Nifty Gifties November 12, 2007

I’ve been inspired by the gift guides on Mighty Goods lately, and then the challenge of The Holiday Shopping Carnival gave me just the incentive I needed to throw a couple of ideas out there. These are some things that we’ve given or enjoyed as gifts. (Disclaimer…my husband is a world-class gift giver. None of these are from him – they don’t belong in a list, but deserve posts of their own.)

• Rat-a-Tat-Cat: Fun card game for ages 6+ that builds math skills on the sly. The quick playing time means you actually might be able to enjoy it more than two times a year.
• Herbal neck wrap: Part of a de-stressing collection from a friend, this thing has saved my neck (heh! ) more than a few times. Excellent for those of us who carry all of our tension in that region.
• L’Occitane lavender foot lotion: Slightly splurgy price, unbeatable feeling! Also part of the above-mentioned collection.
• The Dangerous Book for Boys: So many people have talked about this, but worth revisiting this holiday season. Great for dads or boys.
• Chocolate bag: Taking the chocolate collection to another level… Assemble a basket or gift bag with a high-quality assortment of chocolates (World Market has an outstanding selection) specifically tailored to the recipient’s tastes, and then add lots of other chocolate or brown items. I included a white chocolate hand lotion, mocha nail polish, gourmet hot chocolate, and a small brown notebook.
• Travel backpacks: A gift for my two nieces, this was a blast to put together. I bought two smallish backpacks and filled them with lots of cool travel toys and amusements (visit Wal-Mart, Target and Cracker Barrel for small toys, check out Family Fun for clever ideas, and maybe throw in an audiobook), then I bought two small travel pillow inserts at Bed, Bath and Beyond and sewed soft flannel pillowcases for them.
• National Geographic Kids Magazine: Brian’s sister gave Ben a subscription several years ago, and he’s asked to have it renewed ever since.
• World Series Tape (!) from 1984: A gift for Brian in the mid-90s to celebrate the big year that our Detroit Tigers won the World Series. He loved to watch baseball, and there’s nothing better than when your hometown team wins. The funny thing about this gift? He saw a Christmas shopping list I had left out, which said, “Brian – tape.” And from that four-letter word he actually figured it out! This was more than 10 years after the event, we didn’t own anything else like it and the availability of such items on the internet was in its hatchling stage. Thankfully his powers of sneaky deduction are matched by his own incredibly creative and thoughtful gift ideas.