Hard Times Call For Practical Gifts

By Greg Scott

Some of us are seeing a situation in which some of our close friends and family are enduring tough economic times. Especially in those types of cases, we want to be sure that the gifts we give them for special occasions are useful and enjoyed. I have a few suggestions:

A basket of lovely, fresh fruit is always a welcome and healthy gift. If you live near your gift recipient, you can find a lovely basket or other attractive container and fill it with fruit that is in season in your locale, obtained at a farmers market, and fill it out with a few exotic fruits picked up at your local super market. If your loved one is not close enough for a do-it-yourself present, you can arrange for any of a range of beautiful fruit gift baskets to be sent directly to the recipient's home. It will help them to reduce their food bill that week.

A special meal is another way to remember a special occasion. One possibility is to take the friend to a favorite restaurant. If price is no object to you, be sure to suggest some of the more expensive entrees on the menu, so that they know that they should feel free to order what they prefer. For example, you could say something like, "The crab legs are perfect here, but, if you don't like seafood, try the tender and tasty filet mignon." If they live too far away for that, you can actually find delicious, gourmet, chef-prepared meals online that arrive frozen and can be prepared in almost no time. Or you might send a restaurant gift certificate to a special place in their own city.

A final recommendation is a tasty dessert. No person should eat too many desserts, but on a birthday, anniversary or holiday, everyone deserves a chance to indulge a sweet tooth. Bake cookies, if that is a skill of yours, and hand deliver or ship them. For something a little more special consider giving them a delicious pie or cheesecake. Whether you make it yourself or have others do the work for you doesn't matter. It will be appreciated and definitely enjoyed either way.

You'll notice You may observe that all my recommendations involve food. Somebody who is going through a tough period may not want to accept charity, but nobody can reject a genuinely special gift. If it reduces the grocery bill for them by a bit, that's just a bonus.

Greg Scott is an author who is a big fan of food! He especially endorses a New York cheesecake as a perfect gift for any occasion. He also writes about jewelry and internet marketing.