One-of-a-Kind Gifts This Holiday
Staff | November 28, 2014 | Comment
There are so many ways to shop and find uniquely one-of-a-kind gifts for loved ones this holiday season. But instead of looking for the inspiration –in desperation– as you hit the shops, consider your list in a new light and having some fun with it. Begin with the bounty the Hudson Valley has to offer. Explore the following to start:
- Add a descriptive word or thought or two next to each name. It can be the recipient’s: favorite color, a shared activity or adventure, a favorite hobby or book, a recent conversation, something silly or whimsical.
- Decide whether to create something instead, be it a card with a message or a promised service (e.g. 101 warm hugs, snow shoveling, a Facebook lesson), a homemade soup or coffee drinks card (e.g. mailman), illustrate a poem, personalize a limerick–and remember to KIS (keep it simple!)!!
- Make a list of the places to find the ingredients for these special gifts–wonderful wrapping paper or handmade paper; a stocking filled with locally-made cookies, sweets or chocolates; old or new boxes or containers to include a series of surprises, even the outdoors for crafted gifts.
- Find the beginning present upon which to build a special gift, like an antique shop for a gift reflecting a funny old toy, a picture frame for placing a photo of a happy event, person or scene; a thrift shop, flea market or vintage shop for finding a collection of favorite books to wrap with a bow to re-read with a cup of hot chocolate or Hudson Valley cider.
- Seek out local crafts shows and Christmas fairs for handmade gifts in the community that tie into a favorite activity, a way to chill out and relax. (Our Facebook page also is a good source for these events.)
- Buy the ingredients for a creating a handmade gift that you or the recipient can make in the New Year, e.g. two skeins of yarn in a favorite color for a choice of a scarf or hat and mittens; a notebook, a pen and a lesson plan certificate to make wine or bourbon or cook at the Culinary Institute of America for a weekend.
- Lastly, for the adventurous on your list, pick up a copy of Experience the Hudson Valley or Chronogram, wrap it in a map of the Hudson Valley with a box of push pins. Add a note of explanation: “Unwrap an adventure!”
Who’s on your list and are you checking it twice? Are you giving naughty or nice? What will you do? Where will you go?
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