Comments on: 2009 Gift Giving Guide: Gifts that reflect what matters most to you

By: Fiona

Fiona — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:44:34 +0000

Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org) is another great charity to give to in someone’s name. We “bought” flocks of ducks and chicks as gifts for a whole bunch of people a few years ago, and they got a real kick out of it!

By: Erin Doland

Erin Doland — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:51:34 +0000

@Elizabeth — He can afford internet, get access when he’s at my parents’, or access from a WiFi hot spot. His phone might also have tethering in the near future. His last laptop just had an unfortunate accident and he was going to replace it eventually, but I decided to help him out.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:43:00 +0000

Maybe I missed something, but doesn’t giving the gift of a netbook to someone who “doesn’t have a home computer” then require him to pay monthly for internet access that he probably also doesn’t currently have, in order to use it? Or did you have in mind that he would hunt down some free wifi when he wanted to use it?

By: Valerie

Valerie — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:18:57 +0000

That looks like a great app Erin! Thanks! I love the add to amazon wishlist to put things into the wishlist from other websites, but like that it’s easier for people to find on facebook than on amazon.

By: LauraRN

LauraRN — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:01:34 +0000

I have 2 children and 24 nieces and nephews. Every year each gets 1 gift from all the aunts and uncles (I have 4 brothers and 4 sisters.) We make sure we know what they want– mostly ends up being gift cards to bookstores, Target or BestBuy. We average the costs among all of us. I, too, love the idea of the calendar with reservations. I might do that for my husband!

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:33:08 +0000

For people who have it all, I like to give a gift of charity in their name, to something they care about. One example is [ https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/c-7-gift-catalog.aspx ]. If they are into education, I can give a gift to help a child learn to read and write. If they love babies, I give a gift to feed a baby for a week. It has brought tears to many eyes when the gifts are opened, and they’re totally clutter-free!

By: Bellen

Bellen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:54:02 +0000

Finding it extremely difficult to pick a present for relatives that lived 1500 miles away we would give gifts of magazine subscriptions, memberships to museums or zoos, and even a year’s support of a Florida Manatee (one of niece’s passions). In return they would send photos or a postcard from place visited, a note about a favorite story or even a recipe from the magazine. It was a great way for us to keep in touch and informed about people we love but don’t see in person but once every 2 years or so.

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:40:58 +0000

Oops! I forgot to put a link to the Magic Wishlist: http:\\magicwish.liquididea.com.

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:40:27 +0000

One of the hardest things about the holidays is trying to communicate to my family members what to get my kids (they always ask!). Luckily, my DH wrote a cool app for Facebook called the Magic Wishlist. You can create wish lists for yourself and your children and share them on Facebook or even with people who aren’t on Facebook. If you want to get exactly what you want (and keep your house uncluttered!), check it out.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:38:33 +0000

Last year I gave a friend (who lives across the country from me) a Netflix subscription and suggested a “movie club”. Everymonth we’ve agreed on a DVD to watch and then make sure to call one another to discuss it. It’s a great way for us to keep in touch!

By: JC

JC — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:07:05 +0000

We are trying to be more aware of our impact on the earth. We are starting with little steps. I am making personalized embroidered grocery tote bags for all my relatives. There will be bears on my Aunt’s, flowers on my MIL’s, art deco designs for my sister, etc… This will make “being green” a lot more fun than the boring bags they already have that are not very high quality.

By: Plain Good Sense

Plain Good Sense — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:21:32 +0000

LOVE the idea of monthly reservations….it would be a great gift for a friend or a spouse! Or a mother/father/sibling whom you don’t see as often as you should!