In our family it is customary to not only buy each other birthday gifts, but to also get a gift for ourselves on our birthdays. Every year, we buy ourselves something that might be a bit too expensive or too glamorous for us to indulge in otherwise.
My sister’s birthday was a couple of days ago and she has decided to purchase a unique present for herself. She is very artsy and absolutely loves drawing animals and posting them on the internet, but scanning the drawing into the computer and then having to color it in another program was becoming a real chore for her. So she thought of a number of great gift ideas for herself that might make posting her art online a bit easier.
First, she considered getting a better scanner for herself as ours is old and often malfunctions. But in all honestly, a new scanner will not really speed up the process of sketching by hand, scanning, and coloring using the mouse.
But then she had a better idea – a graphics tablet. It was perfect – instead of drawing by hand and scanning into the computer, she could draw by hand straight into the program she uses to color her pieces! After calculating how much she could afford to spend, she decided on a Bamboo Fun tablet by a company called Wacom.
She is in the computer room as we speak, drawing with her tablet. Getting herself this present, she says, is the best thing she’s ever done for herself. And indeed, indulging in a unique gift for oneself can really be a great idea and a special occasion can be an excellent excuse to do so.
Buying yourself a gift on your birthday is a great thing to consider because you know what you want. Whether or not the gift is practical or even useful doesn’t matter – if it will make you happy, it is worth buying, whether it be a home office phone system or your very own electronic drum kit. In fact, I think that the country should have a national self-giving holiday. Happiness certainly should not be centered on spending money, but sometimes indulging in ourselves really can help us find joy.
Liza S.
Mother’s Day is an important tradition in Ukraine. You don’t choose to not celebrate Mother’s Day – you just don’t. Unlike the U.S., which acknowledges this day on the second Sunday of May, Ukrainian Mother’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March. However, the second Sunday of May is also recognized. Symbolized by the elegant Snowdrop flower (Podsnezhnik in Russian), this day is all about appreciating our moms.
Teachers at school would always give us construction paper, scissors, and glue to create our own Mother’s Day cards for our Moms. We would sit in our classrooms and draw flowers and hearts on our congratulatory cards, showing each other our work. Meanwhile, men all over the country are running around various shops, looking for perfect gift ideas for their mothers and wives. As men, most of them are likely to have left the task until the last minute.
On the morning of one long-ago Mother’s Day, my mom and I baked my grandmother a chocolate cake. I was about 6 or 7 years old at that time. We slaved in the kitchen for over an hour, but the rewards were great. When the cake was finished, I stood in the middle of the kitchen, which was stained with white flour due to numerous spills on my part, and licked the spoon coated with leftover icing. But that wasn’t it. When I saw my grandmother’s face as we presented her with her cake (complete with “Happy Mother’s Day” written at the top in melted caramel), I wanted to bake another one…and another one…just to keep seeing her smile.
In my family it was customary for the entire family to get together for an extravagant dinner at our house, with everyone pitching in home cooked meals and desserts. Everyone had their speciality – my grandmother made the most delicious meatloaf, my aunt always brought a tasty salad, and my own mom was famous for her various desserts. As for the men, well, they weren’t really invited – they just kind of showed up! But they always brought a fairly large box of chocolates with them, so their gatecrashing tendencies were forgiven.
Mother’s Day was always a special occasion in my family in Ukraine. Unfortunately, after moving to the U.S. our Mother’s Day traditions were largely forgotten. But every year, I still bake a chocolate cake for my mom to keep Mother’s Day alive.
Most women will tell you – men are extremely difficult to shop for, especially when purchasing gifts for a new boyfriend. With us girls it’s easy – get us flowers, jewelry, shoes, and we’ll be happy. But great gifts for him require much brainpower and creativity. He won’t exactly be thrilled with a brand new designer handbag. Indeed, finding great gifts for a new boyfriend is not an easy task.
With a brand new boyfriend, not knowing all of his likes and dislikes is excusable. Here are some generic categories that your new man might fit into, along with some possible gift ideas for him. Remember that no man likes one thing and one thing only. Try to keep several of his hobbies in mind when choosing gifts for him.
The CAR-A-HOLIC boyfriend is obsessed with anything that has four tires and an engine. If you’ve just started dating, great gifts for him might involve a nice toy model of a shiny V8 sports car. Such presents are small enough gifts for a new boyfriend and will not be overly expensive, but will show him that you care about and approve of his hobby. Try to steer away from purchases that are meant to actually go on or in his car. Men can be very picky about modifying their vehicles and if your gift doesn’t quite suit his tastes, this could create an awkward situation.
Dating a HANDYMAN offers both advantages and disadvantages. If he is good at what he does, you will never have to hire a plumber again. If he thinks 
he is good at what he does, you might just end up with a house in shambles from his projects. Nevertheless, a handyman is always on the lookout for a new trinket to fiddle with, which gives you a great range of possible gifts for him. A talking pedometer with an FM radio, for example, would provide necessary entertainment for your man while he’s working (and encourage him to stay fit at the same time).
If your boyfriend is the type to play World of Warcraft into the wee hours of the morning, you can safely call him a COMPUTER GAME ENTHUSIAST. You can also call him a lunatic, but I do not recommend doing so to his face. Finding gifts for him is not very difficult. Whether it is a game card or the newly released first person shooter he mentioned last week, he is sure to be happy with anything that involves his computer.
This is Liza S., wishing you luck finding great gifts for a new boyfriend.
It is often easy to be lazy when it comes to gift ideas for Mom and Dad. This is Liza S., musing over what to buy for her mom’s approaching birthday as she writes. A sweet birthday card, a bouquet of flowers, perhaps an apron with “World’s Best Mom” stitched into the material should suffice, right? Let’s face it though, guys - unique gift ideas for mom and dad are too easy to come up with to justify slacking off!
Most of us have known our parents our entire lives. We would obviously already be familiar with their favorite hobbies and interests. Unlike occasions such as friends’ birthdays, you can never go too big when it comes to presents for Mom and Dad. Remember Marie, the oh-so-loveable mom from the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, who loved being lavished by her sons and insisted on being the center of their worlds? All mothers want to feel like Marie once in a while. Mom and Dad want to be appreciated and a unique gift idea is a great way to communicate your gratitude and appreciation. After all, they did spend all those years feeding us, clothing us, and keeping us out of their liquor cabinets. Even though Mom and Dad are likely to gripe and complain about how you shouldn’t have spent so much money on them when presented with a lavish gift, you can bet that they will thoroughly enjoy that quiet getaway to the acclaimed resort, paid for by their loving son or daughter.
Parents like to be surprised by unique gift ideas. I once knew someone who astonished his dad with a flying lesson for his 60th birthday! Seeing California from the glass cockpit of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk airplane turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of his life. When the overjoyed dad returned home to find a brand new Crosley 4-in-1 Entertainment Center with five of his favorite records sitting in his office, his day was officially made.
In conclusion, when it comes to gift ideas for Mom and Dad, think something really special, especially for occasions such as birthdays. ‘Really special’ does not have to be ‘really expensive’, but rather relevant and thoughtful. If your mom has a passion for unique glassware like mine, you can’t go wrong with a set of hand blown champagne saucers from the Milano Collection (there’s one part of my mom’s soon-to-be birthday gift!). One must simply sit down and think back on their parents’ hobbies and interests to come up with plenty of unique gift ideas for mom and dad.
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Let’s face it – men are often extraordinarily bad at coming up with romantic gift ideas. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the biggest fear of many a man. But the truth is men need not worry. Romantic gift ideas are everywhere.First, one must think about the occasion for which a romantic gift is being bought. If you are looking for a present which will help your profess your love to a girl you are not dating, something low-key may be in order. Think something that doesn’t burn a hole through your pocket – perhaps a single rose with a sweet note or a small box of chocolates. In other words, don’t buy her a car unless you are both billionaires and are used to dishing out free vehicles to near-strangers. A small romantic gift could also work for a one-month anniversary if you choose to exchange presents on such a day. Being with someone for a month does not merit purchasing a diamond-frosted necklace for your girlfriend and no woman in her right mind would even expect such gifts this soon (unless, again, you are both accustomed to showering in hundred dollar bills). |
| A one year anniversary is another matter. Such an occasion signals to a woman that your relationship now holds some weight in the real world. When asked how long she and her boyfriend have been dating, she can now say “a year” with a definite hint of dignity and pride. Such an occasion deserves romantic presents which are a bit more solid and bold. Think gold or silver jewelry plus flowers. If you’re looking for romantic gift ideas that are a bit more out-there and unique, you can even get her a musical jewelry box, perhaps with a heart-shaped locket inside.In the end, the best romantic gift ideas are not those that are the most shiny or expensive. The best presents are the ones that come from the heart and hold something personal for the one receiving them. Even a picnic complete with a picnic basket at the local park can be the most memorable romantic present of all.This is Liza S., wishing you the best of luck in coming up with the perfect romantic gift ideas. |
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Each of us has had a time in our lives when we lay in bed late at night, trying to miraculously come up with ingenious gift ideas for an all-too-rapidly approaching event. In fact, the majority of us constantly have to hatch up the next unique plan for that upcoming wedding, birthday, anniversary, or other such occasion. There is more to great gift ideas than walking into a store and purchasing the first shiny product that catches our eye. |
| Many factors come into play regarding the amount of thought we put into a gift. How well do we know the person receiving our present? How many times a year do we see them? Are we expecting something from them in return? Needless to say, you and your wife’s twenty year anniversary calls for a more unique gift idea than your next door neighbor’s birthday. A good present is one that contains a part of us - whether it is our effort, our personality, our thoughtfulness, or all of the above. There are gifts that cannot capture this energy. Rationalizing that a supermarket gift card is more useful to the receiver of our present than a new watch from that same supermarket is becoming a common occurrence. The truth is, a gift card can never induce that good, warm, fuzzy feeling (we all know the one) that goes hand in hand with receiving a thoughtful present.
When thinking of unique gift ideas, it is wise to consider the person’s hobbies, interests, and past experiences. If your best friend’s lifelong dream has been to experience the thrill of skydiving, you can never go wrong with bestowing upon him two skydiving passes. Contrary to popular belief, a thoughtful present does not equal an expensive present. A fiancé would likely be more than thrilled with a bouquet of her favorite flowers. Just knowing that you remembered her mentioning California Bluebells or Crimson Clovers at the botanical garden you visited way-back-when will surely produce that warm fuzzy feeling we mentioned earlier. Great gift ideas certainly do not have to burn a hole through your pocket.
The art of gift giving calls for thoughtfulness and creativity. With so many various products and trinkets on the market today, we will always be able to find something that is just right for the occasion. With a bit of time and effort, you are sure to come across many interesting and unique gift ideas. |
