Innovative and Practical Gift Ideas this Season

          

This is the Annandale Fireflies Firefly necklace, which actually glows. Photo: http://www.etsy.com/listing/86748439/the-firefly-necklace-bolo-braid

    For Christmas, I embrace practical gifts.  I also believe that most gifts can be really lovely and still be inexpensive.  For those of you, like my dear husband, who are grasping at straws this holiday season, I have a few suggestions.

                For those of you who have given practical gifts to the point of annoying your wives, you could order by mail, one of these.   These are quite charming and relatively inexpensive.  This company was one of my first sponsors on the original Rational Preparedness Radio Program

  This is where you can order a nice gift for around thirty dollars.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86748439/the-firefly-necklace-bolo-braided?ref=pr_shop

Other information:

                http://www.etsy.com/people/AnnandaleFireflies

This one is only nineteen dollars plus postage:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79077736/the-firefly-necklace?ref=related-2

Yes, they glow that brightly.

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                   Now, back to my forte, which is the truly practical gift.   Books never cease to be a wonderful gift. I don't care how much you love your kindle, genuine books are still treasures.   The links to my books are at the top of the page, with how to order them, but I am assuming you already have those.   A trip to Barnes and Noble or whatever your favorite independent book store is, is a great trip before Christmas, not only for you, but for the lucky person you are shopping for.    A gift certificate there is always a safe bet.  I always like to look at the aisle that shows the sale books.  For children and teens, I love the books which come with something extra, like the book of learning to play the guitar yourself along with the CDs, or the calligraphy book with an Asian calligraphy set, or the book with watercolors etc.  I like to give books which encourage both self discovery and education, and get young people away from the computer for a few hours or more !

                 Men, most women really do like chocolate, and even those of us who are weight conscious like to receive a lovely or romantic gift of chocolate.  Most malls or towns have a chocolatier or fine chocolate shop.   A lovely box of hazelnut truffles is a great gift for most women.   One year my husband went to a Richmond chocolate shop and bought a bag of my favorite British childhood chocolates.   Maltesers, Cadbury's chocolate buttons, Flakes, and Crunchie are some of my own favorites, but there are many others that might be favorites of your wife, that you might recognize if you were in a fine chocolate store.

                 When our daughter bought her own home, our house warming gift to her was a series of #10 (large) containers of Augason Farms freeze dried food for emergencies.  They have a thirty year shelf life.  Be sure to check out their specials. This is also the place to go for food gifts for those who need gluten free foods.  A gift card from Augasons is even a way that your relative or friend can pick their own food.

          http://www.augasonfarms.com/

You might also get someone who was lukewarm regarding preparedness, to be a little more concerned and positive about it.


            If you need a gift for a man, tools are often a good choice.    This is a link on Amazon to American made tools.

       http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=made+in+usa+tools&tag=googhydr-20&index=tools&hvadid=33838699795&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=22289162492521036&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_8dnqebgevo_b

or simply log in to amazon and search American-made tools.


Also on Amazon, is Vacmaster,  an excellent wet dry vac for eighty dollars

http://www.amazon.com/Vacmaster-VQ607SFD-Stainless-Steel-Vacuum/dp/B003M2J3GK/ref=sr_1_19?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1386688570&sr=1-19&keywords=vacuum+cleaner

         

             There are some practical and relatively inexpensive gifts out there this year.