother is not only beautiful, but incredibly touching. It is designed for the new mom and her baby girl. It comes with a tri fold box that has a little story about a mother and daughter and their relationship. It also contains a poem from daughter to mother. Also included is a compact mirror in the shape of a heart. One side comes engraved with the word Mother. You can also have the other side engraved with whatever personalized message you would like! The best part about it is the price, 39.95 including the engraving!

If your kitchen is anything like mine, your refrigerator is a giant vortex for just about anything that can be magnetized to it. I have magnets shaped like teacups, Coca-cola bottles, flowers, magnetic picture frames and even magnetic ads from the phone book that I took out because I needed the magnet at the time. I have fabulous drawings from local artists, (my grandkids), coupons, shopping lists, inspirational poems and a magnetic calendar from my insurance company turned to September 2006. As you can see, I need more up-to-date magnets to organize my clutter! I’ll be purchasing the Engraved Magnetic Clothespins to replace some of my old ones with. I get 5 top quality magnets and I can engrave up to 10 characters on each pin. Now, if they only made a magnet that could clean OUT the refrigerator…

I used to love having tea parties when I was a kid, and I can clearly remember one time when my grandmother discovered that I had been using the same tea bag over & over for weeks. She asked me where I had been keeping it and I told her in the teabox. “Could you show me the teabox?” she asked. I proudly led her over to the closet and pointed at a round box to the back. Unbeknownst to me, one of my grandma’s favorite hats resided in the “teabox” too. She never said a word to me about that instance, but told me later that she laughed herself silly because she had worn the hat and didn’t realize that there was a big tea stain on it.

If my grandmother were alive today, she would adore the Wood Chest of Silken Tea Pyramids that GiftTree just introduced. The “teabox” itself is a work of art, unlike the hat box I used as a child, and it can be given as a great personalized gift as well. To my grandma the consummate tea drinker, I would engrave the words Tea Totaller on the box. She would have gotten a kick out of that! Looking for the perfect gift for the tea lover in your life? I think we have your cup of tea!