For many, summer means more than longer days and trips to the lake. It’s four months crammed full of life’s gift-giving events. Graduations, weddings, babies, housewarmings… all special occasions that are most likely to occur during those glorious months between allergy and football season.
What we choose to give says a lot about ourselves. It can be a reflection of who we are – our “personal PR” if you will. Our gifts are our chance to capture the intangible, how much our family and friends mean to us. The gifts that mean the most are those that evoke emotion. Cost is irrelevant. So for those of you looking for last-minute gift ideas, here are a few of my family’s favorites…
Hometown Street Map Puzzle: When my grandmother sent us a street map puzzle with a star above the new home my parents had built, she gave us more than just a housewarming gift. She gave us the quiet hours spent together as a family as we finished the puzzle.
Personalized Memory Game: During my time at UGA, my family hosted a Swedish exchange student. Over the years, she became more of a sister than classmate. Ironically, she was also friends with my husband long before we met. Last week, she shipped us a photo memory game. As we flipped through the blocks, laughing at photos of them in the dorms, our family picking a Christmas tree and the three of us in Athens I realized she had given us the most entertaining of gifts – a flashback of the past five years.
Local Art: I’m a big fan of supporting local artists and an even bigger fan of Athens, Ga. There’s no place in the world like it, and all memories are happy ones. So when three of the Cookerly girls (Ada, Amy and Sarah gave me an R. Wood Studio serving bowl, my happiness was two-fold. One, the bowl was gorgeous. But two, the Athens-based potter has long been a personal favorite and I can’t help looking at it without smiling and remembering.
Mother’s Day Video: Short of cash one Mother’s Day in college, I pulled several family photos, set them to music and created an iMovie that has affectionately become known at my house as “The Mother’s Day Video.” The simple gift that cost all of $0.30 for a blank DVD has become an iconic source of mom-teasing. The night I gave it to her, we must have watched it eight times and viewing hasn’t slowed. Every relative has been forced to watch it. Same goes for neighbors and any visitors, so think twice before dropping by…
Digital Cameras: One of my favorites both to give and receive. It’s not always about looking back at fond, old memories. Sometimes it’s about capturing the new ones…
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman specializes in building and maintaining relationships with the media and has an excellent track record of landing significant placements in print and broadcast media including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Money Magazine.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Matt helps organizations protect and advance their reputations and bottom lines through strategic communications programs. Using creativity, planning and flawless execution, he works with a team to deliver compelling public relations campaigns that produce results and support clients’ business objectives.
These are such great ideas!! I love the memory game and the hometown street map puzzle. They're very unique and are a lot of fun! Thanks for posting, Leslie!