Show some love
Birthdays, anniversaries or other important occasions can cause us a lot of trouble when it comes to finding the most appropriate and interesting gift that we should give to somebody. Our lives are not endless, so you should try to spend as much time with your loved ones as your life obligations permit you to. You can always find a day or two a week or at least a month to visit your parents, grandparents, friends, and spend some quality time with them.
If you are too busy working and you don’t have enough time to show how much you care, at least prepare some really good gifts for some bigger events. Here are some ideas that will help you with your choice or at least point you in the right direction when it comes to the thing you can give as a gift to your parents:
Organize a trip for your parents
Book a trip to the location where they went on their honeymoon. If they didn’t get the chance to go anywhere after their wedding, well it can still be a great idea to organize it for the first time. Pick a location that means something to them or somewhere where they would like to go and have been talking about for quite a while. I am sure that they would love it, especially if they are working a lot and they fail in organizing themselves to go on a journey.
Framed family photo or a photo album with all the good memories
These smallest things can be a great gift with a lot of emotional value. Tears of joy can be brought to your parent’s eyes if you put a lot of effort in thinking and preparing a thoughtful gift like this. There is no better way of showing them that you care and that you value the moments spent with them. After all, they are the ones who brought you to life.
Valuing the wrong things is the characteristic of 90% of younger generations, but as they get mature and older, they realize what is actually important in life. The same goes for your parents – they will appreciate something that you made and something that has sentimental value more than an expensive gift, like a piece of garment or an electronic device.
- Framed photo
I am sure that all of you have some photographs in your possession. Take an hour or two a day, go through those photographs and pick the one from your childhood, with you and your parents or siblings if you have them. Photographs from vacations, picnics, birthdays or any other occasion that you consider meaningful would look great when you enlarge them and get them framed. “Such a present …” as Jan Prior – the owner of Boutique Framing would say: “…brings nothing but joy to those who receive it. This is something that will never become a cliché, as your memories are unique”. Hanged on the wall, or placed on a mantelpiece – it will always remind them of the good they had.
- Photo album
If you would like to combine more photographs and you can’t decide to pick just one to frame it, go with the whole album. Hard covers with an interesting design and a good choice of photos to put in it is a present that will be great for your mom and dad, especially if you are living far away from them and you don’t get to see them a lot. They could keep it on a living room table and they can have constant access to it, in order to reminisce about the good times you had together. Print the photos in black and white to add a little bit of seriousness and class to it all.
Family dinner in their favorite restaurant
Make a reservation at their favorite restaurant for the whole family. What is more fun than laughing and talking about memories over some great food and wine? Late lunch or a dinner in cozy surroundings, seasoned with a good mood and a few surprises such as a cake or a sentimental speech in their honor will turn out to be a hell of a good time for both them and you.
A little tip: make sure that you plan what will be on the menu and choose their favorite foods and snacks – this will show them that this is not just one of those ordinary, out-of-courtesy family dinners.
Don’t you ever diminish the value of family as a unity and do not avoid spending time with your dearest ones. As you get older yourself, it will be clear to you what precious time you have spent in life on some foolish and not that important things.