Each year, I write a column to share some great gift ideas.
Unlike on “Oprah,” each of the items are not handed out for free to my beloved Herald readers. I also want to note for the record that I do not receive anything for endorsing these gift ideas, and I select them based on my own opinion.
If there is someone you love who still does not own a digital camera, this is a great gift. I have a Canon Powershot. It fits in my purse and I have it with me at all times.
I record the strangest things, and enjoy using my photos for my journal, for list making, to share something with my family, or to capture something for my work.
Don’t forget to include rechargeable batteries, a memory card for the photos and a card reader for the computer. Radio Shack has a card reader that is the size of your thumb and doesn’t need a cord.
However, I was warned not to leave it plugged into my computer for any length of time or it will melt. Just transfer your photos and remove it.
Anyone will appreciate an Aveda scented candle. (Aveda is a company that makes plant-based beauty products and gifts.) My absolute favorite scent is “Shampure” and it smells exactly like their shampoo.
This is a pricey candle ($30), but it is completely worth it. I keep one burning in my office and my clients have all asked where I got it. My husband lighted it every night at dinner, until I explained that it was $30 and to maybe give the wonderful thing a rest.
If you are looking for a great gift book, I recommend the newest Annie Leibovitz book,”Annie Leibovitz at Work.”
It is small for an Annie Leibovitz book and it weighs less than a car, unlike many of her other books. This smaller book is beautifully bound with a cloth cover, has 100 of her favorite photographs and is filled with personal essays written memoir style.
Leibovitz was recently in Seattle speaking at Benaroya Hall. I took my daughters and afterward, my photographer-daughter had Leibovitz sign her camera strap — priceless.
I don’t want to admit this, but every year I buy gifts for my Chihuahua, Romeo. I know this sounds crazy, but he notices if everyone is receiving a gift and he isn’t. You have to see it to believe it.
He loves getting a gift-wrapped item, and he has mastered the art of unwrapping things. I bought Romeo really inexpensive and cute dog toys at Paddywack in Mill Creek.
If this the first holiday with a new baby in the family, I highly recommend a Pendleton crib blanket. These are keepsakes that can also be hung on a wall.
I also like the Pendleton larger blankets as gifts for weddings or a home. These blankets are also collectible, and they run designs in series that were used in our national parks and also ones that replicate American Indian designs. They also have a series to benefit a scholarship fund for American Indian youth.
My holiday gift list would not be complete without a gift to a benefit those in need this year.
Please do whatever you can to share with others. Make this fun. Do something with your office mates, like adopting a family or raising a money tree for the hospital foundation. Do something with your family, like a food drive for the local food bank. And do something once again with your neighbors, such as a yard cleanup party for a neighbor in need.
Thank you for your kindness and generosity.
Sarri Gilman is a freelance writer living on Whidbey Island and director of Leadership Snohomish County. Her column on living with meaning and purpose runs every other Tuesday in The Herald. She is a therapist, a wife and a mother, and has founded two nonprofit organizations to serve homeless children. You can e-mail her at features@heraldnet.com.
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