Personalized Gifts

I know that Christmas has become grossly commercial and "stuff"oriented.  To me as a Christian, Christmas is the reality of God coming to earth to die for our salvation. That amazes me.  The commercial symbols that steal away the focus upset me.  But I love the spirit of giving,  and the warmth, love, and hospitality of this season that do seem, somehow, to triumph over the greed.  And I love thinking of gift ideas.

Books and toys that teach the meaning of the season are wonderful.

Through the years, I have often racked my brain for gift ideas that are particularly suited to each person. 

Here are a few:

• For a photographer-- (which would describe many moms and dads who like to take pictures of their kids!) -- A book of portrait poses, lens cleaner, gift certificate for digital prints. I like Shutterfly for their good color correction and also for their reasonably priced photo books.  I prefer their matte prints, rather than their glossy. (They also give you 50 free 4x6 prints when you join AND they have gift certificates in both electronic or paper format. Which I would love as a gift. Not a hint, just a fact! Long time customer here.)  P.S. Their photo Christmas cards are wonderful.

• For anyone of any age who loves art--get one of those plastic bins at a discount store and fill it with supplies geared to their age or interests--unusual markers ( metallic, calligraphy, etc.), pastels, sketch book, "real" artist pencils, artist's eraser.  Personalize the bin with their name.  
• For families--fill a "Game Night" box with new versions of old favorites (like Uno Roboto, Super Scrabble) or one that may be new to you (like possibly Pirateer.)
• For a preschool child--Decorate a big plastic bin and fill it with "dress up" clothes. Fun hats and feather boas are always good. Use your imagination.
• For teachers--Teachers love gift cards to restaurants, bookstores, etc, and other gifts they can "use up" such as notecards and--depending on their likes and dislikes-- chocolate, coffee, etc. In general, teachers prefer NOT to receive things like too many mugs or Christmas ornaments, which accumulate quickly and take up space. Here is a fun gift for a preschool or elementary teacher that your child can help create. (My son and I put one of these together for a favorite preschool teacher many years ago.) Have your child draw a simple picture. Scan it into your computer, and resize it to fit at the top of a 5x7 notepad. (If your child is able to write, have him or her also write the teacher's name, or a phrase such as "Things to Do.")  Then have a copy center print it onto about 100 pages of your choice of colored text weight  paper (5x7 inches is a good notepad size), and then have them  bind the top with a gum binding (so that the pages tear out.) We included a gift card to a coffee shop with the notepad.

Once you start thinking about these, it's fun to come up with new ideas. It's such a blessing to see faces light up when you've given a gift that you've put together with extra effort, isn't it?