It’s The Most Wonderful Gift Of The Year

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. As we deck the halls and fill the malls, we’re filled with anticipation, joy, and excitement. The holiday season is upon us, and it’s a special time we choose to show our appreciation and share our love with the special people in our lives. However, with all of the joy the holidays bring, this still tends to be one of the most stressful times of the year.

Why?
Could it be because it’s intoxicating to buy loved ones whatever their hearts desire – and we’re willing to rise in the dark of night to shop in the pre-dawn hours for the “gift of the year”? Ah, yes, the mad dash to the 5 a.m. sale where you’re guaranteed to be pushed, run over, stepped on, and after a long wait told “Sorry sold out;” only to then have the pleasure of standing in a check out line as long as the east coast. Hum. Do you ever question the sanity of a day like this in a life that seems to have so little time, and a world that’s filled with job insecurity, war, and economic ups and downs? If so, why do you still feel so torn? Could it be because we’ve allowed marketers, advertisers, manufacturers, and retailers to shape our outlook and convince us to buy into their vision of the perfect life? This life where you shop to create the perfect body, so you can be with the perfect partner, live in the perfect house, and drive the perfect car to the perfect job so we can afford the perfect lotions and potions to forever live the perfect life. Wake up and smell the perfect hype! The holidays are not about being manipulated into believing in some artificially created image that drives sales; it’s about your vision of giving and sharing the joy your choose to create.

Stress of the season happens when we fret about how our gift will be received. A disconnect exists when we fear if our gift is disliked, then somehow we too will be rejected and denied the friendship, affection or acceptance we so desire. Although intellectually, we know nothing could be further from the truth, we may still feel the need to explain away or apologize for our gifts of love. I say if you hold this to be your truth and also believe that the worth of your relationships is based on the monetary value of gifts exchanged, then I strongly urge you to re-examine and re-evaluate your relationships.

At a time when many feel compelled to spend more money (perhaps more than they can afford) yet feel they have less time, it’s important to focus on the deeper meaning and spirit of the holidays. Now and in the days to come, regroup and refocus your energies to give the most priceless gift you always have to offer – YOU. Truly the most wonderful gifts of the year are heartfelt, so here are a few you can offer the whole year through.

1. Create A Moment Moments are magical times when someone later turns and says,
“Remember the time we…” Moments don’t just happen; they’re created. Moments are
the gifts that keep on giving and that can be relived at any time over and over
again.
2. Unconditional Love and Friendship No judging, no gossiping, no
criticizing – No Kidding!
3. A Random Act of Kindness Give of yourself daily.
Acts both small and large count - choose to donate your time, energy, or money.
You can experience even greater gratification if you don’t tell a soul.
4.
The Gift of Time * Time with yourself to reflect and grow * Time with others to
develop and build powerful relationships * Time given to others that empowers
them to expand their greatness
5. The Gift of Respect Respect for yourself
and others empowers you to value beauty inside and out. Value the beauty of your
relationships by infusing them with respect and honoring them with your
time.

I encourage you to start today - share any or all of these gifts with yourself, family, friends, or colleagues. Remember, the most wonderful gift of all is the gift that keeps on giving!

Author : Joy Fisher-Sykes

Christmas Gift Basket Ideas

Christmas Gift Basket Ideas Theme Your Holiday Gifts

Giving Christmas gift baskets are a fantastic way to avoid the hard work of finding a suitable Christmas gift for even the most demanding of your friends and relatives. You can buy or make Christmas gift baskets that have particular themes to fit the lifestyle and hobbies of the intended recipient. One of the really fun things about giving themed Christmas gift baskets is using your imagination as you start to collect the various items needed to fill your surprise basket.

You can make your Christmas gift baskets as simple or elaborate as you like. If you are looking for an inexpensive gift for your children’s teachers or your co-workers that you would like to acknowledge during this time of year, then it is quite simple to put together a basket that looks great but doesn’t cost the earth. Your Christmas baskets can be filled with relatively cheap trinkets and thoughtful items such as soaps, homemade jams, chocolates and Christmas decorations that are easily sourced from your local stores or from a specialty stores that sell these items in bulk.

Food Baskets
One of the most popular types of Christmas gift basket ideas today is the food basket. You can fill these with a variety of delectable goodies, from decadent desserts and sweets to entire meals. Why not try an Italian Christmas gift basket, you can fill these with fresh pasta and sauces, breadsticks and don’t forget to add a bottle of Italian wine. For the younger recipients, why not go for the snack Christmas gift baskets stuffed with popcorn, nuts, lollies and a mixture of dip mixes and biscuits. You can find ready-made food styled Christmas gift baskets that will literally tantalize any palate, or you can create your own with your personal concoctions and specialties. For example if you enjoy baking and cooking, then this is the perfect way to turn your own favorite recipes into an entire gift ensemble for everyone on your list. Add some special herbal teas, flavoured butter and a pair of mugs, and your gift basket is ready to go.

Hobby Baskets
Is your best friend a golf enthusiast or an avid gardener? If so why not put together a Christmas gift basket that is full of tools and supplies to support their pastime or special hobby. Every gardener would just love to receive Christmas gift baskets jam packed full of flower or vegetable seeds together with a new trowel and some gardening gloves. A golfer can always use more golf balls, towels and other useful items. For others why not put in a calendar or some humorous books and magazines. If your intended recipient likes sewing, cooking or rock climbing, you can always find a few bits and pieces to create a unique Christmas gift basket that is tailored to that particular person. Make sure you throw in one or two items that are strictly just for fun as well as those useful tools that a hobbyist always needs.

Really the best part about giving Christmas gift baskets is that they are almost as much fun to create, as they are to receive. If you are looking for a creative way to delight everyone on your ‘to receive present list’ this year, why not consider preparing unique Christmas gift baskets customized to those special folks.

Rest assured that your Christmas gift baskets are guaranteed to be a total hit and may even start a trend for years to come, so go on get your thinking cap on and start buying for this festive season.

Author: Madonna Jeffries

The Perfect Holiday Gift

The Perfect Holiday Gift: A Christmas Gift Basket!

Go ahead, you can admit it. It’s okay. We’ve all got one. All of us have somebody on our gift list that we dread buying a gift for. Well, not the buying so much, it’s more the shopping we don’t look forward to. Why are we buying a gift for someone we dread shopping for? That person is usually a friend or family member or co-worker that we care about a great deal. But we dread shopping for them because either A- they’re hard to buy for or B-they have EVERYTHING! I found the perfect solution, and I’ll tell you what it is in just a minute. First a little background.

I suppose it’s only fair I confess I actually have two people on my list that I dread buying for every year at holiday time; my in-laws. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great people and I love them dearly. But they’ve been married 42 years so they’ve already been given nearly everything under the sun, and they invested well in their early years, so what they aren’t given, they buy for themselves. I’m happy their life is so comfortable, but it sure does make it hard to think of what to give them for Christmas.

All that changed a couple of years ago. I found the perfect gift for them and didn’t have to leave my living room to do it! I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me before then, but that year I gave them each a Christmas gift basket and guess what? They LOVED them! A friend told me about a website that specialized in unique gift baskets. When I got home, I went to the link that’s listed below, figuring I’d find a bunch of fruit baskets and little else. Boy was I wrong. I was able to order a golf basket for my father-in-law and a gardening basket for my mother-in-law. BAM! Two gifts knocked off my list in only a few minutes! I was hooked from that moment on.

Last year was a ‘Christmas Gift Basket’ year. I gave gift baskets to nearly EVERYBODY! And they were all hits with the recipients. I may never wrap another gift as long as I live. And I won’t have to as long as websites exist like the one I listed below. No fighting the holiday traffic or crowds at the mall. No standing in long lines. No worrying about what size or what color or does he already have one. Gift baskets can be customized to anyone’s hobby, profession or passion. They can be personalized with a name or favorite color. They’re appropriate for any age of either gender. With online ordering, they can be shipped directly to the recipient. A Christmas gift basket keeps on giving, even after the contents are gone. Frankly, I can’t think of a more perfect gift, not only at Christmas, but for every occasion, all year long. This year, I’m hoping somebody will give ME a Christmas gift basket!

The holidays can be a stressful time. You can decrease the amount of stress in your holidays by choosing to give Christmas gift baskets. Click on the link below and finish your holiday shopping before most people even get started!

Author : Dr. Greta Giftgoode