Christmas, Birthday and Father's Day are all gift receiving days for me. It seems like in this stage of life, I have about everything I need. When asked for gift ideas, it is very hard to come up with a wish list.
This Christmas I received several unique gifts that I really enjoyed opening. I received a grill cleaning tool from my daughter that is very unique. She explained that the cleaning head was made of the same material firefighter clothing is made of and is supposed to last for years. You soak the end in water and use it to steam scrub your grill grates. I can't wait to give it a try! Another unique gift was from my wife. She gave me a two piece set of tube squeezers. They are simple little devices to put on the end of a tube of toothpaste or medicine and roll up the tube as you use it. Very cool! She also gifted me a set of silver dice that have dining options on each face of the dice. We often want to eat out but can't make up our mind where to go. Now, I can roll the dice and land on a decision of Mexican, Pasta, Subs, Chinese, Chicken, Pizza and many more. None of these gifts would have crossed my mind to add to a wish list, nor did I even know they existed as a gift option.
I gave a unique gift to my son. It was a pen made from bullet casings. It is a very nice and heavy pen and writes very good. I hinted that I might need one for Father's Day! My wife loves to chew on nugget type ice and always refills her drink cup at certain restaurants with ice to take home and munch on throughout the day. For Christmas, I got her a countertop nugget ice machine. She loves having a constant supply of her favorite nugget ice. I just need to get a set of noise cancelling headphones for the crunching!
Did you receive any unique gifts at Christmas or over the past year? Did you give any unique gifts? How many of you got the old standby of socks and underwear? I got those too!
As a family we really have cut back on gifts with the adage of what do you give somebody who has everything they want and if they don't they will acquire it for themselves? Instead we've tended to concentrate on useable commodities like soaps, books, foodstuffs or experience vouchers. So very little unique there but equally lovely. Going forward, however, we are thinking of agreeing that at Christmas there will instead be a nominal spending limit per present and we'll up the charitable giving. Sometimes when you have a ceiling of only a few pounds as with a Secret Santa, it's fun to find that genuine novelty value (well I hope it is anyway!), like the year I received a foldable mat to stuff in my rucsack and sit on whilst hiking or at the beach.
ReplyDeleteOne year we cut back and all gifts had to be purchased at a Thrift Store. It was fun to search for something interesting and often you could find brand new things for great prices!
DeleteWe sent edible presents to the out of town parts of the family because we had no idea what they wanted or needed. That way there was nothing to clutter up their houses. My list, and Hubby's list, were for practical items.
ReplyDeleteEdible presents are great presents. Enjoyable, yet don't add to your clutter because it is quickly consumed.
DeleteThose are fun, unique gifts, I must say. We end up giving each other wish lists to avoid getting things we really don't want or need.
ReplyDeleteWe often give each other wish lists gifts also, but it does take some of the fun out of getting a surprise gift. But it also avoids giving or getting another item you really don't need or know what to do with.
DeleteI don't get many gifts but I'm not complaining. I'm hard to buy for since if I typically want something, I just buy it. By the time an official gift giving occasional rolls around, there is nothing that I can think of to put on a list. The one exception is my brother who gives me a gift certificate to an online book sale site where I can add to my pile by the bedside.
ReplyDeleteI just published a post today about one of the better gifts I gave this year, purchased from another blogger.
I love books, so the gift certificate sounds like a great gift!
DeleteWhen did we stop asking for books? I love getting a book especially a prize winner. Sadly, no socks for me…I really do need them but can’t work up any enthusiasm for buying them. Darn.
ReplyDeleteBooks are always a great gift! I usually ask for a couple of specific titles every year.
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