Gifts that create memories needn’t take a tremendous amount of time or money. Smaller children can get away with popsicle-stick photo frames and pipe cleaner ornaments. But great gifts given from and to adults take
a bit more planning. Here are ideas for the over-10 crowd.
Themed Baskets
Personalize baskets to suit the recipient. Dollar and discount stores can provide inexpensive baskets and trinkets to match the theme. Themes can include: teas, hot chocolate, coffees, artisan, chef, scrapbooker, gardener, handyman, sports fan, etc. Wrap the whole basket
up in cellophane for a professional look.
Photos from Days Past
Look through attics and storerooms to find old photo albums. You’ll be surprised how many memories these old images bring to mind. Have duplicate photos made (or scan and print them yourself) and frame these photos to bring a flood of memories to the recipient. You can go a step further and scan in a number of images and set to music. Easy-to-use software is available today to create your own memory DVDs.
Family Recipe Book
Look through your own cookbooks, contact relatives and ask for their “special” recipe that may have been handed down from generation to generation. Create your own recipe cards on your computer or purchase inexpensive software, then place in a generic recipe book with plenty of blank pages to fill in. Not only is this a wonderful gift, but it documents family recipes for future generations.
Herb Planter Boxes
If you have an amateur chef in the family (and we all do), there’s nothing they probably love more than cooking with fresh herbs. Create an herb planter from a kit found at your local hardware store or pots of herbs with the names hand-painted on the front of each container.
Candy & Cookies
Gift boxes of homemade treats are perfect if you have to exchange gifts with several co-workers or neighbors. White candy boxes can be purchased at an art supply store at a reasonable price in a variety of sizes. Colorful cellophane can be used to line the box and finished with ribbon. Choose a signature treat such as homemade fudge, peppermint bark chocolate chip cookies or peanut brittle—you can also mix and match.
With today’s hectic lifestyle, it’s even more important to bring families together during the holidays to share old—or create new—traditions and memories.
 |
Holiday Safety Tips
Traveling this holiday season? You are not alone, last year 63.9 million Americans traveled during the holidays. This leaves a lot of homes left unoccupied and vulnerable to criminals. To ensure a safe, worry-free trip, Protection One, the third largest U.S. provider of security systems to homes and businesses, has provided 15 simple cost-free tips for securing your home over the winter holidays:
- Secure all windows, including those upstairs. To reduce the chance of easy entry, cut tree limbs away from second-story windows.
- Have a neighbor remove snow from walkways and driveways while traveling. If this is not possible, have a friend put tire tracks in your driveway to make it appear that someone is there.
- Make sure to keep high-ticket items, such as gifts, out of windows.
- Ensure the address of your house is always visible from the street in case of emergency.
- Keep the heat at 55 degrees or higher to ensure that pipes don’t freeze and cause flooding.
- Remove objects that might allow access to your home, such as ladders or trashcans that could be used to enter a window or scale a fence.
- Do not leave Facebook, Twitter, Myspace or any other online message letting people know that you will be out of town.
- Turn your telephone ringer down, so no one outside can hear repeated rings, and review your answering machine message to make sure it does not imply you are away.
- Make sure to have all mail, newspapers and deliveries stopped or picked up by a neighbor, friend or relative.
- Never leave a key hidden outside. Burglars know all the best hiding places.
- Have a friend move your car occasionally if it is parked in the driveway.
- Use timers to operate lights.
- If you have a real Christmas tree make sure to dispose of it before your travels and never use holiday lights on it while out of town.
- Take care when disposing of product packaging, so that you aren’t “advertising” recent, high-dollar purchases.
- If you have a security system, ask your alarm provider about wireless backup or Web-enabled security in the event your phone line fails or is tampered with and so that you can receive convenient alerts via your cell phone or other PDA.