Gifts for Adults

January’s retail sales strength is reflected in people redeeming their Christmas gift cards. The average adult received 3.2 gift cards this holiday season, up from 2.5 gift cards last year. Gift cards are more popular and this also moves spending into January. Consumers are also interested in receiving gift cards at other times that just at Christmas.

A survey by Deloitte & Touche USA found:

• 80% of adults received at least one gift card to an apparel or food store
• 33% received at least one gift card to a restaurant
• 14% received one gift card to a mall or shopping center
• 10% received a gift card that could be used at a variety of stores (e.g., an American Express gift card)
• 5% received at least one for a personal service such as a manicure or massage
• 5% received at least one gift card for an Internet site (e.g., ebay, Amazon)

Price ranges for gift cards ranged from $78 for an American Express card, while the lowest was for a $32 restaurant card. Bank gift cards are more likely to be used in January. Nearly 74% of these gift cards have been redeemed or partially redeemed by the end of January.

People were more likely to buy full price retail items with their gift cards. Many analysts believe the ‘gift’ aspect allows consumers to treat themselves to new full-priced merchandise.

Retailers also benefit when consumers redeem a gift card, nearly 62% spend more than the face value of the card. This is an opportunity for retailers to increase sales, as sales cannot be reported until the gift card is redeemed.

Consumers also expressed an interest in receiving gift cards for other holidays. For example, a gift card for an ‘experience’ is widely received as a result of people being time-pressed. Getting a gift card for a trip to a restaurant or massage or even a weekend getaway seems to be a trend people are enjoying.

Teens enjoy gift cards because they are more eager to shop with their friends and are more apt to redeem their cards quicker than adults. The survey showed teens redeemed 76% of their gift cards vs. 61% of adults.

Gift cards keep on giving, after the holidays, especially for retailers. Gift cards are here to stay. Consumers enjoy using them and retailers enjoy getting them. Gift cards are an appropriate gift for all occasions.

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If you’re looking for the right gift for someone who loves animals, you have plenty of options. Here are just a few.

Spend a day at the zoo. The zoo is fun for all ages, from kids to adults. Buy a ticket and treat your friend or loved one to a day at the zoo.

Feed the big cats. Some zoos allow visitors to help feed and care for big cats and other animals along with zookeepers. This is always a thrilling experience.

Make a pet-themed gift hamper. Find gourmet pet treats, pet toys, cute food bowls, and even a few treats for the ownera shirt with a funny pet-themed saying; a book of pictures or a subscription to a magazine for pet lovers.

Handmade coupons. The coupons should all offer pet-related services and help you could offera weekend of pet-sitting or dog-walking so your friend can go on a trip; or maybe help bathing the pooch anytime within the next month

A donation to an animal charity. Popular choices often include no-kill animal shelters, animal rights groups and organizations, or even animal rescue societies.

A new pet. Make sure your friend actually wants a new pet and can take care of one; some animals require more time, money, and knowledge to take care of than others.

There are plenty of ways to make an animal lover happy during the holidays, a birthday, or a special occasion. Choose a gift that relates to their favorite animal, and your gift is sure to be a big success.

By: Janette Vince

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Alright, it’s been a tight year financially, but Santa still has to put something under the Christmas tree. Good thing he learned to draw and will have more than enough gifts to go around! In the time it takes to drive to the Mall and park, you too can be putting the finishing touches on your next sketch.

Just pick up a #2 pencil and start on unlined 8" x 10" paper, and get a picture from a magazine or newspaper circular.

Using the following "3 Art Secrets" which I developed from my art classes, you too will have gifts aplenty when the big day comes. I’ve also added some helpful hints at the end to extend your drawing. So sharpen your pencil and let’s go!

QUICK SKETCH PEAR & "3 DRAWING SECRETS"

#1. LOOK AT THE WHOLE SHAPE

Draw a very light cross, or fold the pear picture to form a simple grid, as if you were looking at it through the crosshairs on a telescope. Draw the grid again, very lightly, on your paper. Now, look at the picture, add/subtract on your picture the bumps and smooth lines you see, again lightly, to match the picture.

#2. SHADE THE SHAPE

Squint your eyes. Some areas are lighter than others. Use the side of your pencil with less or more pressure, making the shading all one way, to give the picture mass and depth on the page. Now blend the side strokes to create a whole with a tissue. Use your eraser to smudge out a few highlights.

#3. ADD DETAILS

Look at the pear picture. The stem, bruises, leaf and dots give it real life character. Put them in with the point of your pencil. Sign and date it. Voila!

HELPFUL HINTS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DRAWING

If you have colored pencils, take them out and try them. But, first, you may want to use this black and white picture several ways:

a. You can have fun all over again by xeroxing it several times in black and white, then making it a blue pear with yellow stem and small orange leaf, etc. Vary the colors and have fun! They can be individual gifts, or matted together.

b. You can color the original black and white drawing and make color xeroxes. You can also enlarge the drawing for 11" x 14", or make it smaller, 5" x 7" and have fun with that size.

c. Art stores stock special xerox paper, available in smooth and watercolor texture. It gives a nice finish to your drawing because it looks like an original.

d. Set your drawing off with a mat to coordinate; a simple box frame is an inexpensive final touch.

Your gift is a unique creation, will be treasured like nothing you could buy at the mall, and your budget will thank you.

Congratulations on your first drawing! Now what are you going to try next?

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These days saving or budgeting for a gift or present has become a year round activity.

Holidays opportunities alone are popping up in almost every month of the year, and if you add to that birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and such, you seem to always be out shopping for some type of gift or present.

Since it’s a given that a certain amount of your annual budget is going to be for gifts, why not do what you can to mitigate the costs.

One of best ways is to plan far enough in advance that you can purchase your gifts when they come up on sale. Every gift falls within a season, and at the end of every season there will be sales. End of season and off season is the perfect way to cash in on some great bargains that you know you’ll be buying at some point during the year.

The key to how much you can save… organization. The thing to do is start with a list of all your holiday and personal family events that will require the purchasing of a gift… no matter how large or small.

Computers are great for list organization and planning, but something as simple as a shoe box will work just as well.

Toys and kids go together and almost all of us have kids in their life. Finding good bargains on toys for kids is really a pretty easy strategy because of the volume and the competition for the parent’s dollar. There will always be a sale on somewhere.

A good tip when it comes to buying presents for kids is try to avoid very trendy items. Yes, this can be a bit of a challenge… kids and trendy do go together. But, by doing your best to avoid trendy, you will also avoid those trendy prices. Besides, there are always the staples of children’s toys from Disney and Looney Tunes and such that will get past those trendy expensive must have toys that kids want for just that moment.

Adults are probably somewhat less trendy oriented and a bit easier to really root out some good bargain priced gifts for.

But again, just like the kids toys, you’ll do better if you look toward more timeless and traditional gifts that have seasonal patterns as to when retailers tend to put them up for sale. And by thinking more timeless and traditional, you can comfortably buy further in advance knowing your gift won’t be going out of style any time soon.

Working ahead of the curve really comes in handy and saves you big money when it comes to holiday gift buying.

Just think how much you can save by holiday shopping year round and you won’t even have to battle the parking and the crowds. Don’t let last minute gift planning be a source of stress for you. Remember you’ve got your list.

So, when you’re out with someone who you is on your gift list, keep an eye and an ear on them and when they give off clues as to something they might like… put it on your list! By maintaining your gift list, you can snag up the bargains as you come across them throughout the year… this can be a huge money saver.

You’ll also find that you will be able to give more meaningful well thought out gifts as opposed to when you have to rush out and grab something at the last possible minute.

Once you get your annual gift giving loop down pat, you’ll save money, incur less stress, get better gifts, and have more fun!

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It is a known fact that everyone has craving for chocolate. It can be senior citizens, adults, teenagers, or children. Almost everyone loves chocolates, as it is a symbol of love. Love is very sweet and the feeling is hard to explain, thus chocolates are given to convey the message.

If someone asks how chocolate tastes, the answer is obvious. It tastes sweet. However, many other things taste sweet such as cake, but chocolate taste is very different and unique. This is the reason for its success as best symbol of love.

Chocolates are considered as best gifts not only for love, but also for every occasion. It is not only is inexpensive and quiet easily available. It has the ability of making anyone smile from adults to children.

Chocolate is the best gift for someone special, as it makes the moment special.

Chocolate gift box includes either single flavored chocolates or different flavor chocolates such as: dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolates that contain fruits, nuts and almonds. There are also chocolates available of various flavors like caramel or raspberry.

The main reason for this product being famous is the factor of being presentable. You can wrap chocolates easily or gift them in a box. Even a simple and single piece of chocolate works wonders.

Choose your favourite chocolate bar and simply tying a ribbon to it makes the chocolate more presentable and day becomes quiet memorable. Once smile on the face of your special person will make your day! This is more than enough to explain why chocolates are special for every occasion and moment.

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Any mother who has had their child grow up and leave home knows how difficult that can be. When our child grows up and joins the military however, this creates even more of a struggle for everyone involved… particularly when the first Christmas rolls around.

When a young adult is in the military, they are not always able to come home for Christmas. Often they are deployed to various parts of the world, and sometimes they’re not even able to communicate with their family on the holidays.

We still want to get Christmas gifts for them however, no matter how far from home they might be. Unfortunately young adults in the military often have little to no personal space to store extra non-necessary items. Since these young adults are probably new to the military, they most likely live in a small barracks which is a lot like living in a small dorm room. Anyone who is deployed to various remote areas around the world may actually be living in tents too.

While this can complicate the gift giving season, it does not prevent you from sending gifts all together. When you have a young adult in the military, the trick is to try and send them things that will not use up too much space, or at least for not very long.

Things that do not use up very much space for long are usually those things which can be used up in a short period of time. Mom might decide to bake the soldier’s favorite Christmas cookies for example, or some home made fudge.

An excellent gift idea for the young adult who might be a little homesick is to send them a copy of the local home town newspaper. Even if they’re not able to store it for long, they’ll love being able to read the local news.

Other items which don’t take up much space include pictures, and voice recorded messages. If you have the equipment, try recording MP3s of your voice and those of family and friends too. You can also record videos onto CDs or DVDs, which are young soldier can play on their computer. If your child doesn’t have their own computer, there are sure to be others around which they can use.

If your military child does have their own computer, that makes gift giving even easier. Try buying them an online subscription to a movie or music site for example, or create personalized greeting and gift cards for them which can be sent via e-mail.

The general rule of thumb when sending a gift to young adults in the military is to keep the items small, and try to think of things which can be consumed over time.

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Holiday seasons are always a fun time. Meeting friends, family and relatives. Lets not forget about the most important thing, gifts!

Holiday seasons would not be complete without sharing gifts with your loved ones. Christmas is the best time of the year to exchange gifts. The hard part is finding out what they truly want for Christmas. So here are some neat gift ideas.

Create custom unique gifts for all of your family members. This does not necessarily mean that you have to buy them each a different gift rather its about wrapping the gifts. You can wrap the gift with funky wrapping paper that will fit with the relatives. The other great thing about wrapping gifts is that, the gift wraps are cheap and can be used numerous times.

The young ones are consumed on the internet and games. That is just what kids love. They love working with things that gives their mind a challenge and can occupy their attention span. Along these, they also love sweet stuff like chocolates. Some small neat gift ideas for them could be miniature bikes, hot wheels and chocolate boxed. Another way to find out what they are looking for is just by asking them outright. Kids are very honest and truthful. They will not lie about what they want.

Buying gifts for adults is different. You don’t have to buy something very expensive. Grown ups understand the cost of buying gifts for everyone and understand that they do not necessarily have to buy the biggest gift for one another. You can buy a gift that warms their heart rather than a diamond.

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Did the quickly approaching Christmas season sneak up on you? Have you just learned that you should have been saving for Christmas gifts year round? Did you simply forget to budget for Christmas gifts this year?

If you’re feeling torn this year because you want to stay out of debt while still giving your loved ones gifts they’ll like, don’t worry. Here some fantastic creative Christmas gift ideas for you:

• Compile a themed gift box. For example, if you know a family who enjoys watching movies together, get them a movie or 2 (or a rental gift card), bags of popcorn, favorite candy bars or a homemade dessert, and some little things related to the movie. It will be something they can enjoy together-and maybe even invite you to join!
• Frame artwork and memories. If you have youngsters in your family, get some of their artwork and nicely frame it for the adults. They’ll get excited about seeing their creations on display, and the artwork will be a nice reminder of them when they’re not around.
• Host a dinner party and provide your guests the recipes in a festive booklet. You could also incorporate a white-elephant gift exchange with a price limit per gift into the evening. Everyone will have a great time and remember it for years to come.
• Offer to run errands for an elderly relative, neighbor or friend. This will mean more to this person than you know, especially for the elderly. Better yet, ask them if you can pick up any Christmas gifts on their behalf. They would love to have someone brave the busy mall for them.
• Give free babysitting. Know a couple or a single parent who could use an extra hand with the kids during the holidays? Offer to keep the kids one evening and let the parents get some shopping done or have a date night.
• Bake some tasty treats. If you know someone who’s expecting a lot of company or is feeling overwhelmed, offer to help out by baking a few things. This will save the person so much time and will allow them to focus on other things to get ready for company. Homemade food is always a hit!
• Visit a shut-in, hospital patient or nursing home resident. Many times these individuals are over-looked during the holiday rush. Bake some cookies, frame some pictures, or write some notes to give when you drop by for a visit with some of your family or friends.
• Help a local school teacher with a special Christmas event for their class. Teachers are overwhelmed this time of year and having an extra adult around to help out would ease some of the stress for them.
• Give to a charity. If the adults in your family can agree, choose a charity to which your entire family will give money and/or time. Rather than giving gifts to each other, you’ll be touching the lives of people who are truly in need while spending time with your loved ones at the same time. It’s a win-win situation!

Creative Christmas gifts don’t have to leave you looking like a cheapo. Remember, it’s the thought and effort that really count. Think of your skills and how you can incorporate them into gifts others will enjoy. Why not take a little extra time to think about your family and friends and give them something that will inspire and enrich their lives for years to come.

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You’re good at crafting but Christmas is fast approaching and you need great craft ideas for Christmas gifts and you need them now! Okay, so what do you do?

Getting "crafty for Christmas" may be as easy as looking at the crafts you do year round and putting a holiday twist on them. Here some examples of "year round" crafts with Christmas twists added next to them:

1. Homemade Candles – Candles that include various holiday shapes such as snowmen, and Christmas trees.

2. Homemade Cookies – Baked goods yes, but when you take the time craft them into all or some of the Christmas shapes available you’ve just struck gold with young and old alike.

3. Gift baskets – Christmas gift baskets that might include the aforementioned homemade candles and cookies are always a big hit, and look more "epic" than the time you actually put into them.

4. Orange Clove Pomander (air freshener) – This is something that I first made for the holidays as a child, so it’s a definite holiday favorite of mine. It’s easy to make, smells great, and is useful all year long.

5. Sea Shell people – These make great holiday trinkets and Christmas tree ornaments, that are fun and easy to make for children and adults. Adding a holiday twist to them can be as easy as "accessorizing them" with the correct colors.

6. Ornament Wreath – This one isn’t really a year round craft but it is a wonderful (and beautiful) Christmas project. If you’re like me you have an abundance of tree ornaments so supplies are readily available, and really inexpensive.

7. Salt Dough Crafts – Taking this tried and true crafting idea and turning it into Christmas ornament shapes is as simple as using a holiday cookie cutter, red and green detail colors, and festive string to put through the hole you punch into the shape before drying.

Easy Christmas Crafts

TWITTER Send this to a friend EMAIL. There’s no better way to get in the spirit of Christmas than with these easy Christmas crafts. This delightful medley of holiday craft Instructables will have you whistling carols in no time. Whether you need a quick gift to give, or some simple decorations to deck your halls, these Instructables will set you on a fast path to holiday cheer.

Christmas Craft Gift Ideas For The Young And The Young At Heart

Take a stroll through your local craft supply store for some good inspiration. Crafts can be done to decorate the home, use as gifts or to keep hands busy.

Homemade Christmas Crafts – Magnets

These homemade Christmas craft magnets make an ideal gift for a teacher, friend, neighbor or grandma. I love Christmas craft projects that are so easy, the kids can become involved. Well this is one of those easy Christmas crafts.

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Christmas is always the time where money flows freely. Everybody is just eager to spend their hard earned money. Families left and right would spend all their savings no matter how meager it is. Just to buy Christmas gifts for Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie, Niece & nephew, and the list goes on.

This is the only holiday I know, where everyone just goes broke, except of course the super rich. But here is the thing families are spending more, even if they cannot afford it just to have something to give to their friends and extended family. Obviously the kids hate this system of buying gift. Why, because whether we admit it or not adults usually buy gifts to other adults first and every now and then their own kids are always on the last list.

There are number of ways on how to shop for Christmas gift without missing anyone on the list or going broke. You can try to put a budget on your list on how much you are willing to spend for that particular person. That why, you will have an idea how much money you will need, and make sure you stick to that list. Also, if you can shop without a credit card in hand, it is wise to just leave it in the house just to make sure that you will not get tempted to buy more or rather buy expensive gifts that are way over your budget. It is better that why, than to be sorry later.

Now that everyone has a Christmas gift. Make sure your Christmas festivity is celebrated in a fun way. Instead of just giving them the gift, you can try putting a twist and instead hide the gift and make them look for it around the house, like a hidden treasure but with a time limit, so it is more challenging and interesting. Or you can try the "white elephant" game. The design of this game is that everyone gets a chance to pick his own gift.

Your Christmas party should be entertaining not just for the children but even to the adults. The central idea is to make the gift giving more fun and memorable for everyone. Whatever games you play or how you plan to celebrate Christmas’s, even if you receive the most number of Christmas gift and the most expensive it doesn’t’ really matter. What is important is the time you spent with your family or friends.

Christmas: Should we do away with gift-giving?

Giving gifts to each other is one small way to show love. So I don’t think it’s in any way necessary, but I don’t think it should be done away with either. It should just be a tool that we can use if we want to help show our love for those close to us.

Exchange of Christmas Gifts Adds Charms to the Celebration

Celebrating the occasion of Christmas without exchanging Xmas gifts cannot be imagined. The items to gift your parents, siblings, cousins, friends and other kith and kin vary in nature.

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