January 3, 2010
Make the Holidays More Affordable: Give Personalized Gifts
The holiday season is looming, the economy is still tanking, and your list of family and friends who need gifts just keeps growing. What’s the secret to finding unique gifts for everyone on your list without spending a bundle? Easy, give personalized gifts! It is possible to find a beautiful, handmade gift that can be personalized to your specifications for $50 or less (sometimes far less). If you haven’t considered how the addition of a name, a monogram, a personal message, or a photo can enhance a gift (and save your budget), here are the facts:Personalization Turns the Ordinary Gift Into the ExtraordinaryYou might think it’s hard to feel excited about giving a travel mug as a gift. Too boring, you say? Think again. Select the perfect fabric to wrap around that mug (under the plastic exterior), add a name or monogram with the thread color of your choice, and you’ve turned an ordinary product into a one-of-a-kind gift made just for the recipient. A gift that might have said I picked this right off the shelf in a hurry now says I had this made just for you! And there is more good news: you’ve spent less than $25. There are many products out there like the travel mug: too ordinary on their own, but really fabulous when personalized. Toddler cups and sippy cups, for example, make great gifts when embellished with a child’s name. Notepads turn into something special when you choose their pattern and add a name or clever phrase to the top of each page. Pacifier clips, those handy gadgets that keep children and pacifiers attached, become fashion accessories when you choose the right fabric and add a monogram. A shaving kit or wallet becomes a treasure when you have a photo of the grandkids added to them. A silver money clip means far more to dad when it’s engraved with a message of love from the kids. A sterling silver necklace becomes a treasure to mom when it is hand-stamped with the names of her kids. A wine glass engraved with a special holiday message to a friend is much more meaningful than a plain wine glass. And for the golfer in the family, a personalized golf accessory makes the perfect unique gift for the golfer who has everything. Whether you’re shopping for a family member or your child’s teacher, personalization turns a run-of-the-mill gift into something extra special, without costing a fortune. Personalization Turns a Holiday Gift Into a KeepsakeBuy your friend a Christmas ornament from a department store and it’s likely to be just another ornament in her mix of ornaments by next year. Give her a hand-painted ornament that features the names of her children plus the year and she’s likely to treasure it forever. When it comes to holiday-themed gifts, personalization is the key to making them keepsakes. Whether it’s a hand-painted ornament to mark a baby’s first Christmas or a ceramic plate designed for Santa’s cookies, the personalized gifts are the ones with sentimental value that lasts a lifetime. Personalized Gifts Make Kids Smile“Mine!” comes out of most mouths by age two, so take advantage of every kid’s desire to claim ownership of almost everything and personalize their gifts with their names. Kids love to see their names on their stuff, and that makes it easy to give great gifts that don’t cost much. An ordinary place mat might not excite a child, but one that features his name and a print of a hand-painted, kid-friendly picture (a fire truck, perhaps, for the vehicle-obsessed boy) will surely be appreciated (and will cost you around $20). A handmade, hand-painted door plaque (you pick the design) is a great way to help any child decorate her room and claim her space. Give a kid a hand-painted ceramic plate that features his name and a cool design you chose just for him and he will instantly feel special (and grown-up too). And when it comes to buying holiday-themed gifts for kids, don’t forget their second favorite holiday, Halloween! Order a special t-shirt decorated with a haunted house and personalized with your son’s name and he might think wearing it to school is almost as exciting as wearing his costume. Or spend less than $25 to personalize a silver bucket with a spooky fabric design and ensure your daughter has the coolest bucket around for trick-or-treating. No matter who you are shopping for this holiday season, give a personalized gift and say you care without spending a fortune. For a complete selection of unique, handmade personalized gifts for the holidays or almost any occasion, from births to weddings to memorials, visit http://www. cccgifts. com today.
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