FYI Magazine

Holiday shoppers know all too well about the endless and often exhausting search for the perfect holiday gift. Such a search most often surrounds that one stickler on everyone's holiday shopping list, the person who seemingly has it all and annually proves puzzling to shop for.

 

While the popularity of online retailers has helped frazzled shoppers avoid long lines at the mall and crowded parking lots, it's still hard to find the perfect gift for that enigmatic friend or family member. This holiday season, consider the following tips to make even the most difficult person on your list a cinch to shop for.

 

* Don't overlook cold hard cash. Money might seem impersonal, but it carries far less of a stigma this year than it has in years past. As the economy continues to struggle, few people are in a position to scoff at a few extra dollars come the holiday season. For the person who has everything already, money might just make the perfect gift. If you're reticent to give cold hard cash, consider a gift card to a favorite retailer or even a prepaid gas card that offers some relief at the increasingly pricey pump.

 

* Get creative. Creativity is often at the core of the perfect and thoughtful gift. Such was the case when Jera Deal, a mother of three and a school mother for her daughter Julianna's preschool class, found herself hunting for the ideal gift to give Julianna's teacher for her wedding. Hoping to go beyond the gifts listed in the registry, Deal decided to turn a playful game she and her family enjoyed while walking in the park into a creative gift idea.

 

To aid in their children's alphabet lessons, Jera, her husband, Brad, and their three girls began "letter hunting" on walks in the park, looking for different "letters" in nature (sticks) and architecture (stones). For each letter they found, they would take a photograph, soon collecting the entire alphabet.

 

While the game initially started as a playful and creative way to help her daughters learn the alphabet, Jera Deal turned that game into an ideal gift for her daughter's teacher, custom framing the letters from her now extensive library to spell out the teacher's new last name.

 

"It was a gift from the class, so I knew it had to be really special and really unique, and something that she would never forget where it came from," says Jera.

 

The gift proved to be just that, and the Deals soon discovered their idea that started as a game with their kids was also a perfect means to giving a thoughtful, unique and creative gift. In less than three years, Sticks and StonesTM grew from a thoughtful idea for a teacher's wedding gift into a successful business, garnering nationwide recognition on televisions shows such as "The Rachael Ray Show" and "The Martha Stewart Show," not to mention a personal recommendation from one of television's biggest stars.

 

"If you want to give someone a totally original keepsake -- here it is," says Oprah Winfrey, who gave one to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes as a wedding present. "This is the perfect gift for the person who has everything because no one has anything like this!"

 

Sticks and StonesTM offers an extensive gallery of letters in both nature and architecture. Shoppers can choose which letters to use, ensuring no two creations will ever be the same. To learn more, visit www.CreateSticksAndStones.com or call 866-377-8412.