Friday, July 21. 2006

Gift Giving

Posted by Cyndi in Life
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I was inspired by another family blogger to post about gift giving. Every once and a while I get great ideas for presents. Some of them have been surprises. Most of my best ones have been to Ben.

Here are some gifts I enjoyed giving:

To Ben:

  • Tickets to Gorey Details (an off-broadway play).
    I even hand drew a little poster to go with them.
    We ended up missing the first act.(I was very upset)

  • Additions to his Alice in Wonderland Collection: Various book editions and a handcarved Alice in Wonderland Chess set.

  • A surprise trip to Kings Dominion
    I accidently told him about it.

  • A few concerts. (Presents that I buy partly for me, too)

  • For the big '30', We went to see Spamalot in NYC with some friends.

  • Pilsbury Dough Boy Hat (has been dead for quite some time). I think I got it for him when we were dating. Or the first year we were married.



I think the best surprise gift I ever gave was to my parents. Me and my sisters contributed to a trip to Belgium . My dad's mom is from Belgium. My dad used to go there every summer as a teenager. It was his 50th birthday and my parents 30th wedding anniversary present. I had actually started planning it about 6 months beforehand. I had debated between a trip to Belgium or a Carribean cruise. I spent hours researching stuff online. and made many conference calls to my sisters.

After deciding to get them a trip to Belgium, I began to think of ways to present the gift to them. I bought a wooden crate from a craft store. I painted it to looked distressed. I got a tour guide book on Belgium. I got a box of nice Belgium chocolates. I got a little lock box that you use to put money in. I put the airplane tickets in the lock box. I layered everything in the wooden crate, which I had filled with shredded paper. First they were to open the chocolates, then the book, then the tickets. I think by the time they got to the tickets, there weren't many dry eyes. My mom had never been out of the U.S., and it had been over 30 years since my Dad had been to Belgium to visit his family. I would definetly say that was my all-time favorite gift giving.

Lately, all I've had the energy to think of are gift cards. I've lost the brain power to think of anything unique.

 

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Those are some incredible gifts! I don't think I have ever given a really cool gift like that before!
#1 jenny (Link) on 2006-07-21 09:22 (Reply)
What fun gift ideas. What a great thing to do for your parents. Have they gone yet? Did they love it? Is any of your father's family still living in Belgium?

I didn't know Ben collected Alice in Wonderland items.

Oh, and how was Spamalot?
#2 booklogged (Link) on 2006-07-21 14:35 (Reply)
They went a year and a half ago, at Christmas time. My dad has a lot of cousins and aunts and uncles in Belgium/England. They did love it.

Spamalot was really good. I love going to NYC.
#2.1 cyndi on 2006-07-21 14:38 (Reply)
I love these gifts. If I could afford it, I would definitely give people trips, especially if I got to go along. (Would that improve the gift or not?) I am the worst gift-giver. Gift cards save my bacon all the time. Maybe if I started now, I would have something good planned for Christmas.
#3 Shaneen on 2006-07-21 23:14 (Reply)

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