Ideas for the Gift Challenged

For those of you who may need a bit of inspiration and ideas for the holiday gift giving season, we've put together a list that may just work for you.

Framed Pictures








We rarely do this for ourselves, so how great is it when someone gives you a blown-up framed photo of you, your friends or family?

It seems like it takes some time but one evening picking out favorites, a quick online print order and in-store pick up to grab some frames and you're done.

Cost? $10-30 for a frame, $0.23 - $15 for printing depending on size. Ikea has great frames with mats included starting at $6.99 for a 4x6 size.


In-Name Donations

Considering how many people in the world are less fortunate than us, sometimes the big ticket items don't sit quite right. There are some great ways to make a donation in someone's name - from donating dollars, to choosing specific items to donate.




You can donate a mosquito net through the Red Cross for just $7 and save a child from malaria.

The Red Cross - Malaria Bites







Or you can check out Canada Helps - it enables online donations for 83,000 Canadian charities. It allows you to search by interest, city and name to find the one that fits the people on your list.

Canada Helps


Shows

In a city like Toronto, there are so many great shows, concerts and events that the choices are endless.

Don't forget that many afternoon shows can be less than half the cost and it's great to have dinner afterwards instead of before and rushing to an evening show.











We saw We Will Rock You with the in-laws this past summer and we all had a blast. For a family show, you can see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or The Sound of Music. Tickets for both shows can be purchased online at Mirvish Productions and you can get deals from just $24 a ticket.


Books & Magazines

Who isn't looking for a good page-turner? The best thing of all is they can exchange your choice if they've already read it or if it isn't their cup of tea.

Magazine subscriptions are also a great gift with big impact for not much money. Deals can be had for just $12 a year. Rogers offers it's customers a $1 per month subscription for most of it's magazines - check out Rogers Magazines.

For book ideas check out the following reviews:

New York Times 10 Best Books of 2008

Chapters Top Online Bestsellers



Create a Book







If you have a bunch of photos from a vacation or party, or just a lot of photos in general you can create a professional looking book with Blurb. You can get it produced and delivered by Christmas (choose your delivery options carefully!) and books start at just $12.95!


For Those Who Help You

For the postman, the dog walker, the babysitter etc...keep a stack of Starbucks or Tim Hortons gift cards on hand! Who doesn't want to be warmed up with an eggnog latte or a double-double?


Regardless of what you are giving, make a list, check it twice and set aside some time to shop to save yourself from the stress of the holiday season.

Cheers & Happy Holidays!
Mark