For the Friend Who Has Everything - A Consumable Gift
As the holiday seasons approach, most of us switch into
gift-giving mode, and start looking for that perfect item for
each of our friends and family members. And we all have one or
two individuals on the list who are incredibly hard to shop for,
not because they don't have interests, but because they already
have absolutely everything they could want or need. The newest
DVDs? Got 'em. A great cashmere sweater? Closets full of them.
The best kitchen gadgets? The top golf or skiing accessories?
Tickets to the latest shows? Got 'em, got 'em, got 'em!
So what do you do? You spy, and snoop, and search, until you
find out their favorite guilty pleasures - food- and
beverage-wise, that is. Maybe they have a yen for the best Swiss
chocolates, or the wines of a particular province in France. Or
perhaps their gastronomic tastes run to the nostalgic, and the
candies and other favorites of their childhood - imported plum
pudding, perhaps, or a selection of their favorite, hard to
find, childhood candies or cookies.
One nifty thing about consumables is that when you give them as
gifts, if you've done your homework properly, the recipients
consume them - which means you get to buy the same gift next
year.
Another approach is to invite a friend or family member to his
or her favorite restaurant, an enjoyable outing during which you
also give the gift of your love and attention. This event could
actually become a yearly tradition, a ritual anticipated and
cherished by you both. Of course, consumables don't have to be
food or beverages. There are
many, many magazines and newspapers published in the world, on
every possible topic. Imagine a European or Asian immigrant
getting a subscription to a newspaper from his or her homeland,
in the appropriate native language; or a quilting enthusiast
receiving the most popular quilting magazine - from England.
Even your loved ones "who have everything" are not likely to
have combed the world for the more exotic periodicals.
A doting grandparent would welcome a box of photographs, taken
throughout the previous year, of her or his grandkids, along
with scrapbooking materials, and perhaps a few instant cameras
and prepaid mailing envelopes so they can take even more
pictures of the kids.
So for friends and family who have everything, start thinking in
terms of consumables when you make out your holiday gift list.
You may be amazed at the possibilities that come to mind.