Creative Gifts for Our Loved Ones

How we turned our time and talents into meaningful gifts for family and friends

by: Lucy Hood, from: AARP VIVA, Winter 2011‒2012

Surprise!

"I will always remember seeing the joy on my parents' faces."
—Julia Bencomo Lobaco, executive editor

— Illustration by: Greg Clarke

Julia loves surprises. So the surprise party her best friend threw for Julia's 45th birthday is one of her favorite gifts. She still remembers seeing her mom, dad and older sister among the party-goers. They'd traveled from Arizona to Florida, where Julia had been living. "Besides family, the best gifts that night were my Miami friends," she says. "They were from around the world, of different faiths, gay and straight. Diversity, to me, is a gift too."

Later, Julia would surprise Mom and Dad, who both died in 2009. After saying that she could not attend an upcoming anniversary or birthday, she'd appear from behind a door or drive up just as the celebration was starting.

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Smart gift-giving ideas

Charitable Giving. Make a donation in your loved one's name to a favorite cause. Check charities out at sites such as Charity Navigator or GuideStar.

Travel. Whet someone's love of travel with airline gift cards. Choose an airline that goes to a favorite destination, whether to visit family or take a dream trip.

Finance. For children who have enough stuff, put money into savings reserved for college. Consult a financial adviser for the best strategy, considering your budget and the economy.

Technology. Give the avid — or reticent — reader an e-reader or tablet, set up to get books free in English or Spanish from a local or online library.

Health. For an ill loved one and the caregivers, buy a whiteboard and markers, and improvise a system to notate the time, dose and administration of medicine.

Nutrition. For the foodie in your life, print out healthy recipes for each month and buy 12 bottles of wine to match. Check recipes with a Latin flavor by chef Denisse Oller.