Gift Giving Guy

“Love is a promise, love is a souvenir,
once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.”
(John Lennon)

I don’t travel for business often, maybe once a year. But when I do, I always bring something back for my wonderful wife. Sometimes, it’s a souvenir that reflects the city I am visiting. For example, when I visited San Francisco, I gave my wife a wooden cable car filled with Ghiradelli chocolates. Plus, I bought home a “Sweet Dreams” sleep shirt illustrated with chocolate truffles.

But some of my best received gifts came from places like Crate & Barrel and Restoration Hardware. In 2003, I had a lot of training at a facility near Oak Brook Center, the largest open-air shopping center in the U.S. At the Crate & Barrel, I found a glass trifle bowl on one trip and a bronze Bandero vase on another. And nothing comforts like a five-pound chenille throw from Restoration Hardware. In Nashville, I found BLACKLION, a North Carolina-based furniture and accents store. I bought an arts-and-crafts-style bronze wine rack.

These gifts show my appreciation for helping me prepare for my trip and these tokens let her know that I’m thinking of her while I’m away.