Gift Guide

Finding the perfect fragrance can really change how a woman feels about herself. It can put a bounce in her step and make her feel pretty and desirable. One of the nicest gifts anyone can give to a woman is a bottle of her special scent. To take that idea up a notch consider perfume gift sets which contain several items all with the same fragrance.

This type of fragrance set is normally easy to find right around the holidays. You can usually purchase one that contains a bottle of the fragrance along with some talcum powder, body lotion or shower gel. The price of perfume gift sets varies depending on several factors including the size of the bottle of fragrance as well as how many other items are included.

The other items typically are what draw a person to a particular set. Some women rarely use body lotion so any perfume gift sets that contain scented lotion may be a waste. Instead they may enjoy having a bottle of bubble bath in the scent of their favorite perfume. Some sets offer various different combinations of items so it’s relatively easy to find one that suits a woman’s personal preferences.

There are also versions of these grown-up gifts that are made just for young girls. One thing that many little girls love is to do things that they see their older sisters or mothers doing. Putting on perfume or body lotion is one of those things, but too often the scents that an adult wears just don’t suit a little girl. That’s why there are perfume gift sets just for the little ones. These normally consist of a small bottle of a fruity fragrance accompanied by some foam bath. Young girls are thrilled to receive such a gift and they’ll relish the idea of applying the perfume just the way older women do.

Don’t believe they are just for December gift giving though. With a little searching you can find them in finer department stores all year long. Many beauty counters will have a lovely selection of perfume gift sets and in some cases they may even offer a bonus product to go along with the set.

Be sure you absolutely adore the fragrance before you invest in a full set though. It’s a good idea to test the fragrance and then make a decision. Too often a perfume that smells wonderful on a swatch of paper just doesn’t mix as well with a woman’s natural body chemistry. Therefore, trying a sample of the scent first is a good and valuable idea. Chances are that once you do find a fragrance you enjoy you’ll want to purchase every item you can possibly find that reflects that special scent.

We still hold to traditional gift-giving when it comes to wedding anniversaries.  (See below for what to give each year.) The 50th anniversary gift is no exception.  But what do we do when, say, that traditional 50th anniversary gift is supposed to be of gold?  Do we give real gold?

Let’s say we are more creative than that (or have much less spending money than that).  First, think of all the ways gold can be “expressed”, if you will.  There’s gold paint, for starters.  And what can you paint in gold for a loved one, friend, or acquaintance celebrating a 50th anniversary?  Paintings, yes, if we’re lucky enough to be truly artistic (not the paint-by-numbers type of artist, that is).  Paint a knick knack gold; trim a picture frame with gold; or even paint a room in the home of the couple, for a very risky but personal 50th anniversary gift.  (IF you know the people will want it, like it, and approve of your remodeling their home, that is).

There are gold yarns and threads—great for matching gold sweaters, mittens (yes, if they are old enough to have been married 50 years, they likely get cold hands very easily)….  Or if you are good with needlepoint, a gold mural, hanging, pillow, or other crafted item will be lovely.  That embroidery floss that has gold flecks in it is beautiful.

If you want to give a small trinket, but one that would make a special, meaningful 50th anniversary gift, look for the necklaces that are gold plated heart halves.  That is, each necklace is one half of a heart, cut to fit perfectly with its mate when held together with it!  Or, look for the little vial of real gold flakes or nuggets.  Add a chain or ribbon, and the couple could hang it in a special place in the bedroom or elsewhere for prosperity or continued luck, etc..

Of course, books with the word “gold” in the title, or weekend trip tickets to a locale that has “Gold” in the name or gold in the activity would be original and still traditional, too.  Good luck, stretch that creativity, and give my best to the marrieds.

And not to forget the other traditional hallmarks, here’s a list of the other materials for the other anniversary years:

1st First year: paper
2nd Second year: cotton/straw
3rd Third year: leather
4th Fourth year: fruit/flowers
5th Fifth year: wood
6th Sixth year: candy/iron
7th Seventh year: wool/copper
8th Eighth year: bronze/pottery
9th Ninth year: pottery
10th Tenth year: tin
11th Eleventh year: steel
12th Twelfth year: silk/linen
13th Thirteenth year: lace
14th Fourteenth year: ivory
15th Fifteenth year: crystal
20th Twentieth year: china
25th Twenty-fifth year: silver
30th Thirtieth year: pearl
35th Thirty-fifth year: coral
40th Fortieth year: ruby
45th Forty-fifth year: sapphire
50th Fiftieth year: gold