AARP Home » Home & Family » Family & Friends »Creative Gifts for Our...

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

Batik in Bali

"Being present: That was the gift that we gave each other."
—Jodi Lipson, managing editor

— Illustration by: Greg Clarke

Time was the recurring gift exchanged between Jodi and her big sister, Sheri. It started in college, with a fancy, fattening dinner at an Italian restaurant — an extravagance they wouldn't otherwise spring for. It ended, bittersweetly, sharing the last few weeks of Sheri's life before she died in August after a 20-year battle with melanoma. Their favorite time together: a batik workshop to celebrate Sheri's birthday when the two were traveling together in Bali.

"Sheri made silver jewelry, stained glass windows and copper-enamel, so I knew she'd love this day," says Jodi. The sisters created matching batiks of two women walking hand in hand.

Next: Practical streak. >>

Topic Alerts

You can get weekly email alerts on the topics below. Just click “Follow.”

Manage Alerts

Processing

Please wait...

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.