Gift Ideas for Special Loved Ones
Have your spouse’s ring engraved with your wedding date or a special verse they love or has a special meaning to them. This may take some careful planning on your part because you don’t want to come out and ask for their ring, and you may need to have an idea (or just plead the fifth) when their ring comes up missing. Try a jewelry or specialty stores in your local mall, many offer engraving and it’s not too expensive. If you can’t come up with something thoughtful to say ask others for ideas, even the place you get it engraved may be able to help since they do it all the time.
A great gift for fathers, mothers, grandparents, and godparents from children are handprints and footprints. You can purchase kits at a department or craft store or make your own. If you chose to make your own, get a piece of poster board and some washable paint. You can always outline their hands and/or feet for a less messy approach too. Place the prints anywhere you want on the poster and write something special like “Tiny fingers and tiny toes, now you can remember them as I grow.” If the children are old enough they can even add their own message or picture, and don’t forget to date it. You can purchase a nice frame and frame it yourself or have it framed at a store for a competitive price.
Look into the past and try to remember something special they have always said they loved or wanted to have. Maybe they had a favorite book from childhood or have always wanted a certain toy they never got. Nothing makes people happier than knowing you pay attention to them. This kind of gift says that you put a lot of attention and thought into finding something they will love. If you can’t think of anything talk to people they know and are close with and more than likely someone you talk to will remember them bringing up in passing an item they loved or always wanted.
Fulfill their dreams. Take them somewhere they have always wanted to go or to do something they have always wanted to do. Most people have many aspirations in life and you will more than likely find something to fit your budget. It can be anything from visiting a foreign country, to going skiing, or even helping them start a home business. If you don’t have the funds to do anything they dream, get creative. If they have always wanted to see Paris, set the mood and decorate the house as if you were in Paris and pretend for the day.
Giving them the day off is another great option that doesn’t cost you any money, just some work. If they normally are in charge of the household and the chores that involve keeping it running in good shape, give them an official holiday off to do whatever they want. Cook them dinner, do the dishes and laundry, take out the trash, whatever it is that they would normally do and allow them to sit back and enjoy some time off. You can even take it a little further and offer them some other things like a massage, control of the television for the day, or anything you’re willing to do for them.
Set a date to renew your vows. Proposing to a woman all over again is sure to be a great gift in almost any woman’s eyes. Women love to know you still care and want to spend eternity with them. Buy a ring (or get her old one engraved as mentioned above) and ask her to be yours all over again, if you have the time you can even set up a nice dinner or go out and make it public. Let her know you have a date picked or let her pick it herself and watch her go crazy planning everything once more and bragging about how thoughtful you are.
Get the man in your life tickets (or for larger budgets season passes) to see the game played by his favorite sports team. Teams play at home and away so even if his team’s home state is a distance away you should be able to find a game that’s close to where you live. Make sure not to get nosebleed seats, make the gift worth while and get the best seats you can afford. Most web sites that sell tickets on the Internet have a picture of where the seats are located and when in doubt call and speak to someone.
And finally, make a memory box. You can do this is either by yourself or with family and friends. Buy a special box at the store and collect your favorite photos. Put a sticky note on the back of each photo explaining how you felt that day and why the photo has such meaning to you. You can also clip out pictures from magazines or books that remind you of them and write why. Add little pieces of paper in the box telling them what you love about them and how they make your life better. If your not picture people or don’t have access to lots of pictures you can still get a box and put one photo on the top that’s special. In the box put one nice thing about them for every week (or day if your prolific) of the year. It will remind them every week or day how much they mean to you and it’s a gift that will put a smile on their face and warmth in their heart all year long.
