A few web sites this year have done a lovely job of providing gift ideas, so I'm going to point you to their lists for some holiday gift-giving inspiration.
1. Apartment Therapy: Meaningful Gifts for Grandparents (and others)
It may be too late to order some of these gifts if you wanted them for Christmas 2010 - but you could keep them in mind for the future, or just let the recipients know the gift will be delayed (if they are OK with that.) Ideas here range from custom portraits to gorgeous modern family trees to gifts of time and experiences.
2. SFGate: Extraordinary Consumables
This gift guide will point you to organic heirloom popcorn combined with Mediterranean sea salt enhanced with shaved Italian black truffles; interesting tea in gorgeous tins (combined with a yellow submarine tea infuser, if you like); soap-on-a-rope unlike any you've seen before; and a 2011 calendar with "seed-impregnated pages." The tea, shown above, is Damn Fine Tea from Andrews and Dunham. Update on Dec. 2, 2012: It seems this gift guide is no longer online.
3. Curiosity Atlas: Gifts of Experience
Know someone who would enjoy a class in canning, glass-blowing, or trapeeze and other circus arts? Know a kid who'd enjoy the classes at Rock Band Land? While these classes are offered in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can probably find some interesting out-of-the-ordinary classes where you live, too. [via Emily Wilska]
4. Why Did You Buy Me That? (What not to give!)
If you're considering a novelty gift such as fossilized dinosaur poop - or a Shakespeare tissue box cover, available here - this site should convince you to be cautious.
Other 2010 Christmas / Holiday gift idea posts:
Consumables
Consumables, Part 2
Books, Done Differently
Ideas for Those with Cars - and Those Without
The seed calendar is such a clever idea! What a great way to extend the life of a calendar.
ReplyDeleteLove the yellow submarine infuser! I think that holidays are a perfect excuse to splurge on exotic consumables (and little extras like that submarine).
ReplyDeleteThe English Organizer, I once gave my sister-in-law some special Italian veggie seeds for her garden - but this calendar seemed like a lovelier way to give the gift of seeds.
ReplyDeleteCynthia, I agree - the more unusual consumables can be such a nice gift, for others or yourself. And I too love the yellow submarine. (The song was popular when I was 16 and traveling in Israel with a bunch of other 16-year-olds; it has special meaning to me.)