Holiday Gifts

They gave everyone a gift wrap of different products the company sells… Prizes for the evening included wine, gift certificates for different stores (IKEA, Montreal Shopping Centres, etc) from 25$ to 500$, weekends getaways in Quebec hotels as well as one 2500$ gift certificate in a travel agency! I did not win that. I won the wine. And of course me… I don’t drink wine! I’ll bring it at the next dinner I attend… Probably back home this Christmas!

My mom bought me a Thanksgiving gift. She didn’t bother to look at the packages before she got here. The adult Publix Pilgrim salt and pepper shakers were two guys instead of a guy and a girl. We’ve embraced the alternate lifestyles that do exist out there and this Thanksgiving my family had dinner with the gay pilgrims. It was fantastic.

So here it is, Thanksgiving Day. Now’s the time to think about getting that ole Christmas Tree up and decorated (if you’re going artificial that is.) So, what’s the best way to find one? Ah Yes, the local newspaper! The Thanksgiving Day edition is always overstuffed with those circular ad thingies…

My sister Elyssa can be a real knob sometimes. My father - also my boss - gave her a $45,000.00 car for a wedding gift, which is a “company car”. She refuses to admit that this is rampant favoritism. And then she says I’m jealous of her. Darn right I am! I’ve been working her for crappy wages for 10+ years, and when they came back from their free trip to Switzerland, I got a knife. A $10.00 knife.

Or, of course you can get me gift certificates for books or music. If all else fails, socks and underware.

Plush Puffs would make a great Christmas gift for cooks looking for a new ingredient to lend some pizzazz to an old or new recipe, or anyone that just loves marshmallows. For gift-giving, you can choose a “Take two Combo” (two bags of Plush Puffs), or a gift basket that includes a basket of three bags of Plush Puffs. All of these are available for ordering online at the Plush Puffs website

In the Roman Catholic Church, before a couple weds, they are supposed to participate in an Engaged Encounter weekend. This is a period of exploration, both of self and each other. It is designed to help a couple about to enter the state of Holy matrimony get to know each other on a level which will make adjusting to married life that much easier. As we are not Roman Catholics, Amber and I did not go on such a retreat. However, our friends Matt & Crystal got so much out of their weekend that they made us a “home edition” and gave it to us as a wedding gift.

i know everyone hates that i always say this, but gift certificates are awesome presents in my eyes. it lets you be specific by choosing a store and lets me get exactly what i want. and there’s not much stuff i really want exactly, unless you want to buy me undies. yeah, that’s what i thought. and thus begins the list of favourite stores/places i love to get gc’s for:

Oh, James and Tracy gave me a lovely basket filled with Tracy’s soaps and a bottle of wine wearing a kimona. The wine WAS good and I love the message soap for my dry skin. Thanks ya guys.

Cat Bejeweled Clothing: Not happy with anything you’ve seen so far? Well, there’s always a t-shirt, sweatshirt, apron or socks accented with a cat or two. You can find gifts like these just about anywhere.

I still think bosses are better than boys. Bosses give you flowers on anniversaries and reward you with $50 gift certificates. Boys don't. Bosses treat you to lunch for your birthday at French or Spanish restaurants. Boys don't. AND at least I get paid despite some of my unhappy moments. Never with boys! Work is worth the heartache.

Seeing as how Sidney will be in Baghdad for the coming holidays, I’m celebrating Christmas in stages. The traditional holiday (December 25 – how predictable these civilians are!) I’ll spend with family, doing the traditional holiday thing. I’ll send Sidney a tiny but ghastly metallic tree I scooped up for $4.99 at Lowe’s, trimmed with an assortment of better-than-usual stogies (not from Lowe’s). If I figure out the idiosyncrasies of the oven in my new home, I might even get some cookies and biscotti baked and sent. Might.

I got an early birthday gift in the mail today, just in time for my trip this weekend - a digital camera! My BFF (And her boyfriend) are great people. I love them.

To make a gift certificate a more special thing, try wrapping it up beautifully in a box or in a pretty gift bag, with lots of ribbons. This way they still get the thrill of opening a package (which is at least half the fun of a gift anyway!). I have been known to tie it on a string around an accompanying bottle of wine, or hide it in a beautiful tin of nuts with a bow around it. Whatever you do, try making a gift certificate a little more special than just an envelope next time!

Christmas time is a crazy time for wedding photographers. Pictures from a summer wedding make the perfect Christmas gift and it all happens in the span of two weeks. Wedding albums, parent albums, wall prints, Christmas cards…it’s rain or pour. So while I work to keep the doors open, bear with me. I have great plans for 2006!

The time is getting short to drop off your shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse. By now… it seems that everyone knows about them, but just in case some of you have never participated or even know about them, let me tell you a little bit about them.

I really need to start shopping, or for that matter- start planning my shopping. I have no idea on what to buy people this year, which everyone may end up with gift certificates this time around. Now, what to get for my wife… (She would not go for the gift certificate philosophy.)

In Greece, it seems any occasion is worthy of a gift and there are a lot of occasions. My dwindling bank account is evidence of that fact. They give housewarming gifts, name day gifts, birthday gifts, easter gifts, baptism gifts, wedding gifts, and Christmas gifts. Even if you've lived in your house for 20 years, if it's the first time your guest has visited you, they're going to bring you some sort of gift...either sweets, flowers or wine.

Moving on into the weekend, Matt was in town for Mark and Angela’s wedding. The wedding was great, outdoor, very quaint and simple, yet visually and emotionally interesting! By far I think it was one of the better weddings that I have been too. Not coordinated the best, but overall it was very nice. Tried to take a few pics for them for my wedding gift, why not use my talents to provide a thoughtful gift. Ok then came the receptions and yada yada yada, it was typical reception, food and cake. Then Matt, Jordan, Emily and I were planning to go to the haunted hayrides. Well I had to photograph some stuff at The Walker Center before I went. Well I rush to The Walker Center, shoot till about 6:35, then run to the Hampton Inn to meet them, change in the lobby bathroom, and then off to the rides.

32nd Craft Christmas Gift Sale (over 140 artisans, artist and designers) including clothing, jewelry and Christmas decorations.

Finally, I’m very interested in TerraPass. The premise is that you buy a TerraPass to offset the carbon dioxide emissions of your car. TerraPass invests the money in projects that “reduce industrial carbon dioxide emissions.” Clearly not a long-term solution, but it’s an interesting stopgap solution to deal with an existing transportation-dependence problem. Seems like a good Christmas gift idea.