Archive for the ‘Gifts’ Category

Mothering Sunday is traditionally a Christian festival celebrated throughout Europe and beyond on the fourth Sunday of Lent. However today it has become something of a secular occasion that is widely known and celebrated simply as Mother’s Day.

It has something of a history for those who take an interest in these things. In ancient Rome the Hilaria festival took place every year in honour of the Mother Goddess Cybele. As Rome and its Empire succumbed to Christianity the celebration was subsumed into the liturgical calendar as Laetare Sunday, the purpose being to honour the Virgin Mary and the “”Mother Church”.

In the sixteenth century people attended a large local Church or a Cathedral for a Laetare Sunday service. Later domestic servants were often given a day off from work to visit their mothers. Despite a temporary lapse during the early part of the twentieth century the event underwent something of a revival during and after the Second World War, and remains with us today.

So much for the history, but as we approach Mother’s Day we will be considering those who brought us into the world and, just as importantly, what we should buy them as a token of our love and appreciation for all that they have done for us.

Sometimes we want to say it with more than flowers

The obvious is always a nice bunch of flowers but sometimes we want to give something a little bit more, something more lasting and permanent, and in spite of the fact that it comes around every year we invariably find ourselves grappling for ideas and inspiration. Do we go for the decorative or the practical? The novel or the conventional?

Photo frames can be an option to tick more than one box, providing at once a means of displaying those images and memories that are so dear whilst providing an attractive adornment to the living room wall.

Any of a whole range of bathroom accessories could equally fit the bill, mindful as we should be that Mum is entitled to relax at this very special time of the year and to enjoy a little luxury.

Of course a mother is a mother all the year round, and it should not necessarily be just on one day that we should think of her. When Mother’s Day has been and gone, the Mum we love is still thinking of us and giving up so much for us.

Any day of the year is the right time to be contemplating our Mother’s Day gift.

In the strictest sense of the word a “gift” is something that is given by one person to another without any expectation that the gesture will be reciprocated. Whilst it may be true that on certain occasions – birthdays, weddings, Christmas or other religious event – we may anticipate receiving gifts from others, the spirit of gift-giving dictates that receiving is not the object of the exercise.

A gift need not be a tangible object. It can in certain situations be any action that makes the recipient. One sometimes hears of a “gift of kindness”.

In some cultures an exchange of gifts can be an indication of mutual respect, or a gesture towards achieving social cohesion between the two or more parties involved.

Usually a gift in the form of a physical present is wrapped in such a way as to disguise its nature until the time comes for it to be opened. In Western societies this usually involves wrapping paper, often decorative. In some other societies a particular significance can be attached to the colour of the wrapping. For instance in China the colour red symbolises good luck, and the use of red wrapping paper can be interpreted as the wishing of good luck by the giver to the recipient.

It’s within our gift to give whenever we wish

Although traditionally we associate the giving of gifts with particular occasions, there is no reason why we should not demonstrate our gratitude for something, or even simply our affection, by giving a gift at any time of the year.

A gift can take the form of money, or it may be decorative such as a bunch of flowers. Alternatively it may be something practical, something that can be used around the home or garden.

Take a look at these functional magazine racks, for example. Wall mounted so that the magazines hang on strips, these are then covered creating a floating effect. This is an ideal gift for any proud homeowner who despairs of eternal clutter.

Or there are these neat spice racks, helping to keep one’s spices separated, neatly stored and always easily available.

Giving a gift is a wonderful way of showing our appreciation for another person. It takes little, and it can mean so much.

It happens at the same time every year, and yet so many of us still always seem so unprepared.

It’s not as though the signs aren’t there. The first appearance in our shops and stores of Christmas decorations, presents, inducements to spend our money, tell us that summer is over and that September has arrived.

But ironically, even maybe a little perversely, the indecently early arrival of the Christmas sales experience can sometimes have the reverse effect on us to that which was intended. It can inculcate within us a feeling that getting our Christmas plans underway is not an urgent calling. Then, as if in the blinking of an eye, it is suddenly upon us.

Hopefully for the most part the decorations can be reclaimed from the cupboard under the stairs. The presents of course are a different matter entirely. There is no getting away from the fact that the presents need to be sourced afresh, each and every year. And if we bought it last year we cannot buy it again this year. We need to find something new and original.

Fortunately there is plenty to choose from when seeking out something for around the house. Surprisingly so. Whether we are thinking in terms of fixtures and fittings for the bathroom, something practical for the kitchen, seating, lighting or whatever, most people would appreciate being gifted something that will improve their home. Whether it be something aesthetically pleasing or something that is strictly functional, with something for the home it is surely difficult to go wrong.

Good on the eye, useful in the house

The list of ideas and options is practically endless. Sometimes too the gifts we might buy somebody for their home will not fall strictly into either the aesthetic or the functional. Many of the items we might consider buying may well tick both boxes.

Take for example this J-me Nest Floor Standing Vertical Shoe Rack. As well as being able to neatly stack five pairs of shoes it is modern, unobtrusive and pleasing on the eye.

Similarly these simple Mr and Mrs Hang Up Steel Hooks by Black and Blum.

There is virtually no end to the adornments that we can find in the cause of home improvement.

Of course for those who still cannot decide there is always the time honoured fallback of the traditional gift voucher. If we are uncertain what our friends or family members might want from us, why not just give them a gift certificate and let them choose for themselves?