Pets are a very common gift for children at holidays. Puppies and kittens at Christmas, baby ducks, chicks and bunnies at Easter and so forth. What child’s eyes wouldn’t light up at the sight of a brand new baby animal to hold and hug? The promises to love, feed and take care of the new additions to the family flow like water.

The critters are soft, warm and fuzzy gifts for certain but, and it’s a big but, they all grow up and in just a few short weeks are no longer cute little puppies but big romping barking dogs, the cuddly little kittens have turned into large aloof cats. The baby ducks and chicks are no longer soft and fuzzy, but big, noisy and messy, and those two bunnies, Fred and George turned out to be Fred and Georgia!

Pets are a long term commitment and buying a pet as a gift should be a well planned and thought out move not a spur of the moment decision based on emotional reaction. Please try to rescue or adopt a pet, these are the babies that need loving homes.

If you are honestly thinking of getting someone a pet for the holidays (even if it is not for a child) be sure it is something you would do even if there were no holiday involved.

Make sure the gift fits. If the primary responsibility of caring for the animal is going to fall to a young child you don’t want to get a dog that will quickly grow to the size of a small pony which the child wouldn’t be capable of handling. You might also want to make sure you expose your child to other people’s pets for decent lengths of time before buying a pet, so if by chance they have allergic reactions to animals you will know before you bring one home for them to fall in love with. This will also give you the time to convince them that they would really prefer a turtle, lizard or something else that doesn’t have dander.

Keep in mind those animals, like babies, cost money way above and beyond the purchase price. Food, leashes, food, collars, food and water bowls, training supplies, food, toys, vet bills, food, licenses and tags, and more food!

There is a great deal of time that has to be invested in most any pet and the holidays are not always a good time to be doing that. The hustle and excitement of a houseful of friends and family may not be the ideal setting for a new puppy, kitten, or any other young animal. A better idea might be to cut out a picture of the pet you have in mind and put that in a card and make sure the child understands that as soon as the holidays have passed and things have gone back to a normal relaxed state they can help pick out the newest member of the family.

Rescue, Rescue, Rescue, and save an animals life.

Gifts By Sasha For All Occasions

First off, when thinking of your next holiday gift idea, you must understand that money in and of itself is worthless. That is correct – the money you have to spend on a gift is worthless. Now, at first blow this might hit you as a bizarre statement that is hard to grasp, but stay with me. Think of this: If you were to go to another place where your currency was not accepted by the country you were visiting, what would you do?

Now I know what you are thinking: But I am not traveling to another country that does not accept money for items to purchase. This statement does not pertain to me. I am here to tell you that yes indeed it does, and here’s why: Even if you decide to give cash as the holiday gift idea to the recipient, is this -really- the gift in and of itself? No! The money is being given so that the recipient may buy something they really want. This is why gift cards have become such a hot commodity in our culture now more than ever before. It does not truly matter if it is $10, $25, $100 or even more – the fact of the matter is the reasoning and feelings behind it.

I do not know of one person who has ever opened their gift to find a gift card inside complain that it was only good for $10. Unless the person is truly shallow, the reaction I have seen towards this holiday gift idea is that of joy and surprise. To them, this is free money to one of their favorite places. And even if it won’t buy the expensive item they really want, it brings them closer to achieving that result.

However, let us not forget the physical holiday gift ideas as well. One thing I was taught by my own mother was that those who are wise know where to shop for deep discounts, but at the same time know when to keep quiet as to the price. Allow me to explain this statement a bit more. What my mother was saying is if you can find the item the person is wanting at a discount, don’t feel bad about it – just buy it. When you give the item away, it doesn’t matter how much it cost you. All that counts is the joy the item brings to the person receiving the holiday gift idea.

Some places that have become popular for buying your holiday gift ideas on-line at discount include the Amazon bookstore, Overstock warehouse and New Egg computer store. These options help buyers purchase holiday gift items at a great deal – sometimes quite a lot less that purchasing at retail prices. Yet the biggest secret of them all when coming up with holiday gift ideas are dollar stores.

Dollar stores have increased in popularity, and are always sprouting up almost as much as a new convenience store or fast food restaurant. What many people don’t realize is that your holiday gift ideas can quite often be found residing in these stores for ridiculous prices  way below their original price. There are those who don’t yet have these types of stores, so one last option exists for them: outlet malls.

An outlet mall is a great way to say on your holiday gift ideas. Whether it is name brand shoes, clothes, and even accessories such as watches, purses or perfume, you are sure to find some fabulous deals at these locations. But not only clothing is available – Electronic goods, books, and even children toys will be found awaiting the smart shopper. So remember, it’s not the price that counts with your holiday gift ideas, it is the meaning behind them.

Also never give anyone a pair of shoes as a Christmas gift because they would make the person you give them to walk away from you. When you give someone a gift of a wallet or purse be sure to put some money into it, even if only a coin, to ward off bad luck. At one time bakers would throw in an extra roll when you bought a dozen as a “gift” in case any of the other rolls were too small. This “gift” became known as the baker’s dozen.

Urban legends: Legends are told as having happened long, long ago whereas urban legends are set in contemporary times and told as having happened to people known either personally to the teller or to someone known by a person the teller knows. The places and names change as they are updated to fit current times and all carry a warning or lesson of some sort. There may even be some truth to the story although the people and places have been changed so many times that it becomes hard to determine what the truth actually was.

One such tale recounts a king’s offer of a gift to a famous golfer (sometimes the golfer is named other times he is just “a famous golfer”) who after first declining the gift asks for a golf club only to find to his amazement that the king has bought him an entire golf course.

In several different legends, although the people and circumstances change the story and its warning are the same. A son (nephew, daughter, niece…) is expecting a very expensive gift (car, house, inheritance…) from his father (uncle, aunt…) but receives a bible. In a fit of anger he throws the bible at the giver and leaves not returning until the givers death when he notices the bible from so long ago, opens it and finds the (key to the car, check to the car dealer, will leaving him everything etc.).

Then there are the one-up-manship legends. Two or more siblings vie to get the best gift for their mother (houses, cars, jewels) with one going to great expense to get a bird (myna, parrot…) that has been specially trained (to read the bible, sing opera, speak Italian…). The mother politely thanks all (while letting them know their gift wasn’t very practical) then speaks proudly of the child who had the sense to bring her the delicious chicken.

There is also a true story of two brothers who re-gifted the same pair of pants back and forth wrapped in very creative ways, from rolling them into a 3′ long 1″ wide pipe to stuffing them into the glove compartment of a car that they then had crushed and delivered in time for Christmas. The pants went back and forth for 25 years before they finally fell apart.

Please visit GiftsBySasha.com

Every year during this season we try to outdo our efforts from last year. So everyone is trying to get a head start. We’re all hoping to find new and exciting items to grace our homes and to gift our loved ones. Some people will be dashing from mall to mall, store to store. Others, like ourselves, will be shopping in the comfort of our homes, lounging at our keyboards.

The internet has become the #1 shopping place, at least among all of us in the know.  Where else can you find anything and everything, that you could possibly imagine? Nowhere else!

The Net has developed a Global Marketplace, offering everything under the sun (and the moon) and it’s right at your fingertips! The only thing that may limit you, is your budget. You can access shops, stores and bazaars from all over the world and not have to apply for a passport or endure airport security. About the only danger you might possibly face is, typers cramp or (if you have an extended family) carpal tunnel disorder.

I know that it is hard to imagine but some people are still frightened to buy online. They worry about IDENTITY THEFT and unscrupulous web businesses taking advantage of their credit cards. They just don’t seem to realize that those fears from the past are, for the most part, urban myths today. Almost all of the business sites on the internet have safe and secure ordering and billing processes. You do have to use care but paying online does not pose anymore threats then sliding your credit card across the counter does.

I have to go now, the shuffleboard courts await. I’ll be covering each of the Holidaze as they draw near. Just remember, you have a world of gift and décor possibilities right at your fingertips and the best place to start is where you are right now, Gifts by Sasha!

So, as the Holidaze approach, I have only one thing to say to you.

On your mark…get set…shop!!!!

By David Spangenburg