Your Gift is Speaking … What is It Saying?

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Administrator

Whether you know it or not, the gift you give says a lot about you, how you view your relationship with the recipient and how you feel about the recipient.

Gifts are an essential aspect of social interaction; they help to create, maintain and grow relationships of all kinds. Today holiday gift giving is a $624 billion industry (not including anniversaries and birthdays), but the history of exchanging gifts is more than a little murky.

In traditional societies, exchanging gifts was the method of providing for the material needs of others as people redistributed resources in well-defined relationships. Gifts also created the obligation to reciprocate, thus creating complex social organizations.

As civilization evolved, material needs were met through impersonal means, such as market exchange, i.e. going to the store to buy milk instead of trading your wheat for your neighbor’s milk. Social structures evolved into formal arrangements such as schools, corporations and associations, and social integration was no longer a function of gift giving.

Yet, despite the original purposes of gift giving being met in other ways, gift giving remains an important part of society. Its purpose has evolved to be a form of communication from one person to another. A gift can communicate identity, values, emotions and meaning.

What does the gift you give to your spouse, your friend, your boss, or your parent say about you, him or her, and your relationship? Does it say, “I listen to your needs” or “I remember” or “you’re important to me”? Or does it say, “I have no clue what you enjoy” or “I forgot it was your birthday until I was driving over to the party”?

The next time you’re in a gift-giving situation, take a moment to ask yourself, what message is this gift sending? Does this gift reflect how I feel about this person? If not, is there something you could add to it to make it a more personal and genuine expression of your caring? Even a handwritten note to the recipient can add a whole new dimension to what your gift says to your recipient … and about you!

Live Demonstration and Signing in Las Vegas

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Administrator

I’m very excited about an upcoming special evening event at a delightful new store in Las Vegas, Le Book Nook, where I’ll be doing a live demonstration of some of my best gift-giving tips! Plus, guests will receive a copy of my book, Gift Giving for Busy People, which I will personalize at the event.

Just in time for Mother’s Day gift giving, plus summertime occasions like weddings, showers and graduations, the demonstration will show you stress-free ways to select and present the perfect gift with ease and panache.

The event will be held Thursday, May 3, 2012 beginning at 6 p.m. Le Book Nook is located in Global Plaza West, 3655 S. Durango Drive, near the corner of Desert Inn and Twain.

Tickets are $20 per person and include a wine and cheese reception, a signed copy of the book and more.

Seating is very limited for this exclusive event. RSVP to Le Book Nook at (702) 240-0950, during business hours (Tues. to Sat., 9 to 5:30).

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Administrator

As soon as Easter decorations are packed away and we’re getting into the spring groove, it’s time to start thinking about Mom. Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13 this year. (Pssst! It’s always the second Sunday in May!)

Based on our spending, we value and treasure our moms.

According to Hallmark, Mother’s Day is the second most popular holiday for gift giving (following Christmas) and it’s the third largest card-sending holiday in the U.S., with 133 million cards exchanged annually.

According to the most recent statistics available from the National Retail Federation, Mother’s Day ranks fourth on the list of overall holiday spending at $16.3 billion, just behind Valentine’s Day. (The winter holidays and back-to-school are in the top spots.)

The Society of American Florists reports that Mother’s Day accounts for 25 percent of the floral purchases made for holidays, giving it the second spot just behind Christmas. More than a third (35 percent) of adults bought flowers or plants as gifts for Mother’s Day 2011, with the majority of those purchases (69 percent) being fresh flowers.

This year I’ve spotted a couple of items that would be perfect Mother’s Day gifts, especially for moms with younger children. These gift ideas incorporate the children into the gift, and let them have a hand in making the gift personal and very special.

Wood Gallery Oversized Mat Frames – Available from Pottery Barn ($49-$69, www.potterybarn.com) in a choice of finishes. I love the idea of the oversized mat for children’s hand prints. Remove the mat from the frame and place it on a protected surface. Paint each child’s hands with acrylic craft paint (it will wash right off their hands) and help them make hand prints on the mat. (Practice on a piece of paper or cardboard first.) Allow the hand prints to dry, place a special family photo in the photo opening and re-frame the mat. Be sure to put the date on the back of the mat, or, if your handwriting is good, in the lower right hand corner of the front. Wrap and present to Mom!

No matter what you choose for Mom this year, make it hit a few elements of the perfect gift, particularly sentimental or meaningful; and make sure it’s within your spending plan!

Giving a Default Gift

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Administrator

Even if you’ve read my book and you’re using a gift drawer, the time may come when you’re faced with an event or occasion, particularly a personal event like a birthday. You have no gift – and you’re stumped. This is where having a solid list of “default gifts” comes into play.

Default gifts fall somewhere on the spectrum between the last-minute, impulse gift card and a meaningful, well-thought out gift. It’s a hybrid – a go to item that is still specific for that person.

The idea is this: have a short list of items – favorite wine or spirit, favorite restaurant and favorite perfume – that you can always turn to in a pinch. Then, find out what those items would be for your recipient and purchase a personalized default.

Let’s say your recipient is a woman, and her favorite spirit is Ketel One Citron, her favorite restaurant is Macaroni Grill and her favorite perfume is Estee Lauder’s Beautiful. Voila! You have an instant gift list. Whichever gift is closest at hand, go for it!

Other possible default settings for your gift list could include favorite sports team, favorite color, favorite author, favorite band, or favorite food.

Make one or two of these categories your “default gift list” and save yourself time and stress the next time you need a personal gift. It’s quick, easy, and it still fits the recipient.

Gift Wrapping Essentials

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Administrator

Anyone who gives gifts with any frequency knows that an inventory of supplies is invaluable at reducing stress when it comes time to wrap. Even if you don’t have a 25-room mansion with a separate gift wrapping room, you can have all the benefits of a dedicated area, even in the smallest space.

What’s important is to keep the gift supplies in one place, close at hand, in order to avoid scouring the house to find the tape in one room, another place for scissors, another for paper, another for a box, and so on. A shoe box sized plastic storage container is the perfect starting place for a gift wrap area. This is very handy any time of year, but especially for Christmastime.

Here’s what you need to place inside:

Scissors
Tape
Small gift cards or tags
Pens, markers
Tissue paper
Metallic wired fabric ribbon
Black grosgrain ribbon
Curling ribbon
Tulle
Off cuts of gift wrap (save it to wrap small item)

Keep a roll of white gift wrap handy and you’re ready for nearly any occasion! (Note: This is a “no bow zone.” Bows need lots of space so as not to be crushed.)

No matter what your situation, be sure to keep at the very least a pair of scissors, a roll of tape and a pen in the gift area – and put them back where they belong for the next time.

Housewarming Gifts They’ll Love

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Administrator

We’re coming up on the busy season for home buying; according to the National Association of REALTORS statistics, April through July tend to be the peaks in the market. That means you may be buying some housewarming gifts soon!

You needn’t wait for a formal housewarming party to give your friends or relatives a housewarming gift. Most new homeowners wait until they feel their home is presentable for company and, in many cases, that can be a while. It is absolutely appropriate to bless the home with good wishes for health and happiness when the homeowner moves in.

This is one area where I relax my “no gift card” rule. New homeowners need so much for their home it’s hard to say what tool they’ll need to complete a project or how much they’ll have to save for new appliances. Therefore, a gift card to a hardware store, home improvement center, or home goods store would be a most welcome surprise.

At the same time, remember that new homeowners frequently over do it with chores and projects and don’t take proper care of themselves. While a new hammer might be just fine, how about a gift certificate for a massage or muscle-relaxing bath salts and lotion? Remind the do-it-yourselfers that they need some pampering too. Fill a tool belt with bath products and a card that reminds your recipient that when she’s done working on the house she can reward herself.

Here are more ideas for unique housewarming gifts:

Is the recipient a new homeowner with little or no household items? Consider a gift bucket filled with essential items such as toilet paper, paper towels, a toolkit, cleaning products, light bulbs, etc.
Are the utilities turned on yet? Bring by dinner and a cooler of beverages.
Is the recipient a do-it-yourselfer or does she hire everything out? A tricked-out tool kit for the former; a gift card for a handyman service for the latter.
Does the new homeowner need help painting, hanging wallpaper, or doing other improvement projects where you can lend a hand? Give them a “gift certificate” for your time to help with moving, unpacking, painting, or furniture arranging. Even if you’re not handy, you could offer to watch the kids while the homeowners tackle a project one Saturday.

Gift Wrap with a Twist

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Administrator

The creation of modern gift wrap is credited to J.C. Hall, the founder of Hallmark, and his brother Ronnie Hall who ran out of solid-colored paper during the peak Christmas season in 1917. They improvised by selling fancy decorated French envelope lining paper. It was such a success the brothers decided to begin printing their own gift wrap. It was the first non-greeting card product line for Hallmark.

With the exception of the gift bag, not a lot has changed in the gift wrap world in the nearly 100 years since. It’s pretty much the same concept: gift in box; box wrapped with paper; bow stuck on box. Now, I’m not a huge fan of the sticky-backed bow, so here are a few ways to embellish a wrapped box with a twist, to make it stand out from the crowd.

Instead of a traditional ribbon and bow, tie with wide tulle ribbon (available at fabric & craft stores).
Create custom wrapping paper with photos of the recipient, collaged and copied on 11×17 or larger paper at a local print or copy shop.
Wrap in plain white paper (ask your butcher to sell you a few yards!) then have children decorate with stickers, stamps, and drawings (perfect for a parent or grandparent).
Wrap in brown kraft paper and tie with raffia and dried flowers for a natural look.
Use a creative “tie-on” that hints at what’s inside, such as a soft rattle or teething ring for a baby, or a set of measuring spoons for a housewarming gift. (See photo.) Think of the tie-one like a stocking stuffer or an appetizer before the main course.
Wrap the box in fabric, securing with small straight pins. My mom once wrapped a box containing a shirt and tie to look like a shirt and tie!

Tips for Keeping a “Gift Drawer”

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Administrator

If you’ve followed my advice in the past and you’re shopping when and where you are, you probably have a good stash of gifts piling up. The question is, what to with them?

I have a large drawer in my craft area that I call “The Gift Drawer.” Throughout the year I pick up little stocking stuffers, hostess gifts and holiday gifts and put them in the drawer. If the item is for a specific person, I put a self-adhesive note with the recipient’s name and occasion on the item so as not to forget. Last year around December 1st I pulled out the drawer contents and found that I was much farther ahead in my holiday gift buying than I previously thought.

If you don’t have an empty drawer, think of other containers for your gift storage. A covered box on a closet shelf would do the trick, as would an empty, infrequently used suitcase. The important thing is to designate a space to store gifts that you acquire during the year. You can locate it anywhere, but it should be easily accessible so that purchases can be put away right away and not piled up as clutter. In other words, the attic may not be the best location. If you have curious children or a curious spouse, then consider putting their gifts in a more secret location and keep the “gift drawer” for other people’s gifts.

Of course, one of the basic tenets of organizing is to contain items, so designate a space and stick to it. If you stock up on hostess and housewarming gifts, such as candles and handmade soaps, just remember that like duplicates in your pantry, too much of a good thing costs you valuable space.

Shop When You Are

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Administrator

A few weeks ago, I posted about shopping where you are. The sister to that concept is shopping “when” you are.

You know when Christmas is. You know when Hanukkah, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and your mom’s birthday are. If you find the perfect gift for someone, but the occasion is seven months away, buy the gift now. I used to think, “Oh, I’ll remember,” and even if I did remember, the item was usually gone when I went back.

Buying a gift “when” you are will save you time and stress later. Who knows, maybe you will be swamped with work or a family situation when the holiday or birthday comes around. By shopping when you are, you will have the perfect gift already tucked away, ready to wrap.

If you see a great item but it’s simply too big to store at home and the occasion is months away, consider purchasing the item and asking the store to keep it for you (many times they will do this if they have offsite storage), storing it in your garage or storage locker (take a photo of the item and keep the photo in your gift space so you don’t forget where it is), or simply give the gift early. No one ever griped about getting the perfect present too soon!

Next week I’ll share my secret for keeping track of all the gifts I buy in advance.

The Referral Gift

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Administrator

Anyone who owns or runs a business knows that word-of-mouth (whether good or bad) is the most persuasive form of marketing. If you are in a service business, then get in the habit of sending a token thank you gift for referrals from other customers or colleagues.

For example, there is an employment attorney I know to whom I’ve referred friends in the past. Whether the referral becomes a paying customer or not, that attorney sends me a thank you card and $5 Starbucks gift card each and every time. Not only am I going to remember that attorney, I’m going to keep referring people to her. By acknowledging even the smallest act, she lets me know that she appreciates me and that tells me that she appreciates her clients as well.

To get into this habit, keep a stash of gift cards and thank you cards or company note cards in your desk. When the referral comes in, take a few moments to recognize the referral source or add the source’s contact information to an online card and gift service and have the service send the card for you.