Kathy said around cocktail hour on November 7, 2007
I’ll admit it, I drew a total blogging blank today so I leaned on my back up, Miss Zoot’s NaBloPoMo writing prompts… today’s topic, Gift Giving. That actually worked. Thank you Zoot. I have already seen a holiday commercial on tv for Target. The first of many I am sure to encounter between now and Christmas. This is not bothering me for one reason. I started shopping a month ago. I have half of my recipients shopped for. But I am hitting a shopping wall which is usually not a problem for me but I am running out of ideas for those people that have everything and don’t like anything.
You know the types. The random brother in-law, or a siblings girlfriend who you don’t know very well… or the parent, aunt or uncle that you’ve already exhausted your ideas on and need something new for this year’s holiday gift swap. I’ll share with you some of the ideas that have saved my Santa ass on holiday’s past.
Starbucks Card: Seems obvious, I know but when you’re in the heat of shopping it’s easy to forget easy stuff like this. This is actually sometimes a very good gift for the person you love who has a slight Pumpkin Latte addiction. But it can also be a good random gift for an office swap, or a difficult gifter. The only requirement is that the person drink coffee in some form.
Movie Certificates: I’ve done this in the past for family “groups” who live far away. You can purchase various denominations like any other gift card and can be used for movies and concession stand goodies. Bonus? You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to ship multiple gifts all over the place. They fit in a holiday card. If you want to get cute you can wrap it with a bag of twizzlers they can sneak in the theater.
Vosges Chocolates: I’ve gotten these for family members before but they work for anyone who fits that “has everything” category, and also works for neighbors or service providers who you want to thank. It’s not just chocolate, its chocolate with attitude. Some of their truffles are laced with ingredients like absinthe, ancho chillies, spanish saffron or curry… and they have chocolate covered bacon. Enough said. They arrive packed gorgeously and they taste divine. I haven’t tried all their products but their website has a zillion gift pack ideas and varieties. It’s a nice twist on a basic gesture.
Wishing Fish: This online store has saved me on more than one occasion. They have tons of cute, funny and quirky gifts. You’d be hard pressed to come up emtpy handed when there are things like Onion Goggles, Snowball Launchers, or the Snoopy Snowcone Machine. And I totally want this mini fridge for my office. I just noticed they’re carrying Vosges Chocolates Bacon Bars now. Neat… one stop shopping!
Those are a few of my tricks… I’ll post more as I come across them. In the meantime PLEASE share with me your gift ideas for people that are hard to shop for. I need some new gift ideas that I haven’t beaten to death. Pleeeease… *bats eyes*
from your moms.
I found this great gift idea today, I think I’m going to give to people like my hairdresser or maybe teachers. Dale & Thomas has a $20 off $20 gift card. Here’s the link. They have a popcorn sampler for $28 and you can actually choose the shipping date if you want to send it as a gift. There’s a free shipping code of E11X5S1T. When you sign up, join their pop club and you get 75 free points and with your first order (which ends up being $8 for the sampler), you get enough points to get $5 off your next order, which then ends up being $3. So, for $11, you get two of the gourmet popcorn samplers and it sounds like some pretty good flavors.
That’s my bargain o’ the day.
from your moms.
Oh, I would love anyone that gave me Vosges chocolates for Christmas!
I have a lovely nature photography calendar coming out very soon that makes an excellent gift for people you just don’t know that well. (Hope you don’t mind my shameless self-promotion in your comments!) Or you could always make your own calendars (cards, mugs, etc.) to give with one of the many photo websites out there.
from St. Pete FL
uncommongoods.com has some really unique and quirky gifts.
from Canada
Smite me if you wish, but a home made treat shows love like a Starbucks card cannot. English toffee is decadent, has very few ingredients, and is easy to make. Only thing it requires besides the ingredients is the willingness to stir that pot until it’s ready.
Make lots, or Nobody will share theirs.
It’s that good.
from West Palm Beach, FL
Cocktail: Champagne Bellini
@witchypoo: I agree! Care to share the recipe you use with us? Pretty please?
from West Palm Beach, FL
Cocktail: Champagne Bellini
@geeky: I heart your calendars!
from Canada
Recipe for English Toffee:
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar (darker is better)
1 lb butter (salted works best here) Please, no margarine, you will taste the difference.
1 cup of sliced, lightly toasted almonds. (Takes 5 minutes and a watchful eye to toast them in your oven)
1 oz dark, semi sweet chocolate
8 oz glass of ice water
cookie sheet
heavy medium sized saucepan.
Toast almonds on cookie sheet and set aside
Wash and grease the cookie sheet.
Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat
Gradually add brown sugar, until the two get along and are integrated.
Sometimes I just fling em in together (I’m easily bored)
Stir constantly until mixture boils, then no more stirring.
Put the spoon down. Step away from the pot.
Stirring after boil produces graininess. We like our toffee creamy.
This is when the bestest part happens.
(That’s what I used to do, had too much going on in the kitchen)
That glass of ice water? We will use it to drop tiny bits of the mixture to see how cooked it is. Most purists advocate the hard crack stage of cooking.
I like to cook it until the mixture in the ice water forms a ball, then the next stage is when the mixture forms a soft crack upon hitting the ice water. I like to replenish the ice in the water. But then I also like to fish the mixture out of the ice water and taste it.
When it is cooked to your personal taste, quickly stir the almonds in, and pour the toffee onto a cookie sheet. Melt the dark, yummy bitter or semi sweet chocolate and just drizzle it over the top. If you have a few almonds left, you can sprinkle those, or even grind them up and sprinkle some toasted almond dust. It will make you feel magical.
Put the cookie sheet and its contents in the freezer so it lies flat. If you live in the country, you can put it on a snowbank, above the yellow snow line
20 minutes should be enough freezing.
I like to take the sheet out of the freezer and whack it against the counter to break it up into pieces.
Put in a suitable container and order the recipient to only open in secret.
Do not sample this before sending!
Otherwise you will be making another batch! And you might eat that one too.
from West Palm Beach, FL
Cocktail: Champagne Bellini
@witchypoo: Thanks!!! I am so making that this year for neighbor gifts.