A Poets View

The above is a perfect example of what not to give as a Christmas gift.  Now, if the person in which you are buying for loves nuts then by all means go ahead and give the gift of nuts.  A couple of years ago I received a 5 pound jar of peanuts as a Christmas gift from a family member who bought the nuts at Costco.  Now I realize that this certain family member I only see once a year and obviously knows nothing about me but nuts?  Was he trying to tell me something?  This gift told me two things.  One, you know nothing about me and two, you bought it because you felt you had to get me something.  As a result, the nuts were not appreciated.   I did not re-gift but rather gave them to my Brother who actually likes peanuts.

photo courtesy of www.ghirardelli.com

There are times during the holiday season when we are faced with giving gifts to people we either don’t know that well or have no idea who they are at all.  Examples are co-workers,  your mail person etc…  When faced with this dilemma the sure fire way to their heart is chocolate.  Now it doesn’t necessarily have to be Ghirardelli Chocolate though if you could get your hands on it, that is the way to go.  Any chocolate will do.  All the retailers from See’s to Godiva to your local drugstore have chocolate packages just waiting to be picked up and eaten.  So, whatever your budget, chocolate says you care.

photo courtesy of www.martinraywinery.com

For those of you who have people in your life you know but still don’t know their interests well enough to pick out that perfect gift, here it is.  Wine is always appreciated by everyone.  Even for the non-drinker - it can be re-gifted.  Wine prices vary from region to region as well as vineyard to vineyard however for a measly $10 you can buy a palate pleasing wine without having to go into your 401k account.  

The bottom line is if you don’t know what to buy or you are in a hurry doing your last minute shopping and cannot spend the time to really think about who you are buying for - wine and chocolate are the answers.

Ghirardelli chocolate http://www.ghirardelli.com

Martin Ray Winery http://www.martinraywinery.com

Happy shopping.