Christmas: Thoughts on Trying Something New

Oh my goodness...this is really hard for me. I have actually been offered the gift of a simpler Christmas and I just cannot wrap that gift up in my mind. It is very hard.

See, my family decided that the only people that will receive gifts are the children and that number is shrinking by the minute. The oldest of the youngest will be 21 on his next birthday. I suppose that he should be put at the grownup table soon don't you think? He is in his third year of college and I still want to cut his food when he comes to visit!

So I keep thinking of excuses for buying a "little" gift for some of the family...they helped us out a lot or they need a little boost. It is very hard. So I am trying to devise a plan where I can do that for them opening without worrying about breaking the rules and still have it be a Christmas Gift.

Anyone have any ideas? Please.

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10 Best Gifts for a Retiree's Christmas chosen by a Retiree

Need to begin thinking about gifts for the retiree on your list? Here is the best that I could find. Let me know what you think.

It seems to me that grandparents are getting younger all the time! I find it true in our RV resort and here in our 55+ neighborhood in Oregon.  And since Christmas is on the way I think you need to keep in mind that what you want they want too. Crocheting has long since gone out of style and lifelong learning is in. Keep that in mind when you buy gift!

Fitbit from Amazon

1. A pedometer would be fun. A Fitbit is a wonderful device. If your parents or grandparents or are walking, why not give them a Fitbit so they can keep track of the miles they go each month. Walking made fun is good.
2. I cannot tell you how many women I talk to regret the fact that their spouse cannot waltz or tango. How about dance lesson as a couples gift.  Even a dance lesson video might be fun. I think my husband and I would be more willing to try this first.
3. I would love a gift card from Amazon or a book store. Better yet give the gift that gives all year...Amazon prime is one of the best gifts around.

   

   Runner headlamp from Amazon
4. I think one of those little headlamps that runners and bicycle riders use is just quirky enough for the man on your list. My husband received one for Christmas several years ago. We like to walk after dark when we are in the RV resort but in the fall and springs we watch for snakes. When my husband is trying to work in a dark place like under the sink it has saved us a lot of quarrels. (Can't you shine the light where I want it? he says.) You may have to convince the man to actually use it but once he does, he will love it. NOTE: Your grandchildren will love these too!
5. Does your favorite senior love to eat but have special needs like a gluten free diet, diabetic safe restrictions or no fat. Find that special treat online for them. Order meal through one of the many services that provide food ordered online. I have a friend that uses them and loves it a lot.
6. I think a mini iPad or something like it is a wonderful gift.  

   

   Mini from Amazon

    
7. If you senior owns an Kindle or a similar device, give them a gift certificate for some apps or publication on the device.
8. Rent a wheel chair so you can take your less mobile parents out for the day. If they have such a thing, make it a beautiful ride. Seniors like cool just as well as the next guy. Just because they are having a hard time getting around temporarily does not mean they should live in a cave.
9. Provide a service. Window washing (you can pay someone else to do this), a room painted, general cleaning (hire a housekeeper for a day), some yard work, spreading of bark dust...you add your own idea.  Be sure you can fulfill your promises though. If you plan to provide the service yourself, set a date for the offer and don't forget.  Your parents/grandparents can be disappointed too. If you are hiring someone, include a gift card for the service.
10. Wrapped presents...serious Grandparents/parents love gifts. If they say they don't, they are liars!  Even a small gift from a department store can be very special if the wrapping or container is beautiful. Your senior will actually find a way to recycle the box!  Make the container part of the gift.

So what would be your favorite? I personally liked the iPad mini. I can see me using it a lot.

Have a wonderful week end. Remember, shop early and avoid the stress. Who needs that?

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Dear Santa....I can explain!

1914 Santa Claus in japan
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are a reader of mine you know that I was born guilty. If a crime is committed in the neighborhood and the police come to  my door, I will confess. Even though I didn't know about the crime and cannot help the police, I am sure that in some way I am responsible. It is just the way I am.

I am not a Catholic so I don't get to confess my sins and even though I say I am sorry a lot, it seems that I alway feel at odds with the world. It is not easy being me.

So...when I saw this sign in the front window of a small rv in my park I knew that I had finally found a solution. Santa could help. The sign said:

Dear Santa, 

I can explain... 

Love, _________________

There you have it. I will send a simple letter to Santa, try to explain why I did what I did and hope. I can trust Santa and I know he is a good guy so he will probably forgive my mistakes. If there is a gift in my stocking, I will know that I am golden for one more year.

Have a wonderful day.

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Having Dinner With the Old Folks

New Year's Eve 2014....what a wonderful year it has been!

Merry Christmas to all of you out there in blog land. We are having dinner with the old folks today. That would be here in our 55+ community. In fact, I love this annual dinner every year. When we first came here over 6 years ago I was one of the youngers. Now I am beginning to feel like an elder matriarch in a large family...needed and loved.

I hope your day is beautiful and all your dreams come true.

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6 Best Ways to Say Thank You

It occurred to me as I was getting ready to finish up some Christmas gifting that this is the perfect time of year to say "Thank You" to some of those people you might overlook. I know it has been a tradition to give the postman and your hair stylist a gift but what about all those people that actually did something for you without being paid. Wow, what a concept.

Here are a few ways that I think you should go about doing this. First take a minute to reflect on the year that has gone by. Were you sick or needed some help from a friend or family member? Did someone take the time to stop by and visit on a rainy day? What about the small acts of being nice that happen every day? Can you remember someone that really made you feel special?

I know, you say thank you at the time but what about just going the extra mile to make someone feel like you felt on a Tuesday when a small gift came? How about we make this Christmas mean something more than it does.

1. Have you received gift cards that you have not used? Pass them on!
2. Gather up a few cards...birthday, get well, etc. and make a packet so the recipient will have them on hand later.
3. Upcycle something you have. I spray painted an old flour sifter, placed a small plant in it and put napkins in the handle. Small gift, very little cost. But because I made it myself, it is very personal.
4. Take the time to pass on a kindness and then write the person that gifted saying thank you and letting them know that they made a difference.
5. I like the idea of passing the start from a plant I have to someone that will like it. It serves as a reminder that you were grateful.
6. And last but not least, write a real note, put it in an envelope and mail it. I like that one best of all.

Thank you everyone for supporting my Amazon Associate account.  If you order using the search on the side bar or any of the other links on this page, drop me a note at btorris@gmail.com. I will put your name in a drawing that I will hold in January sometime.

Merry Christmas everyone.

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Stop Amazon NOW!

How To Rock Christmas for All Ages

We actually celebrated our Christmas before we left for our winter home and it absolutely rocked! I think the things that appealed to my husband and I might be the things that would light up the eyes for any age group. As I began to deconstruct the whole experience several things became evident that I had not thought about. So how can you make you Christmas rock? Here goes.

Ice Ball Maker Mold

1. Everyone got t a gift, even the grandparents. It does not have to be big but the thought is very important.
2. We shared our talents...I love to cook so I gave the ingredients for a favorite dish with a piece of cooking equipment to make it with plus the recipe. I even considered giving a coupon for my favorite hairdresser. We received a gift certificate for a photo setting from our professional photographers daughter-in-law and son. (@ABlissPortraits on Twitter)
3. We didn't struggle with gifts for the little children. They may love toys but they also love toy accessories...a storage bag for legos, a addition dress for a doll or a diaper bag for the baby doll.
4. I know that teens love lots of things because even though they are grown up on the outside, they are very young inside. I let them help me look-up what they want online and then ordered it and wrap it. Everyone is happy.
5. We also surprised our teens. Those young people have interests that continue from them childhood. Lego Bionicle Advanced Level turned out to be a big success.  We bought a music stand for our granddaughter to use when she practices her cello. She liked it a lot.
6. We gave some unusual gifts that broke the Christmas mold. A bottle of booze is a good gift but even better is all the things necessary to make a favorite drink (mixer, rim salt or sugar, Ice Ball Maker Mold These are very trendy now.)
7. Simple is better...my husband got socks which he actually needed. Pay attention or better yet shop with your parents/children/grandchildren for a bit and watch to see what they drool over. That is what I did.
8. We were told that re-gifting is perfectly okay...explain why you wanted to pass on what you already have. We shared some of our treasures and our children loved it.
9. I was allowed to help decorate for Christmas...I liked being included. (Adopt a theme or color scheme for your Christmas and follow through with it throughout the season.)



Hot Lime Burlap Ribbon 
for a color coordinated Christmas








10. We discovered that a party is better than a sit down dinner...keep it lite but make it fun. Fun was the best gift of all!

I know you have ideas because I am sure I have seen all of these somewhere else. Let me know if you can add to the list...I would like that.

How-to Create Christmas Gifts that Get Attention!

We created Christmas gifts with thrift store finds and some spray paint. Take a look!  These are all real attention getters! 

1. Visit you thrift store looking for theme gifts like cocktails, young adult beer baskets, canning supplies, kitchen tools, cookie making, etc.
2. Find containers for the gifts like baskets, trays, etc.
3. Use spray paint to update containers. We used blackboard paint for the interior of the containers because it is so trendy right now.
4. Wash, polish, remove price tags etc.
5. Visit $1 Store to buy napkins, towels, snacks or any other accessory you may need.

We also bought Christmas ornaments and cookie tins at the thrift store. We filled the tins with ornaments so the young adults could take them home and use them. We filled one tin with cookie cutters for some small children. Here are some pictures so you can get an idea about what we did.

Before

First coat of paint.

Trays after blackboard paint was added.

Before

After blackboard paint was added on the inside of tray
and teal green was spray painted on the exterior. All of the
mixing tools, shaker, containers, nut dish and glasses were found at the
the thrift store. 

We bought 4 jars, lids and pectin to add to the canning basket which also included
a Foley Mill we found at the thrift store. Towels were new.

Christmas: 6 Rules for Buying ANOTHER #Book

English: Stack of books in Gould's Book Arcade, Newtown, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Note: Christmas is coming and what better gift could there ever by than a great book. Here is a place to start: 10 Best Books for 2014 (Amazon)

I don't know if you have been watching but my slideshow of books from Amazon that I display in the sidebar just keeps, growing and growing. I really want to own a paper version of everyone of those books but there are #rules you know...even when you buy a book.

Let me see if I can explain. My daughter has rules for napping on weekend. The nap can only be so long, outside of the covers, with the curtains open and so the list goes. That is the thing about buying books. If you don't have rules, you will have a house full of books and no place to sit and read them.

1. Only buy a book if you think about it for a while and still want it.
2. Always buy a book that is on your wish list and is then recommended by someone else.
3. If you will go back to a book after you have read it to use a quote, it is ok to buy that book.
4. Limit the number of unread books you have on your Kindle or in your book bag...10 or less is a good idea.
5. If a book is a big prize winner (Pulitzer, Booker, etc.) buy it and treasure it.
6. Don't buy books that the library can lend you if you really don't care about keeping it but still want to read.

Because books are so important to me, I don't have many rules. But the ones I have are written in stone. Do you have rules?

Aging: On Giving

Christmas gifts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My husband and I have been absent from the family holidays gift giving tradition for quite a while. Oh, we have given gift certificates and money but no shopping or thinking was required. Actually, it wasn't even very much fun. I am one of those people that loves buying gifts and I have a hard time not giving the Christmas gift away long before Christmas if I buy it early. Why did I stop doing that?

But things are different this Christmas Season. It has been a lot of fun. We have come up with the idea that we might "re-gift" this year and, when we didn't do that, we searched at thrift stores for perfect gifts. Then we filled in with new things we found as we shopped at every store in the area. It wasn't easier but it was more interesting.

As we age we do seem to forget how to shop for gifts. I found myself surprised at the cost for some items and surprised again at how little others cost. In fact, it could be that my husband and I may have lost touch with what is going on in the market place. This is a new beginning for us. The joy of giving is not about money and gift cards. It is all about thinking of each person and reconnecting with what they are all about. The art of giving can be a forgotten talent if a person doesn't nurture it. I for one am going to try remember how to give.

Have a wonderful day!

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Christmas Gifts: What do Facebook Women REALLY Want?

Have you ever wondered what women REALLY want for Christmas? Here is what women told me without anyone watching or listening.

I saw a post the other day about joy...you know, that kind of joy that you can feel right down to your toes. I think it was over on Alphabet Salad but I could be wrong. Anyway, the person was not having a good day and then they remembered something that made them happy beyond reason. It was like receiving or giving the perfect Christmas present!

So, that brings me to the question I asked the group of women on Facebook that provide the articles for the very popular Midlife Boulevard website. I was wondering if anyone could tell me something that they really wanted for Christmas...the perfect gift they dreamed of opening. I could see smiles on the faces of both the giver and the recipient. Because I had just finished writing a post about cool Christmas gifts for women, I was looking for some very good gift ideas to use in a future article. And that is what I received. Better yet, I discovered that perfect gifts for a woman in 2014 may come in all sizes and may not be wrappable. These are the answers I received:

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 MacBook Air

• November 7 at 2:16pm · Like
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   A membership to Orange Theory!

  November 7 at 2:17pm · Like · 1
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   Time to go to the gym or workout. Seriously.

  November 7 at 2:19pm · Like · 4
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   My house in the foothills to be move-in ready!!!http://adventuresofthenewoldfarts.com/.../today-the.../
  

  
  

  

  Today the plumbing, next week the SLAB!

  Do any of you have experience in the excruciatingly slow process of building a new...

  ADVENTURESOFTHENEWOLDFARTS.COM

  November 7 at 2:49pm · Edited · Like · 3
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  Huge donations to my 5 favorite charities.

  November 7 at 2:31pm · Like · 1
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  A membership to the YWCA in Charlotte. It is a place to work-out and reach out to the community. A Healthy place all around.

  November 7 at 2:36pm · Like
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  The rest of my living room furniture. It trickles in one piece at a time. We ordered it in JULY.

  November 7 at 2:40pm · Like · 2
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  Barbara Torris
  

  
  

  

  RETIRE IN STYLE BLOG: Gifts: 5 Gifts for Women of Any Age

  RETIREINSTYLEBLOG.COM|BY BARBARA TORRIS

  November 7 at 3:09pm · Like · Remove Preview
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  I can't think of a thing...seriously.

  November 8 at 4:01am · Like · 1
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  Nothing! I'm a Jew. 

  November 8 at 8:08am · Like · 5
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  I can't wait to have my daughter home from college for a month! That is enough of a present for me 

  November 8 at 8:38am · Like · 2
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  Glug--warm Swedish spice mulled wine

  November 8 at 8:55am · Like · 1
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  For Christmas, Hanukkah, and all other holidays to return to being spiritual celebrations, not retail feeding frenzies.

  November 8 at 9:09am · Edited · Like · 2
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  n/a since I am Jewish.I wrote a blog post about this last week - the Jewish Mom's Guide to Christmas

  November 8 at 9:27am · Like · 1
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  A remote car starter, or an attached garage. Either one.

  November 8 at 11:04am · Like · 2
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  November 8 at 11:57am · Like
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  Barbara Torris For my Jewish friends I think maybe a Tuesday gift...the gift that you give just because it is Tuesday.

  November 8 at 11:57am · Like
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  And what do you want little Barbara?

  November 8 at 11:58am · Like
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  Barbara Torris There are two kinds of gift...those that are material and those that are spiritual. For my material gift I truly want a ten foot cord for my ipad. For my spiritual gift I want for my family to be happy and content with their lot in life. If I could choose between the two, I would of course like the spiritual above all else. Thank you for asking.

  November 8 at 8:15pm · Edited · Like
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  November 9 at 5:59pm · Like · 4 Unapologetically I want an incredible piece of jewelry. Forget world peace and good will for all. I want blingblingbling. Ahem...now that I got that off my chest: I would love more writing opportunities.
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   Ha! I'm with Laura! Cash flow would be nice!

  November 9 at 6:40pm · Like · 3
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   And whirled peas.

  November 9 at 7:56pm · Like · 4
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   I'm hoping some will be buying art for the #writers in their life. I now do custom paintings of desks and tabletops. I captured my journal lying on the porch table and other things. Hope you can check out my work on etsy. https://www.etsy.com/.../original-acrylic-painting-first...
  

  
  

  

  Original Acrylic Painting - First Fields

  An acrylic painting on 8 x 7 Canvas unmounted. This original painting is a study for a larger work...

  ETSY.COM

  November 10 at 7:13am · Like
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  A trip to NYC.

  November 10 at 7:22am · Like
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  Things are really nuts at my house lately, so i would have to say...PEACE and a new job!

  November 10 at 11:14am · Like
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  A subscription to Artful Blogging... a weekend in Jackson Hole, WY

  November 10 at 7:12pm · Like
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  Peace, joy, love, and a day with every member of my family.

  November 10 at 8:03pm · Like
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  My husband's Cartier watch.

  Yesterday at 6:27am · Like · 1
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I did not expect people to want world peace as their only Christmas gift nor did it occur to me that someone would be waiting for furniture they ordered in the summer to be delivered. I loved the honesty that some brought to the conversation...jewelry and whirled peas were my idea of the perfect request. Oh and I could use a new Mac Book Air and the Cartier watch...I'm just saying! The generous request of gifts to charity or even just seeing college aged children touched me. 

This was a lot of fun for me. Thank you ladies for helping out!

So, what do you want for Christmas...other than World Peace that is!

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