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Thad wins in my house for giving the BEST gifts ever! I try really hard to compete, but most often fall short of his amazingness in gift giving! 🙂

With that in mind, I was thinking that maybe some of his ideas from the past would be great gift suggestions for YOU! Plus, I am going to throw in some of my suggestions as well!

So here you go, mine and Thad’s super spectacular, wow them to tears, gift giving ideas:

• Box of date nights: Thad bought a shoe box sized plastic bin and filled it with date night tickets that he printed himself. There were enough to pick one date night ticket per week for an entire year and each ticket had a super fun date night activity. Some were obvious like dinner and a movie, but other activities were things like paper airplane competition, test drive a car, and cook a meal together. Be creative!!
• The never ending Christmas: One year, my only Christmas wish was to not have Christmas end. Thad filled a large mason jar with love notes and put just one note in that said “You can open your last Christmas present.” I couldn’t open that last present until I found that one note and each day I got to open a note with a sweet, lovey message until I found the open your last gift. I left one of the Christmas trees up all year with that last present under it until I found the note. This was by far my favorite gift ever!!!
• Put it in a book: Before I decided to publish my latest book “I Have a Guardian Angel” Thad had it printed and made into a book for me at a Kodak kiosk. You can take any pictures, love notes, or anything you can imagine and have them turned into a lovely keepsake book!
• Something to look forward to: Buy tickets for several shows, plays, or events throughout the year so you have something to look forward to doing together!
• Cook and serve a romantic meal at home: One year we couldn’t go out because we had no babysitter, so I set up a table and chairs in our bedroom and I served Thad a romantic candle lit meal. With the door locked and music on, it was like we were out of the house on a romantic date!
• Gift card fun: Thad once gave me a bunch of gift cards (for small amounts) so we could go shopping together! I used them throughout the year here and there and Thad helped me pick stuff out! Be sure to add a note that says you get to have fun spending them together! (My cards were for Starbucks, Victoria Secrets, Target, and a few others!)
• Build something: We’ve done a lot of building stuff. One year I took wooden crates (bought at the craft store) turned them sideways, added a shelf, put wheels on the bottom and painted them. I also painted the kids names on top and they were adorable little side tables! I added a flat Lego piece to the top of one for our son Ethan so he could build Lego worlds on top!
• Make something: One year I created a cookbook for my daughter who was going to school for culinary arts. I decorated a 3 ring binder and added all of her favorite recipes that I cook, as well as some family recipes too!
• Free wifi: This year my dad just got his first computer… an iPad. He’s learning how to use it but my parents didn’t have wifi so I got my dad some accessories including ear buds for his iPad and several Dunkin Donuts gift cards. He loves Dunkin Donuts and they are close to his house so I thought he could go there and buy a coffee and use their wifi while he practiced “inter-netting.” (Mom ended up getting wifi so now Dad will just have lots of free coffee. lol)
• Money Money Money: My mom loves to give money and gift cards to the kids. One year, she taped 50 one dollar bills together and rolled them up. She cut a slit in a toilet paper tube and wrapped it up with the dollars inside so they could be pulled out of the slit like a money dispenser! Our son had fun pulling the money out and counting all the dollars!
• Hidden treasures: My daughter Carrie loves to hide surprises for me to find! Wrap up a note that says “Your present is hidden in your office or room” and let the fun begin! Carrie always hides “1 free foot rub” coupons in my office! How lucky am I???
• Remember when: Thad helped me remember an amazing time in Hawaii when he built me a serving tray and “tiled” it with black rocks like the rocks on the beach in Hawaii. Then he took white rocks and spelled out Thather, just like we had done, and he glued them over the black rocks. It was just like being back on the beach!

There are SOOOOOO many great ways to give gifts that don’t cost much but will be treasured forever! For those of you who would like to buy some things though, here are a few of my favorites:

• For the baker: Rolling pin embossed with cats for super cool cookies!
• For the overworked parents: An angel statue that reminds us that we ALL need rest sometimes
• For the person who doesn’t have a “smart tv”: Roku box 
• Anyone who wants to get online: Fire Tablet by Amazon for only $49.99
• Like to laugh: Pie Face game
• My favorite essential oil diffuser!!
• Beat the winter blues with a blue light!
• The soothing sound of an awakening bell!
• Get something engraved! My friends at Wulf Creek have put my mom’s logo on a baking dish, and lots of other cool items!

These are just a few of my favorites. I would LOVE to hear what you think! Please post your greatest gift ideas in the comments!

I hope you come up with something great and always remember that YOU are the true gift!

Love and Inspiration,

Heather

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