Gift suggestion

[ihamner]

It's that time of year to start thinking about Christmas gifts and I have a suggestion...actually two. Tony Dungy's best selling book is GREAT - it is "Quiet Strength" and really inspiring! It will make a cool gift for a guy on your list. Sharon Schuller Kiser's book, "That End of Lilac Lane" is the other book that would make a great gift for a lady on your list. Both of these can be purchased from Amazon and they will even wrap it for you!!! How cool is that? I'm always looking for ideas of things I can purchase on line while on the road so I know when we get home we'll be ready for the holidays. These are just a couple of the books we have enjoyed recently.


India Hamner
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[LDB]

I saw a show with a segment on a book called "Deceptively Delicious" by Seinfeld's wife. It's about getting vegetables into the diet and especially how it gets kids to eat them without the fights. It looked like a potentially good gift idea for parents with kids still at home.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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[Pappy]

I'm not so certain about Christmas yet but each year on my Mom's birthday, I give her a card and another years subscription to the local news paper. Mom is 85 and loves to read. The news paper subscription is a 365 day gift that she would'nt purchase for herself!
Since we talk on a daily basis, I get 365 thank yous a year!

Pappy

 

[cheri1122]

My favorite Christmas gifts are personalized tree ornaments, which are very inexpensive, relative to the meaning they bring, (one of my favorite Christmas moments was rediscovering all the special ornaments that had been carefully packed away, and hanging them on the tree again), and for the unsentimental, gift books for the local car wash - an important chore in the Northern winters.
Between these two. I had about everyone covered, and both are easy to mail, if need be.

 

[ihamner]

Cheri, what a great idea!!!! Thanks!
India Hamner
[font color="purple"] FEDEX [/font][font color="blue"]Custom Critical[/font]
D Unit
Every day should be an adventure, not a treadmill.

 

[are12]

Cheri,

Another good one, along with the local car wash, oil changes - my Dad just loves them since he is 81 and no longer does his own.:+ :+

 

[ConfusedMuse]

Movie/theatre tickets are good one's. As are spa/manicurist's too.
What I'm sending everyone this year is one of those picture frames that take CD/DVD's. My family spans 3 continets and what a grand way to keep up to date. They get one disc with frame, they can upload,and download all the rest.

 

[greg334]

I buy gift cards for very close friends and family - sometimes. Maybe I am scrooge in disguise?

I find that unless they have a wish list on Amazon.com, it is hard to take the time out to buy a gift for people in general. Most of the time I buy the wrong gift, like I did the oil change thing a few years ago for my father and he gave them away because he gets free oil changes from my brother-in-law, the same goes for car washes, he grew up with the guy who owns a bunch of car washed and gets them for free.

But it is even more frustrating trying to buy things for people like my niece who goes from one fad to another and has more ipods, xbox/wii games, two iphones (one is no longer working because of the dog) and a bunch of other stuff then anyone I even could imagine could own (and most of it has been bought by her) and now owns a great Stratocaster that she got at a garage sale for $100 because she wanted to try to learn how to play a guitar - what can you buy for someone like her?

 

[cheri1122]

what can
>you buy for someone like her?

What she'd probably like, is the Muse's suggestion: a spa/manicure gift card.
What I'd give, though, is a giftcard to a bookstore, (better make it one located in the mall, I'm thinking, lol), just as a gentle nudge to use her brain a little, maybe. An idea that's probably doomed to failure, but, hey - there's only so much you can do, you know?

 

[LDB]

I get Visa gift cards from my bank. They are more useful than an Amazon or Best Buy card or a gift certificate from somewhere since they are good basically anywhere. I used to do the cards from the stores. They were nice since they don't charge a fee but only good at one place. My kids seem to like these better since they can use them anywhere.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[davebeckym]

The Sunday funnies makes good wrapping paper. So does refrigerator art.

There was something in the paper a few days ago. Christmas sales have been down the past few years and January sales have been up. It's because so many people are giving gift cards!

 

[greg334]

Leo,
I found out the visa gift cards were avalible at walmart just the other day. I have not seen them before in the public, you had to order them from Visa or I thought you did.

This is a very good idea.

Cheri, she almost surpassed me in books but my sister told her cleanup her room so around 250 books went to the library.

 

[cheri1122]

I just like to get the younger folks into a bookstore, even if they have to be bribed, hoping they'll find some treasure there.
DaveandBecky, I have used the color comics as gift wrap, and aluminum foil, too. Also tablecloths (plastic), and shower curtains, for really big boxes, (from the Dollar Store, natch). I also use whatever boxes I find handy, so all my family & friends know that there isn't actually a tv dinner, or toaster, in the box, when they unwrap it.
One thing I used to have fun with, (back when I had more time to spare), was wrapping a very small item, (earrings, gift card, etc) in successively larger boxes, so that what looked like a portable tv, might end up being, (5 boxes later), a bracelet. I'm sure none of us wants to do that, but I think a gift card in a tv dinner box would be fun...:+

 

[dieseldiva]

There's some excellent ideas posted here, especially the creative gift wrapping!!

As I posted a while back, I prefer savings bonds for the grandchildren. I realize that other savings methods pay more interest but this works for me, I can buy them anywhere, have blank forms with me at all times, they may hang around a little longer than cash, and definitely longer than today's plastic toys (especially those with high lead in the paint). They each have their little treasure box (locked metal documents box) and they seem to get a kick out of adding to it with each birthday, Christmas, or just because day!

I add to this a grandson/grandaughter ornament, a tradition my Mom started with my kids years ago and still keeps to this day. As adults, my kids really appreciate hanging them on the tree and going back into their minds eye and trying to see something from that particular year. I hope as more time goes on, my grandkids will treasure theirs also.

 

[RichM]

My Grandchildren get savings bonds. When the time comes for them to make that first car insurance premium they will remember me for sure.

 

[Fkatz]

Hi all,

There is 1 thing that you all must know and that is this,

If you plan on giving gifts and you use it as a deduction on your taxes as a business expense you are limited to the Maximun of $25.00 per gift. So don't plan on getting someone a Camera for $300 and expect to deduct it all.

There are 2 very important items when giving gifts,

#1 The limitation on them which is $25.00 per person
#2. If you are going to purchase a camera for the truck, it also is limited to the $25.00 limitation, so dont plan on spending any more, due it will not be allowed, if you are audited. So purchase one that you can use and when it full it gets thrown away.
In other words the Throw Away's for around $10.00

This is also another point that I would like to bring out

The IRS is expecially looking to audit approximately 130,000 ramdomly selected Small Business Schedule "C" filers this year. So be careful to take legal deductions. Pets are not legal deduction supposably being used as Guard Dogs, or snakes, ferrets, etc.

And if you file as a LLC, or "S" Corp or full Corp. you better set up either payroll or owners draw and take out each week a small salary. if it does not show any Owners Draw, or salary taking out on your return there is 100% chance that the audit will come to you.

If you have any question please do not hesitate to ask on here or on my formum.

Franklin Katz, ATP,PA
Frank's Tax & Business Service
120 York Road
Kings Mountain, NC 28086
(704) 739-74039

 

[davebeckym]

Cheri, don't use cereal boxes. We did, and the grand kids were disappointed that there wasn't any Capt. Crunch in them!

Bronner's Christmas store in Frankenmuth has a special, one of a kind, bulb each year. It'll say Christmas 2007, very beautiful, makes a great gift.