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Print Gifts with Heart: 46 Ideas
by Emilie Barnes and Donna Otto
Some are free, some just cost a little bit of time. But all the 46 gift ideas listed below will help you show a friend how special she is to you, now at Christmas, or any time of the year.
- A phone call-with a follow-up to ask, "How did it go?"
- Your daily prayers
- A photo of the two of you in a beautiful frame or a collection of photos in a "multiple" frame.
- A book from your personal library with your notes in the margins
- A family memento, with a note explaining it
- A thrift-shop treasure: a miniature pitcher, a demitasse spoon, a crocheted dresser scarf
- Something for her collection or something to start a new one.
Personalized stationery you made yourself
- Something that made you laugh when you saw it in a store or catalog.
- A basket of small items chosen around a given theme: tea, roses, the ocean
- Supplies for a hobby she wants to try
- A mug, a tea bag and a phone card with a note saying, "Let's have tea together over the phone."
- Something she just loved but reluctantly put down when you were shopping together
- A replacement for a treasured item she's lost
- A monogrammed Bible, hymnal or prayer book
- A packet of assorted greeting cards that she can send, plus a beautiful pen
- A video of one of her favorite movies.
- A CD or cassette of her favorite musical artist.
- An inspirational tape of one of your pastor's favorite sermons
- A handmade gift you and the children made during the holiday season.
- A camping trip together
- A chain of encouraging cards and notes when she is going through a difficult time.
- A personalized scrapbook of pictures and memorabilia from your times together.
- A personalized calendar featuring pictures of you, her and your families (make on computer or have made at a copy store).
- A hand-painted T-shirt to match yours!
- A manicure, pedicure or massage
- A surprise visit (when you live out of town
- Free baby-sitting (offer to let all the kids stay with you overnight!).
- Dinner for her family
- A joke or a cartoon.
- A craft kit or a lesson
- Movie tickets.
- An oil change or fill-up at the gas station
- A cookie bouquet: Bake flower shapes on wooden dowels, frost with bright colors and arrange in a basket with florist's foam
- Help with a project.
- A single gourmet chocolate.
- Bath salts or scented oils.
- Fancy paper clips (Donna's favorite!).
- A bag of jellybeans.
- A candle with a luscious scent
- Coupons or gift certificates.
- An adorable stuffed toy or doll.
- A lush green plant or a big bouquet of flowers.
- A carefully chosen memento from your travels (we like shopping antique shops for special souvenirs).
- A hand-chosen bookmark
- A custom Christmas ornament
~Emilie Barnes is the best-selling author of If Teacups Could Talk, Whispers of Prayer, Fill My Cup, Lord and many others, with more than 2.5 million books in print. She and her husband, Bob, are the founders of More Hours in My Day time management seminars. They live in Riverside, California.
Donna Otto is a Bible teacher and speaker at home and life-management conferences nationwide. She is the author of Mentors for Mothers, Mentors for Mothers Workbook and several other books. Donna is also the founder of Mentors for Mothers. She and her husband, Dave, live in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Excerpted from Friends of the Heart by Emilie Barnes and Donna Otto.
~Used with permission from Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon.
Related reading:
International gift giving protocol
Last-minute gifts that won’t break the bank
An unexpected life
