From This Side of Thirty: Gift Ideas 2014

It might seem like I’ve put the blog on the back burner lately, but in fact it’s quite the opposite. I’ve spent a lot of time purchasing my domain (fromthissideofthirty.com), getting the site hosting set up and changing from the “blogspot.com” address to the new one. However, I am not particularly skilled in the area of website “domains” and “hosting” and “servers”. I picked up the phone to voice call the support line today and I was put on hold for quite some time which makes me wonder if there are any real people behind this thing we call “the internet”. I’ll keep you posted, but if for some reason my blog disappears entirely from the World Wide Web, you can rest assured it is a result of no one else’s actions but my own.

I wanted to spend a Top Ten Tuesday sharing gift ideas with my fellow techies (or not). I have a few blogs I frequent and at some point or another during this time of year they each share a gift list post. I found some of the ideas pretty helpful, but let’s not get our hopes up…

10. Beverages- We usually gift our adult friends with beer or wine or elegant liquor. It’s like saying, “I wanted nothing more than for you to have a hangover this holiday season. Love, The Matejka’s”. Coffee is another great beverage gift. Whether it’s a bag of specialty coffee beans, a Starbucks gift card or simply a unique mug, coffee lovers everywhere will appreciate a gift of such.

9. Food- There isn’t anything that Ole Jus and I can appreciate much more than a free meal. We are always delighted with a gift card to one of our favorite restaurants. I considered getting my dad some stuffed pork chops, boudin balls, or plain ole steaks this year from a specialty company. (Hebert’s has awesome food and tons of choices, AND they can ship it to you! Check it out here.) They have so many fancy ways to display gifts of food these days. I’m pretty sure those Harry and David guys built a whole empire around food and gifting it. And who wants a bouquet of flowers when you can have a bouquet of fruit, cookies and even candy!?!

8. Vacuum Cleaning Apparatuses- Normally I wouldn’t recommend buying any cleaning tools or supplies for the ladies in your life, but we live in the age of the robotic vacuum. I had a Roomba vacuum over 5 years ago and loved mine. It’s the automated cleaning devices that are completely acceptable gifts for your loved ones this holiday season.

7. Maid Service – I have a friend whose mother-in-law buys her a year’s worth of maid services each Christmas. I know no woman who would despise this kind of gift. This is the gift that says, “Take the year off! You earned it!” or “You are a terrible house keeper and I cannot stand it any longer”, but either way I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t appreciate the gesture.

6. Knife – I don’t get it, but I’ve seen boys and men become overwhelmed by enthusiasm after unwrapping a new knife. You can get custom made knives, handmade knives, knives made out of horns and bones, big knives and little knives. I assure you the variety of humans we refer to as males that will not be excited by The Bachelor premiere on January 5^th, but a knife will definitely get his motor goin’.

5. Vintage Marquee Letters - I asked Santa for a big "M" the past 2 years...maybe this year is my time! Vintage marquee letters and various other shapes are really in style in the area of home décor. They would be a great idea for those couples on your list.

4. Books – Oh my heavens! I would be beyond excited to unwrap the gift literature. No matter who you are, where you are from there is a book for you. Even people who aren’t much for reading can manage to read one book per year, so find a good one and gift it!

3. Remote Control Helicopters – This was one of the things I came across on a blog…it also happens to be one of my go-to gifts for boys 4 to 40. I noticed years ago that my 14-year-old nephew liked his 10-year-old brother’s gifts a lot more than the “grown up” gifts I attempted to give him. So…the following Christmas Eve we gave them both…REMOTE CONTROL HELICOPTERS…score for Aunt Lacy. Picture this...Justin’s sister and my brother-in-law lying peacefully asleep that quiet Christmas morn…when all of a sudden…2 sets of red lights hovering above their bed…and 2 happy boys in the doorway with their remotes. That’s a winner!

2. Whoopie Cushions and Handcuffs – Both children and adults alike can be amused and entertained by these two. Fun for all ages! They are both a great stocking stuffer, perfect white elephant and nice to have on hand for last minute gift-emergencies. I know some people who are getting these this year and I can hardly contain my excitement.

1. ENO- I saw this on one of the blogs I read. I had to look it up, so now I can report back with a strong 45% understanding. It’s a brand of hammocks. Apparently “hammocking” is a thing.

College students carry them in their backpack and just setup shop between classes. An alternate use might possibly be for hiking or something outdoorsy like that. I think this would be perfect for anyone ages 15 to 35. I can see myself “hammocking” on a pleasant Sunday afternoon in our front yard.