Unusual Christmas gifts--do you give them?
11-24-2010, 05:47 AM
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 5,142
Does anyone come up with unique gift at Christmas? I'd love to hear about some of the ones that others have come up with.
Several years ago a friend of mine gave all her married children a "Home Date Night." She bought large bowls, two liter bottles of soda, DVDs, microwave popcorn, and large bags of M&Ms. She put a bottle of soda, a bag of M&Ms, two packages of popcorn and one "babysitting gift certificate" in each bowl and wrapped them in the clear gift bags tied with a bow. After the first Christmas of "Home Date Night" gifts her children insisted that she do it every year.
One year when all six of us were grown and married Mom and Dad put envelopes of Monopoly money on the tree for each of us plus the SILs and DILs. We then got to "bid" on our Christmas gifts. The gifts consisted of things like loaves of homemade bread, jars of homemade jam, an afternoon of Dad's help cleaning our garage, one oil change by Dad, a homecooked meal at of our choice at their house, an evening of baby sitting, bags of Mom's homemade noodles, etc. It was so much fun to have all of us bidding against each other. Mom and Dad laughed and laughed when a SIL paid $500 for a loaf of bread and then didn't have enough left when someone ran the bid up on him to get a jar of jam to go with it. Of course mom let him go to the basement and pick one anyway but it was still a lot of fun.
Several years ago a friend of mine gave all her married children a "Home Date Night." She bought large bowls, two liter bottles of soda, DVDs, microwave popcorn, and large bags of M&Ms. She put a bottle of soda, a bag of M&Ms, two packages of popcorn and one "babysitting gift certificate" in each bowl and wrapped them in the clear gift bags tied with a bow. After the first Christmas of "Home Date Night" gifts her children insisted that she do it every year.
One year when all six of us were grown and married Mom and Dad put envelopes of Monopoly money on the tree for each of us plus the SILs and DILs. We then got to "bid" on our Christmas gifts. The gifts consisted of things like loaves of homemade bread, jars of homemade jam, an afternoon of Dad's help cleaning our garage, one oil change by Dad, a homecooked meal at of our choice at their house, an evening of baby sitting, bags of Mom's homemade noodles, etc. It was so much fun to have all of us bidding against each other. Mom and Dad laughed and laughed when a SIL paid $500 for a loaf of bread and then didn't have enough left when someone ran the bid up on him to get a jar of jam to go with it. Of course mom let him go to the basement and pick one anyway but it was still a lot of fun.
11-24-2010, 06:30 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: NE Indiana
Posts: 660
My mom used to shop the "bent and dent" grocery near her all year long. Could get canned good, laundry supplies, etc dirt cheap. Then on Christmas there would be 3-4 laundry baskets full in the middle of the room. We would draw numbers, then take turns "shopping". Even my sons loved it when they were very young. Oh, to have her here to still be doing that!
11-24-2010, 06:37 AM
#6
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 18,726
I love to give "coupon" books..they include lunches out (on me)..wash the car..total house cleaning...pedicures, manicures, whatever you think of is fun to add. Make sure you include things that cause you to spend time together (thats what it really is about)
I've given the"romantic evening" gift for wedding gifts...a basket with a bottle of good wine, a romantic CD, some scented candles, some flower petals..
Themed gifts are great...I gave my Dad boxed sets of some of his favorite old western DVD's along with popcorn and a set of cute popcorn bowls along with a case of sodas to go with it.
For my MIL who lived on a very fixed income...I used to go to the grocery and buy lots of her favorite foods that she thought were too expensive. I also always included books of postage stamps and other things like that. I individually wrapped all of it so it looked like a ton of stuff..but it might just be a can of salmon! She loved, loved, loved this gift and had me do it every year!
Really, the sky is the limit here..its fun!
I've given the"romantic evening" gift for wedding gifts...a basket with a bottle of good wine, a romantic CD, some scented candles, some flower petals..
Themed gifts are great...I gave my Dad boxed sets of some of his favorite old western DVD's along with popcorn and a set of cute popcorn bowls along with a case of sodas to go with it.
For my MIL who lived on a very fixed income...I used to go to the grocery and buy lots of her favorite foods that she thought were too expensive. I also always included books of postage stamps and other things like that. I individually wrapped all of it so it looked like a ton of stuff..but it might just be a can of salmon! She loved, loved, loved this gift and had me do it every year!
Really, the sky is the limit here..its fun!
11-24-2010, 06:41 AM
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Coast of Maine
Posts: 2,926
our staff at school did this but it could be done with a large family
Take a holiday related word i.e. Christmas - the first year everyone had to buy & wrap a gift beginning with the letter 'c' (candle, cookbook, CD, car wash tickets ...) the next year the gift had to start with the letter 'h' and so on. We set a min./max price so all were of equal value somewhat.
To exchange the gifts we had a yankee swap but you could also just number the gifts and randomly pass out numbers to participants. Person unwraps gift with their # on it.
Take a holiday related word i.e. Christmas - the first year everyone had to buy & wrap a gift beginning with the letter 'c' (candle, cookbook, CD, car wash tickets ...) the next year the gift had to start with the letter 'h' and so on. We set a min./max price so all were of equal value somewhat.
To exchange the gifts we had a yankee swap but you could also just number the gifts and randomly pass out numbers to participants. Person unwraps gift with their # on it.
11-24-2010, 07:00 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 681
About 20 years ago, I went to a craft auction with a friend, there were great crafts there, except for this. I really can't find words for it, so I'll have to take a picture. When it came up for auction, no one bid on it. Since I've always done crafts and was feeling sorry for the person who made and donated it. I bid $5 and won it. My friend thought I'd lost my mind. So at Christmas I wrapped it up and gave it to my Mom. Well, the next Christmas, I got it back, and this went on for years. We would sometimes put it in a big box with something heavy. Then one year we started adding things to it. Mom died 10 years ago, and I couldn't find it. I figured Mom knew, that last Christmas, she wouldn't be here for the next one and threw it away. So 10 years have passed and my life has had it's ups and downs. I had gotten divorced, met my present husband. However, I've stayed friends with my ex, I groomed his dog and we would dog sit for each other. Over the summer, I called him at the last minute and asked him to come over and let the dogs out, when I got home, it was hanging on the wall. After a good laugh, I called him. He told me he had found it when we cleaned Mom's house and took it and hid it, he said he didn't want sad memories around something we had so much fun with. He said the time was right to give it back to it's rightful owner. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I divorced this guy, well, he liked other women and he's a better friend to me than a husband. I'm thinking about wrapping it up and sending it to him this year, just to keep it going.
11-24-2010, 07:54 AM
#9
Super Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NE Pa.
Posts: 1,738
My father had passed a way many years ago while my brothers weree still young. So one Christmas I went up in the attic of mom' house and got two pictures of our Dad. One in his work uniform and one in his navy uniform. Had pictures made up and framed them. My brothers all loved them as they did not have any pictures of our Dad. A few years later I had been working on the geneology of our family so they all got copies in an album.
11-24-2010, 07:55 AM
#10
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Coast of Maine
Posts: 2,926
Originally Posted by redvette54
About 20 years ago, I went to a craft auction with a friend, there were great crafts there, except for this. I really can't find words for it, so I'll have to take a picture. When it came up for auction, no one bid on it. Since I've always done crafts and was feeling sorry for the person who made and donated it. I bid $5 and won it. My friend thought I'd lost my mind. So at Christmas I wrapped it up and gave it to my Mom. Well, the next Christmas, I got it back, and this went on for years. We would sometimes put it in a big box with something heavy. Then one year we started adding things to it. Mom died 10 years ago, and I couldn't find it. I figured Mom knew, that last Christmas, she wouldn't be here for the next one and threw it away. So 10 years have passed and my life has had it's ups and downs. I had gotten divorced, met my present husband. However, I've stayed friends with my ex, I groomed his dog and we would dog sit for each other. Over the summer, I called him at the last minute and asked him to come over and let the dogs out, when I got home, it was hanging on the wall. After a good laugh, I called him. He told me he had found it when we cleaned Mom's house and took it and hid it, he said he didn't want sad memories around something we had so much fun with. He said the time was right to give it back to it's rightful owner. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I divorced this guy, well, he liked other women and he's a better friend to me than a husband. I'm thinking about wrapping it up and sending it to him this year, just to keep it going.
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