Gift Giving

The holiday season is closely approaching, only about 33 more days, and I have been done with my Christmas shopping for weeks. This year, I tried to find a few deals in stores and special gifts by shopping online and going with any inspiration that came to me. A lot of the people that I shop for are rather difficult to find gifts for as they tend to buy anything they want of need. However, I believe I found some of the best presents I have in years! I don't really want to give away what I will be giving this year, but I would like to share some of my gift seeking secrets.

I think that the hunt for the perfect gift is part of the fun. Here are some gifts from the past year; no spoilers for this year:

RC Helicopter - I bought my dad an RC Helicopter last year for Christmas. We always have a lot of guests and visitors during the holiday season and everyone that came to our home was shown his new toy.

This is a great toy for youth or the young at heart. There are lots of toys that can be purchased for adults. Puzzles, vintage toys, board games, and even collectables. I also bought my dad some magnet toys, but once I found this remote controlled toy helicopter in a specialty store, I knew that it was going to be my father's favorite present under the tree.

Chop Sabers - If you have anyone on your Christmas list that is a fan of sushi, Chinese take-out, Star Wars, or any combination of these. This makes a great gift. They come in a variety of styles and you can even get them in gift packs depending on which website you order them from. I found these in a magazine on a flight around Christmas time. This ended up being a Valentine's gift for my the boy I was dating at that time. He is a fan of fried rice and Star Wars. One of his favorite colors was red, so I bought him a pair of Light Saber Chopsticks that are magnetized and connect to look like Darth Maul's saber.

I find that I am constantly keeping my open for gifts for my friends and family. When I get home, I look for the items online and bookmark the websites on my computer so that when the right opportunity comes up I am prepared with something that they will both love and cherish.

Specialty Gifts - For my mother's birthday this year, I remembered that in college a number of my friends were really into creating their own blends of tea and decided to create a blend of specialty tea. I was also able to customize the label and give it a name that has significant meaning to my mother. She has always had an interest in unique teapots and I was also able to find a really cute tea set. Now, when friends come to visit my mom unexpectedly, she can share her special blend and have an impromptu tea party with them. 

I think one of the best ways to find a great gift is to come up with something unexpected. Pay attention to little things that people say in passing. Such as, "I love Jasmine tea," or "Man, when I was little, I had so much fun playing with Lincoln Logs!" If your friend mentions that they have a favorite animal, you can even find them a hand printed t-shirt or other item such as an environmentally friendly canvas bag. My friend is a big fan of squids, octopi, and cuddlefish. He mentioned this to me during a trip to the aquarium earlier this year and I bought him this squid shirt for his birthday.

Also, Etsy.com is a great place to look for unique gifts or to just get some ideas to start your path to finding the perfect gift! I recently created a profile there and find the site very inspiring. I can find unique pieces of jewelry and clothing for my wardrobe and unique gifts for my loved ones. These can lead you in the right direction to finding that special someone a gift that they didn't even know they wanted.

Thank You for Giving

November and December are a time for being thankful for what you have and many take this time to donate to charitable organizations.

From my last post, you know that I am fundraising for #movember via http://www.mosista.co/anberina and have raised over $100 since the beginning of the month.

However, today I dug down into my wallet and made a contribution to the CFC and the charities that I donated to include:
- http://lnt.org/
- http://wwf.org/
- http://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/
- http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/

In addition to this, I also have made several donations to others participating in raising funds for the Movember Foundation over the last few days.

Your donations can make a world of difference in the lives of so many... so take a look at your budget and see if you can spare anything... even if you donate the loose change in your pockets you can touch the lives of others and make a difference for the future!

No Shave November

In February, I Go Red for Women to help increase awareness of Heart Disease. In October, I wear pink to increase awareness of Breast Cancer to help Save 2nd Base.

But November... In November, it's all about the men!

60's Inspired Mustache Photo

Many of my male friends decide to increase awareness by not shaving for the month and my male friends in the military grow mustaches. However, I have to great a little bit more creative since I do not have facial hair...

This year, following the lead of a few of my colleagues at work, I've decided to join a team and raise funds to help support the Movember Foundation, LIVESTRONG, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

I have set a personal goal to raise $100 by the end of November. If you would like to make a donation to support me in my cause:

UPDATE: My personal goal of $100 was surpassed in less than 24 hours and by the end of the month... I was able to collect twice that amount!