So you’ve got yourself into a bit of a pickle. It’s the day before Christmas or the day of your best friends birthday and time just hasn’t been on your side in finding that particular someone a gift. No problem ……. take a deep breath, relax and know that the day after whatever event it is you’re stressing over, the world is still going to be rotating and you’re going to still be on it. The next thing you need to do is find out how to “hit a curve ball”……. explanation : the likelihood of everything going easily and you coming up with the perfect present and it being obtainable at the price you can manage….. well you get my drift. So start with alternative ideas. Don’t focus on just one item or thing you just have to have. By focusing on one thing you’ll be losing time and missing numerous other alternative ides that could be as good if not better.
Start with who you’re shopping for. Remember…….. whatever it is, if they’re important enough to be getting a present for, make sure it’s a present that doesn’t make them feel like you had it setting in the back of your closet all year or picked it up at the gift shop of the local car wash while you were waiting around for your car. If they’re in your life and you respect the roll they have in your life, make the gift commensurate to your appreciation for them. Maybe it’s your mail man or garbage collector. Consider this…… where would you be without them…..hauling your own trash to the dump and collecting your mail at the post office, instead of your convenient mail box. True…..if it wasn’t the unique people that service your account, it would be someone else. But that doesn’t matter. Show your appreciation. If the economy wasn’t your friend this year and you can’t manage a $20. Starbucks gift card, bake some cookies or even a card that has some heart felt note that lets them know they make your life less complicated and you just wanted to let them know you appreciate them. Everyone likes to be acknowledged and appreciated. It’s a universal thing.
So after determining the value of the person you’re buying for, now you’ll need to think of events, hobbies, habits or things in their life that bring them satisfaction. Remember………The best gifts given are not the ones you’d want to receive, but the ones the receiver would like. We all have different taste. So if your gift isn’t a thoughtful one, there’s no sense in giving a gift that isn’t…… Make sure it’s something the receiver would have possibly gotten for themselves.
For those people who you don’t have a big price range for…… consider a magazine subscription. There are magazines written on every imaginable topic. Surely you can find out your recipients pursuits and then find a magazine that is about their interests, they’d get a lot of enjoyment out of. As a child growing up my parents spoiled me rotten with presents galore. But here were two traditional presents I got every year that I always looked for and one of them was a years subscription to Sports Illustrated and the other was a folding book of candy Life Savers in every imaginable flavor. The beauty of giving magazine subscriptions is that they keep arriving all year…….like an continuing present. They’re wonderful last minute gifts. Just go to a large magazine stand or dial up magazines on the web. Web paid subscriptions, allow you to print out the gift certificate, which you can then put in a greeting card.
Your nearby grocery stores have made in very easy with their rack of pre-paid gift cards for everything from Starbucks and Home Depot to McDonald’s and Amazon.com. They’re really great little gifts that come in all denominations from $5.00 up.
Now…….. Your down to the last minute and you’ve yet to get that very special someone a present. Budget’s always an issue. So lets decide what you have to spend. That’s going to do away with some things, and possibly open up avenues you may never have considered. The Internet can be an absolute life saver. Lets say your wife, girlfriend or daughter enjoys the theatre. Pull up live productions in your area or upcoming concerts for your kids. This will require finding out their favorite groups etc,. then finding out what their tour schedule is. If you live in a rural area and would have to take a day trip to a concert in town, consider making it an overnight with your kids or maybe your child and one of their friends. It could be a real adventure they’ll never forget.
Your wife or girlfriend might take pleasure in a night out to dinner and a play or concert. Maybe an overnight at a pretty hotel, dinner and a play would be a thoughtful gift. Remember…. an item of clothing is real hit or miss. Unless of course you commonly buy your spouses clothes, it’s highly improbable you’re going to get him or her something she’s not going to take back or put in the deep recesses of their closet. It’s practically an exercise in futility. Why put them through having to return it. If you want to get them clothes and you know that’s what they want, get them a pre-paid Visa or Master Card with the amount of money you planned on spending. Then put it in a card that says you’re willing to go shopping with them while they pick out what they really want.
Pre-paid Gift cards or Master & Visa Cards from your local Ralph’s Market can be a life saver. But the other thing is a thoughtful event or evening out to a place they’d really enjoy.
Last but not least, girls……..your boyfriend doesn’t want another “T” shirt. But consider what he might like, maybe go-cart racing or horseback riding or tickets to a sporting event. Make it something you can both do together. Events can always be a big hit.
I’ve dealt in iron beds all my adult life. I can’t begin to tell you the humorous stories about last minute customers wanting me to jump through hoops on Christmas Eve to have one of our antique iron beds delivered and set up at a specific time. So the couple comes home to find a new bed in they’re bedroom. Now with the Internet I have customers coming to me on Christmas Eve wanting me to email them photo’s of my current inventory , which they in turn print out and give as the present . Then after their significant other selects the bed of their dreams, we commence to refinishing it. We also have a direct link to a photo album of finishes we specialize in. Making it even easier on the giver and receiver.
Iron beds are a very special, personal gift to give. For everything from a gift for your wife, husband, children, birthdays, graduation, wedding present etc. etc. They show a tremendous amount of love and caring.
I had a group of people come to me one time and they all got together an bought a beautiful bed for a friend who’d just gotten a divorce and was starting a new life, on her own in a new home. She didn’t have any furniture to speak of. So the bed was not only very practical but also symbolized her friends support and love.
Once more…..Your computer and the web can be a life saver.
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.
I also invite you to take a look at our company Face Book page for multiple photo albums on Custom Finishes, Canopy Conversions and a comprehensive “Before & After” King Conversions album.
