Okay, so it’s that time again, when you put on your comfortable shoes, plot your shopping routes, perhaps invite a friend or sibling, and get into the pre-Christmas shopping mob. Allow me to suggest something new this year that will not only allow you to send gifts out of reach in Cincinnati, but also save you an enormous amount of time. Whether it’s friends and family or work associates, you’re a few clicks away from wrapping up the hassles of gift-buying and bringing delight to your list of receivers.
I’ve always loved buying gifts more than getting them, but each year the actual shopping trip becomes less appealing: waiting in line, traffic, and particularly the generic selection around town. How many of you spend the day wandering from store to store, county to county, without really ‘falling in love’ with anything, then end up making a purchase to just end it and hope they aren’t disappointed?
I have devised a plan that allows me to shop for my hard-to-shop-for boyfriend, his hard-to-shop-for parents (yeah, I think it’s genetic), my parents, sister, and friends through a few clicks of a mouse.
You can’t go wrong with a gift of fine chocolate. I ordered a gift box of Belgian truffles from Nirvana Chocolates, selected each truffle myself, chose the decoration of the gift box, added a personalized note, and clicked send. Arrival in three days! There are a variety of fine chocolatiers sure to have something for the sweet tooth on your shopping list.
Nirvana Chocolates http://www.nirvanachocolates.com/
Black Hound New York Bakery http://www.blackhoundny.com/
Teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland http://www.teuscher-beverlyhills.com
Lindt Chocolatier http://www.lindtusa.com
I can’t close the subject of giving sweets without recommending the eclectic and decadent, Vosges. Here you will find the most artistic and flavorfully unique chocolates and truffles available. You can order an array of exotic truffles made with premium chocolate, flowers, and Eastern spices. They offer everything from candy bar gift sets, to a thirty-two piece gift box of a unique truffle assortment. Vosges is a nuevo-chocolatier, integrating fashion and lifestyle with their cutting edge approach to chocolate. Check out the Vosges dress, t-shirts, robe, nighties, candles, jackets, and unbelievably, a 1965 Harley Davidson Motorcycle, and a Yoga Retreat in Oaxaca, Mexico. If you don’t have the extra $17,000 lying around to snag the motorcycle, at least sign up for their newsletter to receive their unique recipes and fashion news.
Vosges also offers visitors to their site access to some of their recipes, such as Naga Fondu and Full Moon Brownies.
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com
For those who are adverse to sending a digestible gift, you might swing by FindGift.com. They take the serious effort out of finding the right present for whomever you are searching. Enter some information about the type of gift you have in mind, and FindGift.com will quickly produce a selection of choices after you enter the specifics; the receiver’s age, gender, personal style, etc. You can search based upon the relationship level you have with the the receiver and can choose from categories such as romance, humor, practical, or exotic. (They even offer the option of sending bitter sarcasm to the ex-love of your life who has left you in a lingering state of discontent.)
http://www.findgift.com
For the avid reader on your list, there is always Amazon.com, offering discounts on multiple purchases such as “Buy Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s ‘The River Between’ with ‘Weep Not Child’ together for $$.” Of course, you should be mindful of your selection; what you like to read or find interesting might not be your recipient’s ‘cup of tea’…(said the girl who, to her dismay, received Katherine Hepburn’s biography a few years ago.)
http://www.amazon.com
Stop by GiftsForProfessionals.com, where you will find a selection of gifts appropriate for a colleague, employee, employer, (ahem…favorite professor?), and even for the frequent traveler in your life. Gifts range from a French luggage set, leather attache cases, to candle sets, fine pens and other desk accessories.
http://www.giftsforprofessionals.com
If you’re interested in sending gift baskets or less personal gift items, try GiftSense.com. They offer an assortment of gourmet treats and gifts, the selection ranging from tasty morsels at Harry & David to the Build-a-Bear-Workshop.
http://www.giftsense.com
There are a lot of resources on the net for making the gift-giving season much easier, all of which are sure to bring a more enthusiastic reaction than the traditional tie or sweater from…(argh)…The Mall.