5 Gifts to Have on Hand for Those You Care About – But Forgot
This time of year can be absolutely crazy! We have so much to do, so many places to go, so many lists to write, so many things to remember. With all the hustle and bustle going on, it’s easy to overlook something. Or someone. One way to avoid being caught with a memory short and a gift shy is to have some great gifts on hand to present to those very special people you care about – but forgot. A great have-on-hand gift is one that is useful, not tied to a particular age, gender, or ethnicity, and – maybe most important of all – is something you wouldn’t mind owning if this is the year you forget nobody! Here are five that qualify!
1. Amaryllis in a box. This fast-growing flower comes in oodles of colors – including a cool peppermint striped variety – and can be found in big box stores and garden stores for $5-$10. The recipient will be delighted with the giant blooms (about 8 inches!) that erupt within 4-6 weeks indoors and last another two weeks on average. Bonus: the box is an easy-to-wrap shape.
2. Bottled Quick-Bread. Layering these common ingredients in a bottle – or clear jar – with the simple instructions makes an attractive gift that anybody would eat up! Click on the picture for this Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Quick Bread recipe and how-to. Bonus: the mix lasts 2-3 months at room temperature.
3. Holiday CD. Classics, instrumentals, children’s favorites, Big Band editions, country Christmas . . . there’s more choices and places to buy them than ornaments on a crowded tree! Bonus: If this one’s not claimed by Christmas Day, you can use it immediately – no mixing or growing required!
4. Flavored Hot Chocolate Mix. You can present your gift in a jar as pictured, or fill cellophane bags, tie off and tuck them in a festive Christmas mug for two gifts in one! Click on the picture for this French Vanilla recipe. Bonus: this can be made in a batch and divided up to create multiple gifts.
5. Windowsill herb garden. The pictured kit was found on Amazon.com for $18.68 (give or take a few pennies), but you should be able to find something similar at a local lawn and garden type store. From attractive package, to something that looks nice in the kitchen, to something one can eat, this gift has it all! Bonus: It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Italian herb rubs, rosemary bread – there’s so many yummy possibilities you may want to gift this to one who lives close enough to share!
Related:
Ten Good Holiday Deeds to Commit
A Christmas Carol – 5 Ghosts of Christmas Past
What great ideas! I get so overwhelmed picking simple gifts, and these are all really creative and fun, thoughtful gifts.
Not as good as Giorgio maybe, but a close second! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Mari!
Loving all of these Shel and would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas, may it be blessed with happy memories. Kath.
Thanks, Kath – it’s a special one. Getting to be with my parents for the first time in years. With them being 88 and 90, it is precious time, indeed! May your holidays be blessed and special, Kath – Merry Christmas!
These are all so good that I’d be hoping no one needed them…so I could keep them myself!
This Christmas is our 11th annual Paper Whites Grow-Together Gift. All the females in the family (including the little girls who love to have their own flowers) receive a bulb kit in a colorful pot to grow Paper White blossoms.
We all open the kits and follow the directions on December 31. We take pictures, send them to everyone via emails, call each other to compare the blossoms. It’s our fun way of sharing gifts and continuing communications as the bulbs grow.
There are now 14 of us doing this in 9 states: we’ve added some of our mothers’ friends who’ve asked to be included, and this year a 9-month-old baby girl in Oklahoma will receive her grow kit for Christmas, and our number will be 15.
That is an awesome tradition, Marylin! I’m in Florida at a friend’s and immediately had to share it with her – I knew with her family scattered in different states it’s an idea she would really appreciate (and she did!). May your Christmas be blessed and merry, Marylin, with beautiful Paper White’s growing throughout the New Year!!
Great ideas. So much better than a video I saw on Facebook where one of the suggestions was to grab something from around the house and wrap it in a Doritos bag turned inside out! I put my FB friends on alert that if I received anything in an empty chip bag, I was wise to their last-minute, re-gifting scam! 🙂 I especially like the herb garden. I would be tempted to keep that for myself.
I saw a lot of VERY nice versions of the windowsill herb garden – most were from the UK. Just a tad pricier than I thought most would want to invest in a just-in-case gift! Please tell me the dorito-bag-wrapped-house-item was somebody’s attempt at humor!!!
Great gift suggestions, Shel! I love the bread in a jar. I’ve seen that done with cookie mix too. Yum!
There are a lot of good recipes out there that look nice layered – it’s a great do-anytime-gift option! In case you’re not “Unplugged” yet, Merry Christmas! And for if you are, Happy New Year!!
I’m almost unplugged. 🙂
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Shel!
I’m getting close, too, Jill! I’m actually in Florida (at a friend’s) staring out at the awesome, stormy ocean as I type – something I don’t see a lot of in Oklahoma!! But after a quick check in at FBF site, I’m shutting down. We’re heading to my folks tomorrow. Hope you are enjoying your family and friends during this special season and have a very blessed, Merry Christmas, Jill! Looking forward to hanging out with you next year!
Florida…nice! Enjoy your time with the family, Shel! See you in 2015! xoxo
Have a feeling I should jot this list down and keep it for any old time of the year when one of my favourite peeps has a special day I forgot all about 🙂 You hit the mark again Shel! xoxo
I have a “gift closet,” Pauline – as I see things through the year that fit a particular person or would be good to “have on hand” I pick ’em up. I also have a ridiculous collection of just-in-case greeting cards – a habit I picked up from my mother. It often comes in handy, but some were funnier when first purchased and just aren’t appropriate any more. Or the 35 cent price on back would give away how OLD they are!! Merry Christmas! I look forward to continuing our connection in 2015!
I love this post! By this time into the Christmas Season I’m brain-dead. Love the Amaryllis in a box and the herbs in a box idea! As usual, Shel, thanks for your helpful, wise counsel.
Merry Christmas!
DiAne
There’s nothing like something growing in spite of the cold weather that puts a smile on my face! Hope you stay toasty in Texas and that your holiday season is richly blessed, DiAne – Merry Christmas!