Gift ideas: General.

Anyone still tackling that Christmas shopping list after all the Black Friday mayhem? ;) When all else fails, here are some categories of gifts that are generally appreciated:

Books. Lately, around here, it's been anything to do with Star Wars or science or history. :) This is one of those categories where you need to know the gift recipient fairly well...but giftcards also work if you can't decide which book(s) to pick up. Oooh. And holiday books are always fun for kids. 

Games. So many games. So little time. Our game closet overflowed into a game "area" and we just keep finding more we love (probably time to purge a few of those, though, lol). You can go for classics like Monopoly or Uno or chess or go for the more obscure like Carcassonne or Robo Rally or Fluxx. (We have and recommend all of these, btw.) We'll be adding this one and this one this Christmas...I'll let you know how they go. 

Giftcards. Sure, they may seem a little impersonal. But. Let's be honest. Don't *you* love receiving a giftcard to one of your favorite places? I know I do. ;) If you want to wrap something a little more creative, you can stick it in one of these. (We received one of these a few years ago and (after I'd struggled with it for a good while) Noah had it solved in less than 5 minutes...he ingeniously grabbed a magnet to guide the little metal ball, lol.) 

Food. Again, this one might require you to know your recipient pretty well but I've yet to meet a person who didn't appreciate free food. ;) You could go the culinary route here and get fancy foods...or the junk food route and get foods you know the person loves but wouldn't normally buy for themselves...or the meal route (at home...if you have a local place that prepares meals that you freeze and then just make when ready...or out and about if you know their favorite restaurant)...or, for the starving college student, even the grocery route. ;)

Movies & Music. Somewhat obvious, admittedly. But. While shopping for that copy of Karate Kid or Despicable Me, also consider things like individual seasons of favorite shows and soundtracks to all of the above. Giftcards to theaters with offers to watch the kids are also grandly appreciated. ;)

Memberships. For families who don't need/want more "stuff," think about going the membership route. A family membership to a local museum or zoo might be a perfect gift (and, often these don't cost any more than you'd already have spent on a number of individual gifts). Watch, too, for places that offer reciprocal agreements (so you pay for the membership to that particular place but it's also good at a number of others...bonus!). (Our local Discovery Science Center, for example, offers a great annual family membership that's good not only there but at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science as well!)

Theme baskets. I love a good theme. When in doubt...try this. Just gather things that go together. For the sports fan, some goodies from his/her favorite team (a jersey, a throw, a window decal, (if you really like them) tickets to a game, an ornament)...For movie buffs, throw some microwave popcorn and a gift subscription to Netflix together (maybe some candy in a box, too, lol)...For readers, how about a nifty reading pillow and a cool book bag and one of these Thumb Things (I love these!) and a giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble? You get the idea...

Again, I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned or linked here...just sharing ideas because I love shopping for others. ;)

Comments

[Susan Easley]

Great ideas, thanks!