|
gift
ideas
(excerpted
from
Present
Perfect)
Give
companionship:
- Arrange
a regular time to read to a child, a sight-impaired person, or
someone who is confined to bed at home or in a care facility.
- Attend
a class, lecture, concert, or sports event with the recipient.
- Volunteer
to be a mentor.
- Be
a "workout buddy."
- Take an overworked single parent out
for a relaxing evening on the town in the company of a friend.
- Take a child on a boat ride, a
hayride, or to a zoon, museum, festival, or amusement park.
- Visit
a person who is confined to bed in the hospital, in a care center,
or at home.
Share
your expertise in one the following:
- Architecture,
landscaping, or interior design
- Computing
- Woodworking,
furniture repair or refinishing, upholstering
- Flower
arranging
- Sailing,
cycling, driving
- Sports (tennis, golf, swimming, team
sports)
- Tax accounting (advice or
preparation)
- Estate
planning
Provide
one of the following services:
- Tutoring,
coaching
- Hair
cutting or styling
- Shopping,
errand running
- House-sitting
or pet-sitting
- Wardrobe or color consulting
- Document design, word processing
- Maid service for a day, for a
special occasion, or for a specified time
- Nursing care
- Transportation
- Child care
- Holiday gift wrapping
- Auto repair, painting, maintenance,
detailing, or cleaning
Share
one of the following talents.
- Cooking—Issue
dessert-of-the-month certificates, prepare a special meal, or share
a secret recipe.
- Music—Provide
entertainment for a party or reception, or give a tape recording of
your music.
- Dressmaking—Sew
a prom dress, wedding gown, costume, or another outfit for a special
occasion.
- Quilting, knitting,
embroidery—Donate your handiwork for a fund-raising crafts fair or
bazaar.
- Painting—Give a custom work of art
of the recipient's choice.
- Calligraphy—Address
birth, graduation, or wedding announcements or copy and frame the
recipient's favorite verse, quotation, or scriptural reference.
Help
with a project:
- Wallpaper
a room
- Plan or prepare for a party
- Organize a collection
- Decorate a friend's house for the
holidays
- Seed, aerate, power rake, or
fertilize a lawn
- Refinish
a piece of furniture
- Construct
a dog house, tree house, go-cart, or model
- Plant
or harvest a garden
- Build
or paint a fence
- Clean
out a garage, barn, or storage shed
- Help
restore a boat, car, or bicycle
Emerson
wrote, "The only gift is a portion of thyself." But many
people feel they lack the time or creative talent to give of themselves.
However, with just a little imagination and effort on your part, you can
put a portion of yourself into every gift you give.
- "Monogram"
gifts to children—a lunch box, a backpack, a chalkboard, a
flashlight, an article of clothing—with marking pens and paints.
- Appliqué your own design on an
apron, sweater, or kitchen linens
- Pass on a note about a gift's origin
or significance when giving something unique or uncommon, or when
passing down a family heirloom.
- Include a photograph of you and the
recipient with the gift of an album or a picture frame.
- Compose an original poem for the
inside cover of a book of poetry.
- Prepare and freeze a meal, side
dish, or dessert to include with your gift of bake ware, a crock
pot, or a microwave.
- Give
a bouquet of your prize-winning roses along with a beautiful vase
and a note in which you promise to fill the vase regularly with
other flowers cut from your garden.
- Giving
a cookie jar? Fill it to the brim with your best homemade cookies.
(Be sure to include a copy of the cookie recipe too.)
- When
giving a journal, record a treasured memory of an experience you had
with the recipient.
Present Perfect:
Unforgettable Gifts for Every Occasion is filled with ideas for
gifts of self and many other creative gifts. In addition, you
get tips on gifting etiquette, shopping, wrapping, special
presentations, and much, much more. To order the book,
click here.
NEW!
To start shopping for gifts right now,
click here.
Have
any gifts of self ideas
you'd like to share? |
