AA Gifts & Baskets Idea Blog

Archive for April, 2010

So what is it that moms really want for Mother's Day?  Is it Candy?  Perfume? Flowers?  The real answer is 2 simple words - A BREAK!

The answer is simple, but your mom's definition of this word might vary.

A break could mean:

• A spa day
• A round of golf and lunch
• Kids and Mommy time - movies, games, snacks
• Clean the house for Mom
• Make Mom breakfast in bed
• Run Mom a hot bath and top it off with a spa gift basket.
• Take the kids to the park and let Mom have the day to herself. If she loves to read a book gift basket may be the perfect gift.

You know your mom best, so choose something she will really enjoy. What mom's love most is just to know they are appreciated for all their hard work, and giving her a day off from all that work is the best gift of all.

It's easy to just go in a shop and buy a get well card. Yes it might take the time to choose one that would be just right for the recipient, but a homemade get well card shows that even more thought has gone into the get well soon sentiment.

When you create a card from scratch, you are thinking about the person while you are creating it and end up with a unique card, which no-one will receive ever again! No more having to worry about getting the same card from a shop, especially if the person receiving the card has a particular love of owls, frogs, elephants, cars, sailing, or whatever it might be.

You can easily get into the fun of creating homemade cards for every occasion.  It goes hand in hand with scrap booking as the techniques are pretty much interwoven. People find it a very relaxing hobby.  There are all sorts of different methods you can use to create unique cards.

Making homemade cards is even more fun if you have kids, as then you can all sit around the table and create unique cards, chatting, and laughing together. If you don't have kids you can set up a homemade card making group with your friends. Then you can enjoy the togetherness while making cards.

When you create cards yourself, you never have to worry about not having a card on hand when an occasion pops up. Instead you can get out your card making materials and create something unique and wonderful, wherever your imagination takes you in the wee hours.

You can either use a note card or a blank piece of paper for your condolences, remember it is the thought that you put into your words that really counts.

Always put a lot of thought into what you write in a sympathy note. It doesn't have to be long (no more than a page), and the words can be simple.  Below are a few things to keep in mind.

Make sure you know what religion the person who has passed away was, so that you do not write anything that would be against their religion in the personal note to the members of the family.

A good format for a condolence note is:
1.  Give a tribute to the deceased: pay your respects and provide a tribute to the dead.
2.  Offer the grieving your condolences: say to the bereaved how sorry you are for their loss. Be yourself and write as if you were speaking the condolences to them.
3.  Acknowledge their grief: you can acknowledge the grief has happened by offering whatever support you can and personally expressing your own deepest sympathy.

If you knew the person who has passed away, write about a memory you have about them, or an act of kindness that they did for you. If you have some photos, you could include those in the note too. Photos can help the grieving process, as it helps people remember the good times.

If you did not know the person who passed away, talk about the importance of that person to the person who the sympathy note is intended for.

Be genuine and write from the heart. Let them know that you are there for them, if they need you for any support or help. But make this expression of help in real terms, like they can phone you day or night, or you can come and stay with them for a couple weeks. If this is the case include your home number and cell phone on the note.

Always sign the condolence note with your full name, as you don't want your sympathy note to be confused with someone else if you share the same name.

Always hand write a condolence note, as this shows the recipient that you are expressing your deepest sympathies in a personal manner. This means no e-mails.

To add a little something special with your note, check out our selection of thoughtful sympathy gifts.