...but instead of getting bogged down by all the birthdays and preparing myself to eat my body weight in turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing on Thanksgiving day, I get excited.
I love shopping for presents. I would like to think that I am quite good at it. Although, if anyone is winning hands down for the best presents ever given, it would have to go to my Uncle Kevin. I think all of us in the family can remember quite a few gifts we have received from him that have been so amazingly unique, but so perfectly chosen that once we had it in our hands we can't imagine how we have lived without it for so long (even though we had never known that such a thing existed before Kevin got it for us).
Receiving presents is awesome. Who doesn't like getting stuff? But receiving a gift that is unexpected yet perfectly matched to our personalities and lifestyle is the ultimate. What's even better? When you are the one who has found that gift.
And giving the ultimate gift doesn't necessarily have to have a big price tag on it. Sometimes the best gifts are the ones that don't cost anything at all. I like things that you have made yourself, and I think some of the coolest things I ever gave were things that I made when I was little. I still think giving someone a mixed CD of songs they've never listened to yet but are going to fall deeply in love with upon the first few notes can be a great present for the right people.
If you are having trouble coming up with unique gifts, I will let you in one of my best kept shopping secrets: www.uncommongoods.com
Many of the gifts that I have purchased for my family and friends have come from this site. I bought my dad a set of BBQ tools that were all modeled after golf clubs with real grips on the handles. I also bought a friend an indoor gardening kit to grow her own marinara sauce that sprouted but unfortunately withered. I'm not sure if this had anything to do with the kit or the sunless conditions of our apartment.
I also love shopping www.etsy.com
Etsy is a website where artists across the world can share and sell their handmade and vintage goods. This is such a wonderful and fun site to explore, and because there is so much to see, Etsy employs a lot of fun and whimsical search engines to help you narrow down what you are looking for. This is such a great site to seek out great gifts for yourself, others or your home while supporting artists from across the globe.
Amazon.com is also a great site featuring much more than just books and movies. I bought a birthday gift for my boyfriend just the other day, and to score free shipping to Maui, I bought myself something too:
I guess that's my only downfall on shopping for others...I usually can't help but get inspired to gift myself something as well.
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