Posts Tagged ‘for couples’
Happy Sweetest Day 2009
It’s Sweetest Day, a regional holiday for sweethearts and a celebration of chocolate and candy. This year, I’m giving my wife gourmet chocolate from FunkyChunky (also on Twitter as @funkychunky).
First, there’s the FunkyChunky Chocolate Bar. Think milk chocolate covered with Oreo chunks, pecans, graham crackers, dried berries and crispy rice. Next, we’ll share FunkyChunky Chocolate Pretzels. These thick pretzels are coated in three kinds of chocolate and swaths of chewy caramel, then topped with chopped pecans.
Be sure to try their other hand-crafted treats, like chocolate popcorn, caramel corn and peanut butter pretzels.
Tags: chocolate+candy, for couples, for her, indulgences, sweetest day
A close co-worker gave birth to her first child yesterday. To celebrate the new arrival, I wanted to send her a gift. Most couples register for baby gifts at one or more places. So I checked what I perceive to be the top online baby gift registries.
- Amazon.com Baby Registry
The juggernaut of e-commerce features a Universal Registry Button to allow couples to add the nine or so things that Amazon doesn’t sell. - Babies “R” Us: The Baby Registry
One of the affiliated Toys “R” Us chains, this retailer is the self-described “baby superstore.” - Baby Depot Baby Registry
Part of the Burlington Coat Factory, Baby Depot offers breakfast seminars to parents on infant CPR, baby nutrition, child safety and more. - The Bump Baby Registry
From the wedding-focused folks who brought you The Knot, try searching The Bump to find registries at Pottery Barn Kids, The Land of Nod, The Right Start and Giggle. - Target Baby Registry
I prefer pronouncing this retailer as “tar-ZHAY” in a terrible French accent. - Walmart Baby Gift Registry
Walmart offers an online thank you note tracker, simplifying gift acknowledgments.
I found the couple’s baby gift registries at three of the above sites, then selected gifts from one of the registries.
Tags: for baby, for couples, gift ideas, gift registry, lists, shopping online
I’m looking forward to a college friend’s wedding next month. Of course, her wedding invitation properly omitted any mention of a gift registry. While bridal shower invitations may list registries, the wedding invitation should not. Traditionally, family and close friends of the bride and groom spread the word about the wedding registry.
Instead, I turned to the WeddingChannel.com‘s unified registry search, spanning 22 different gift registries:
- Amazon.com
- Barneys New York
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Bloomingdale’s
- Borsheims
- Bottlenotes
- Charity Registry
- Cloud 9
- Crate & Barrel
- Fortunoff
- Gump’s
- JCPenney
- Macy’s
- Neiman Marcus
- Pottery Barn
- REI
- Restoration Hardware
- Sandals Resorts
- Starwood Hotels & Resorts
- Tiffany & Co.
- Traveler’s Joy
- Williams-Sonoma
Just one search, based on her first and last name, revealed the couple’s wedding registry. Keep in mind you can give thoughtful gifts off the registry; it’s just there for the convenience of the guests. And the gift of money (or gift cards to the couple’s registered stores) is often well-received.
If the WeddingChannel.com’s search yields no results, you can individually check some of the online gift registries that the WeddingChannel.com does not cover.
- Bon-Ton stores, including Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s, Parisian and Younkers
- Dillard’s Wedding Registry
- JCPenney Wedding and Gift Registry
- JustGive.org’s Wedding Center
- Kohl’s Wedding Wishes Gift Registry
- Linens ‘n Things Gift Registry
- Sears Book Gift Registry
- Target Club Wedd
- Walmart Gift Registry
With the sluggish economy, both Target and Walmart are seeing more couples using their registries, according to a recent survey by TheKnot.com. For example, Target’s Club Wedd made up 18 percent of the respondents’ primary wedding registries. The survey also found that 69 percent of guests chose gifts from the couple’s wedding registry.
Tags: for couples, gift registry, gift sites, money gifts, surveys, wedding, wish lists
Not done with your Christmas shopping? You’re not alone. According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, about one-quarter of shoppers will wait until today, Dec. 23, 2007, or later to complete their shopping. About 10 percent will finish up on Christmas Eve.
To avoid the crowds at brick-and-mortar retailers, try a few online gifts. The shipping deadlines for most online shopping sites have passed, so these gifts will arrive as e-mail. You choose whether to send directly to your giftee or print out the gift certificate and give in person.
The clock is ticking, so quickly consider these 25 online gift-giving options.
- Amazon Gift Card
Choose a simple e-mail message or a holiday-themed e-card to the “Earth’s Biggest Selection.” - CafePress “Gift This Cart”
Shop for quirky tees that your giftee would love, adding them to your cart. Then at checkout, write your gift message and click the “Gift This Cart” button to complete payment. CafePress will send the list of paid-for gifts to your recipient, who may choose to accept your selected presents or shop from the amount of the cart. Or you can just send a regular e-mail gift certificate. - iTunes Gifts
If you and your giftee use iTunes, you can select songs, albums and videos to send. Or you can e-mail a gift certificate sent via the iTunes Store. - JustGive.org
Donate online to a charity that matches their passion or let them choose the charity with an online gift certificate. See my post on this topic. - GiftCertificates.com
E-mail a SuperCertificate letting your giftee select from a variety of gift cards. However, avoid the MasterCard gift cards — here’s why. - OneShare.com Gift Announcement
The stock certificate will not arrive for a few weeks but a printable gift announcement will. See my post on this gift idea. - The Gift of Flickr
Upgrade a Flickr photo sharing account to pro status. Read my post for details. - Restaurant.com Gift Certificate
Give online certificates to restaurants near your giftee at discounted rates, such as a $100 gift certificate for $40. - Sephora.com e-Gift Certificate
Allow your giftee to shop online for favorite cosmetics and fragrances. Please note the gift certificate cannot be redeemed in Sephora stores, only online. - Lenox.com e-Gift Certificate
Lenox is renowned for its china, crystal, flatware and vases. My wife and I love our Lenox Courtyard Platinum china set we received as wedding gifts. - Uncommon Goods E-mail Gift Certificate
A great source for eclectic gifts and unique home accessories. E-mail gift certificates ship within 24 hours. - Ticketmaster Printable Tickets
Order and print concert tickets using TicketMaster’s ticketFast service. - Cabela’s Electronic Gift Certificate
If you know someone who enjoys the great outdoors, they know Cabela’s outdoors outfitter. Give an e-mail gift certificate towards hiking, boating, hunting, fishing and camping gear. - Lego e-Gift Card
Legos are among my favorite toys. After all, the package does read “5 and up.” At the office, I keep a small Lego set in my top desk drawer to help break through mental blocks. Lego offers an e-Gift Card valid for LEGOshop.com or phone orders, arriving within four hours after placing your order. - Bed and Breakfast.com E-mail Card
Send an e-mail card announcing your lodging gift to more than 4,000 B&B and inns in the U.S. and Canada. - Southwest Airlines Gift Card
Give travelers an e-mail gift card for airline tickets. - Fandango Movie Bucks
Treat your giftees to a movie at a local theater with these e-mail movie bucks. Check the zip code search on the Fandango web site to make sure local theatres accept Fandango Bucks. - Broadway.com Gift Certificates
Broadway fans who frequent the Big Apple will enjoy a gift certificate good for any current Broadway or off-Broadway show in New York City. Each of these e-mail certificates cost $145. - Netflix Gift Subscription
Delight the film buff on your gift list. Choose the number of months for the Netflix online DVD rental service. Six months costs $53.94. A one-year subscription is $107.88. Then print the certificate or send via e-mail. - Eddie Bauer E-Gift Card
You have until 4 p.m. Central time on Christmas Eve to send an e-card to this clothing store favorite. - Callaway Golf E-Card
Offer golf fans a choice of accessories from the online Callaway Golf Store with an e-card. - L.L. Bean E-mail Gift Card
Select from boots, outdoor clothing, backpacks and tents from this classic mail order company in Freeport, Maine. No expiration date or added fees for this e-mail gift card. - Nike Store Digital Gift Card
Give Nike athletics shoes and apparel with a swoosh via e-mail. - DisneyStore.com Online Gift Card
Recommended by Scrooge McDuck for those Mouseketeer gifts. - NFLShop.com Online Gift Certificate
Rally football fans with e-mail gift certificates that reach e-mail in-boxes within hours.
Tags: charitable gifts, christmas, clothing, dining, dvds, for couples, for her, fragrance, gift cards, gift ideas, gift sites, golf, guy gifts, lists, movies, music, photos, shopping, shopping online, stock, toys, travel
It’s Sweetest Day, and my wife and I enjoyed coffee and Godiva chocolate biscuits on the sofa this morning.
Yesterday, I visited the downtown mall for my chocolate shopping, and I had lunch at the food court. While waiting in line for quesadillas, I ran into a co-worker. She was surprised to find me at the mall for lunch. I held up my shopping bag, and I said I was getting a Sweetest Day gift for my wife.
“Oh, my husband doesn’t do Sweetest Day,” she said. “He thinks it’s a commercial holiday.”
I smiled and said, “It’s a Midwestern tradition.”
But her husband does have a point about the commercial nature of Sweetest Day. The holiday came from the early 1920s. Cleveland, Ohio confectioners distributed more than 20,000 boxes of free candy to orphans and shut-ins. The giveaway was part an effort to inspire sweethearts to exchange candy presents and, in turn, boost candy sales.
Hallmark started making Sweetest Day cards in the mid-1960s, and this year has 163 greeting cards to choose from. So it’s easy to chalk up the day as one of those “Hallmark holidays,” invented primarily for commercial purposes.
But you can also choose view the day as another opportunity to express your love. You could give chocolates, flowers or a card. Or you could make an extra effort to show your love: kind words, a few more kisses, a good massage. I think of Sweetest Day as a ritual and a reminder to cherish the one I love.
Tags: chocolate+candy, coffee, for couples, for her, greeting cards, sweetest day, tradition
