Get a Gift Card for the Happy Hostess

With Thanksgiving next week, my thoughts are turned to hosting the family festivities. Yes, it’s a little bit of work, but I love it. We’re lucky to have a house big enough to hold everybody, family nearby who want to visit, and willing hands that make the work light.

Thanksgiving

I’m thankful for a mom who still wants to cook Thanksgiving dinner (complete with homemade dinner rolls) but kindly does it in my kitchen. I’m thankful for my husband who wants a deep fried turkey bad enough to cook it himself. (If you’re counting, that’s two turkeys.) I’m thankful for kids and cousins who love to play together. I’m thankful for step-daughters who call their Dad on this day and stop by if they can. I’m thankful for our little granddaughter who reset everybody’s priorities and I’m thankful for willing donors who may help her get better. I’m thankful for the annual Turkey Bowl football game and I’m even more thankful for the ice packs and Advil that are in high demand after it’s over. Though we have our share of hardships and trials, our collective bounty is full.

A Gift for the Hostess

All I ask of my house guests is that you put the toilet seat down and don’t judge my cooking. But if you can’t possibly visit someone empty-handed, check out these ideas on gift cards for the hostess.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving,

Shelley

I don't want to feel like Michael did.

The holidays are just around the corner and I’m not ready! I don’t mean that I haven’t bought my gifts yet (I haven’t). I’m just not ready for it to BE the holidays–not ready to pull out the decorations, make “the list,” check “the list” a bazillion times and still forget something. Not ready to gain five pounds. Not ready for the craziness to begin. I’m not quite the Christmas Kranks, but I like a clean house, a simple lifestyle, and under scheduled kids. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s less likely to happen once we start rockin’ around the Christmas tree.

Goal: Simplify with Gift Cards

This year, I am going to use gift cards to simplify my life. Rather than chase all over town buying traditional gifts, I’ll buy gift cards by the armful. And with the time savings, I’ll be able to make the those gift cards more personal. I’m even thinking the kids might find a gift card or two in their stockings. Because one thing I like less than clutter, is wasting time and money. With gift cards, the recipient can buy something he or she wants. With my personal touches, I’ll feel good about giving the gift cards as well.

Goal: Take Advantage of Gift Card Offers

I’ll be on the lookout for the “Give one, Get one” (G.O.G.O.) gift card deals and might even buy gift cards from online discounters. Though I prefer to pick a gift card off the rack so I can hold it, get inspired by it, and check for fees and expiration, the discount savings at places like Plastic Jungle can’t be ignored.

Goal: Budget.

Though it’s hard to find traditional gifts that fit exactly in your budget, with gift cards you decide how much to spend and don’t have to give a penny more. I rarely blow my budget on the accoutrements that go along with the holidays, but I do sometimes go overboard on the gifts. Another reason to stay with the gift cards.

Goal: Enjoy it.

With these parameters in place, I vow to enjoy the holiday season–even embrace it’s coming. If the worst problem I have is too much holly in the hallways, then I’ve got it pretty good. And I do. I just want to simplify the gift giving and keep the budget in check so I can spend more time reveling in the the blessings of this holiday season and less time worrying about it.

Paul loved receiving a gift card to his favorite sporting goods store.

With the  holidays coming up and recent changes to gift card laws, my gift-card-obsessed brain is bouncing around like a kid in front of the self-serve topping bins at Yogurt Shack. So many options–so many things to talk about, so many ways to use gift cards, to save money with gift cards, to get free gift cards, and so forth.

But in conversation with Laura Rowley, the Work & Life blogger at Simply Stated, I remembered why I started this website in the first place–simply to share my ideas on ways to turn any gift card into a thoughtful gift. Laura says she has felt funny giving a gift card because of the “impersonal nature of the whole thing.” She’s not alone. But if you add just a touch of effort, those anxious feelings can be dashed. You’ll give someone a gift they can enjoy and you can feel good about at the same time. (Thanks for the shout out, Laura!)

So just a reminder going into the holiday season to keep it Real (Simple). Rather than run all over town shopping for traditional gifts, stressing over sizes and styles, and overspending when nothing is in your price range, get your holiday list checked off in an afternoon by buying gift cards. Then you’ll have time to put a little effort into personalizing those gifts cards or simply enjoying the season.

I’ve got hundreds of ideas and more to come via my blog.  Take a deep breath…I’ll guide you through it!

New Moon gift cards at Fandango.com

My friend Erin wanted to gift card her nieces and nephews this Christmas with movie tickets but didn’t know which theaters to select. She solved the problem by going straight to the source—Fandango.com—where she pleasantly discovered that she could purchase gift cards and personalize them with movie images. How cute is that? Though Fandango could have sent the cards straight to the recipients, Erin had the cards delivered to her house so she could add a few GCG finishing touches (good girl!).

What would you put with this gift card?

So I’m maybe the last girl in the world who hasn’t seen or read the Twilight series, but I know it’s a “best ever.” So you tell me…what would you pair with a New Moon gift card? Vampire teeth? A red rose? Tissues for the touching moments (are there touching moments?) NoDoze so you can stay awake and read the entire book in one night?

What would be the perfect mate to a New Moon gift card?

I attached a clothing gift card to the cookie dough, but really you could couple it with darn near anything.  This is a guilt-free gift card that is sure to get a reaction!

(Download the Christmas Dough tag here.)

Trudging through the bushes near the neighborhood tennis court, we had 20 minutes to spare and one elusive Geocache to find.  My boys circled the court while I read the clues and checked the GPS coordinates on my iPhone.  But to no avail.  Time ran out and we had to abandon the search to fetch my daughter from piano lessons instead.  We didn’t find the treasure, but the boys sure enjoyed the process.

As a parent, I’m always super pleased with myself when I manage to entertain the kids without much effort or expense.  With Geocaching, I’ve been triumphant on multiple occasions.  On this particular day, the adventure got me thinking about how I might share the experience with other families.  And might a gift card come into play?  I’m so glad you asked!

You need two things to enjoy Geocaching–a list of caches to find and a GPS system to help you navigate your way to the caches.  You can find the caches online at the Geocaching Web site.  The GPS system can be either a standalone system or an application downloaded to your phone.  I’d do a little research and then gift card the family with either a gift card to the electronics store to buy a GPS navigator or a gift card to a downloadable application site so they can purchase the app and download it straight to their phone.  To complete the gift, however, I’d get very personal–I’d print out a list of caches in their area and maybe even offer a challenge to see if they can locate the caches we’ve found or the mysterious tennis court cache we couldn’t find!

Check out the Family Gift section for a list of suggestions that require a little less thinking.