Twitter It!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Ginger tea (more than the 2-a-day dose!), craft fairs, gift shopping, trees covered in lights, henna clad hands, the ever-so-happy Santa, bridal lehengas, scented candles, blossoms, snow carpeted landscapes, icy cold air during morning walks, being able to see your breath in the air, lighting up the fireplace, cuddling up in a fluffy blanket with a book to devour, hot pakoras, traveling after a long stint of all work and no play…

These cold months are host to a host of warm feelings, festivals and festivities – Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Valentine’s Day. One may love winters or detest winters but you have to admit – there’s something about this season that brings warmth and hope and change. And gifts! Haha! Well, receiving as well as giving!

But then, gifting is not an easy task. May I put it this way – it’s an art! More so, when you don’t want to gift anything run-of-the-mill. You want to convey creativity and thoughtfulness and warmth. You want the person to go ‘wow’!

I would like to share some gifting ideas and trends that may help you next time you are scouring for that unique gift for your friend or family.

Gifts For Women:

For someone who loves nature and natural products and is eco conscious:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
1. Aroma Therapy Natural Oils

2. Handmade Scented Soaps

3. Sun dried Flowers

4. A kit containing all natural products that serve as excellent beauty agents

a. Organic Honey (for skin, slimming)

b. Rose Water (cleanser)

c. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (for skin, hair)

d. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for skin)

5. Organic Perfumes/Ittars

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

For someone who’s into home décor, art & craft, gardening

1. Subscription to magazines like “Home & Garden (www.bhg.com)”, “Good Housekeeping”

2. Plants, bonsais, arty planters, seeds of exotic flowers, gardening tools

3. Hammocks, wind chimes, water fountains, bird items, garden furniture

For the fitness conscious:

1. Yoga and gymming accessories like fitness mat, wrist bands, yoga-pilates socks

2. Fitness music, meditation music, DVDs

3. Fitness Nutrients

4. Fitness and Healthy Eating Books

For her mind, body and soul:

1. How about gifting her a rejuvenating experience at a spa or an ayurvedic centre!
Being pampered with aromatic oils and ancient relaxing massage rituals is the perfect
gift for any woman (or for man, for that matter)!

This online gifting site offers these gift packages and other unique gifting ideas: http://www.excitinglives.com/experience/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5

2. When talking about gifts, romance cannot be removed! Candles, flowers, chocolates – can any woman not be swept off her feet with these clichéd but always helpful and easy-to-find ideas?!

But then, you know best who to give these “clichéd” gifts to and who not

What will work for every woman?

Did you say “Jewelry”?! I couldn’t agree more

Yeah, jewelry is something that strikes a chord with every woman’s heart irrespective of age, culture, geography..! And India has such a wide variety of handcrafted jewellery (gold as well as costume jewellery) that no woman can ever resist.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
a. Some of the latest trends in Indian costume jewellery are Kundan and Polki jewellery studded with semiprecious gemstones. Kundan jewellery saw a grand come back recently thanks to the Hind movie – “Jodha Akbar”. The jewellery worn by Jodha (Aishwarya Rai) has heavily (pun intended!) inspired the bridal look in North India. More recently, the TV serial ‘Balika Vadhu’ has set the trend for Rajasthani Gold Plated Polki jewellery. Outside India, in the western society, Victorian-inspired jewellery has always been the hot favourite. Recently, jewellery hand-made with paper, jute and recycled material has found many a takers.

b. When a man is gifting jewellery to a woman, he must keep in mind what can be gifted to whom. For instance, you cannot gift a ring to any other woman except your wife or your girlfriend who you are committed to. So, you both know that formalizing the relationship with a ring is the next obvious step!

c. Whether you’re gifting traditional Indian jewelry, western-style jewellery, diamonds or gemstones, you must definitely have an inkling of her likes and dislikes. For example, some women are head over heels in love with pearls, while there are many who would rather not wear pearl at all. Some like Victorian-style jewellery whereas to others, the antique look does not appeal.

d. Other things to keep in mind is – does she go to office, does she socialize much, attend weddings and parties a lot or does she attend more business meetings etc?

Gifting Memories – for men or women

These days online photo printing has become the norm and infact has gone a step ahead. You can order photo prints on T Shirts, Bedsheets, Cushions, Coasters, Curtains, Mugs, Mousepads and what not. You can get a giant photo collage, a jigsaw puzzle or even jewellery made with your personal photo, I, for one, find this option a very warm, thoughtful and everlasting gift. Because, this way, you are actually gifting some cherished memories.

There are many online photo printing sites that offer all these services and products at a great price. Some of them are:

· www.picsquare.com

· www.snapgalaxy.com

· www.snapfish.com

· www.bighugelabs.com

What about for men?

Well, however much I am always up in arms against those women-bashing jokes doing the rounds on email forwards, I still have to admit that men are easier to please and the options are less complicated too J So, its relatively easier for us to gift the men in our lives – our boyfriends, hubbies, bros, dads , sons..

Having said that, since the options are far less, it can get tough at times. We end up buying the same boring gift – a shirt, perfume, book…. (oops! I’m already running out of options L)

So, what unique options do we have for the guys?

Well, come to think of it – quite a few optons that I mentoned for women, may actually work for guys as well. For exp – yoga and workout gear, gardening tools and supplies, treat at a spa or ayurvedic massage centre.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Gift him an exotic holiday! (if budget permits, of-course )

And some more for him (he could be your hubby, dad, son, bro…)

1. Annual subscription to a magazine catering to his hobby/interest (sports, politics, business, photography)

2. Membership to a weekend club where he can spend time playing his sport, hanging out etc

3. Tickets to a sports event (cricket, soccer, tennis)

4. Golf Kit and accessories, Sports Memorabilia, Motor books (books on cars, bikes, auto racing)

a. Here’s a great site to buy motor books: http://www.motorbooks.com/

5. Beer and beverage accessories

6. DVD of his favourite TV programme/series

7. More personal and personalized – organize a surprise party inviting his buddies and laying out some of his favourite dishes. And favourite music/movie to boot! A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.

Socially conscious gifting or gifting for a cause:

I recently came upon this organization – GiveIndia – that helps willing people donate to NGOs. They describe themselves as “a donation platform that allows you to support a cause of your choice from about 200 NGOs that have been scrutinised for transparency & credibility”. “We do not raise funds for ourselves. We help you donate to these NGOs. We tell you exactly where your money went and also give you proof of it through the feedback report.” Check it out here: http://www.giveindia.org

This list could be a good starting point. But there are as many gift ideas as there are people because every gift giver is a unique personality and so is the receiver.

Now, get ready to splurge (some love ) and sweep your receiver off his/her feet, because, as they say “the greatest gift is a portion of thyself”.
——————————————————————————————————–

Authored by Rashmie Jaaju. Owner, Gorgeous karma (http://www.gorgeouskarma.com)

All the photos and content in this article are copyright Rashmie Jaaju and should not be copied in any form of media without written permission from me.

Gorgeous Karma is an online boutique for Indian traditional and western costume jewellery, including – Kundan, Polki, 1 gram gold jewellery, Victoran-style, Diamond cz, emerald ruby pearl and more. Gorgeous Karma jewellery is known for its unique array of designs, life-long quality and customer service.

Gorgeous Karma Jewellery:

www.gorgeouskarma.com
http://ebay.gorgeouskarma.com
www.gorgeouskarma.etsy.com
blog.gorgeouskarma.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Gorgeous_Karma