Best Birthday Gifts for Sister

Your sister is your soul mate. She is sugar and spice and everything nice. You fight with her, you share with her, you tease her, you love her and there are days when you hate her but you absolutely cannot live without her. Take the opportunity this birthday to tell her how much she means to you. 

Part of buying something for your sister is also a test of how well you know her.  It is not about buying her a bauble or trinket but the kind she would like which is the real litmus test.

Being thoughtful with your gift is very important. If your sister has a hectic lifestyle where she gets little time for herself, send her for a spa session or book her for a pedicure at the salon so she can put up her feet and relax.

Make it personal. All of us love things with our names and photos on it. Make her a picture collage of her favorite memories growing up win a nice frame or put her name on a mug or a keychain with a message on it will surely bring a smile to her face every time she sees it. If you are feeling adventurous enough, make her chocolate truffles or brownies and write a message on them. Personalized gifts go a long way in making the person feel special.
 

Pamper her endlessly. Gift her flowers, take her out for lunch to her favorite Chinese restaurant, and gift an oversize tote bag to carry all her things, buy the perfume she loves or a pendant she has been coveting for a long time. Everything she has wanted but hasn’t gotten around to buying for herself today is the day to buy them for her.

Relive your childhood. Revisit the joints where you hung around as kids and arrange an evening out with all her old friends. Transport her back to the happy, childhood days.

All of the above are just expressions of your love which are great. But the most invaluable gift we can give anyone is time. Time is precious to all of us. Give her some amount of time with you. Let her decide how she wants to use or spend the time. Maybe you could help her with her chores or simply just have a cup of tea together and talk about old times.

Whatever you do make sure you put a smile on her face. After all it is her day.

10 Things Dads Must Not Miss For Their Daughters

You are a super dad who happily did diaper duties and organized birthday parties and play dates for your daughter. It’s been a couple of years and now she’s settled in school making new friends. While Daddy’s little girl may have outgrown your lap, she still cuddles you every night before sleeping. Don’t wait for special occasions like birthdays to shower your love; there are little things that always make a big impression and celebrate the father-daughter bond. We tell you how:

1. Love Your Wife & Her Mom. Heaps of affection and respect towards your wife will make your daughter love you even more. She’ll appreciate your relationship and perhaps even want someone like you when she grows up and gets married.


2. Enjoy Ice Cream. No one minds an extra scoop of ice cream! Know her favorite ice cream flavor and then indulge her occasionally. If your wife does the strict routine, you know you have to side with your daughter for once.


3. She’s as intelligent as any boy. Before she gets caught in the universal debate of opposite sexes, ensure she knows that she’s as smart as any boy, be it any competence –sports, studies etc. Be prepared to handle the male attention when she gets to college; with your words of wisdom she can handle any criticism in her adolescent years.


4. Hang out together for no reason. Get to know her better by just being around when she needs you. This way she will remember your presence more than just her birthdays or school functions. Get involved in her life at an early stage because when she takes important decisions of her life, she knows who to call first.


5. Go Shopping With Her. Be an indulgent dad and know her likes and dislikes. In a few years, you’d probably hand over your credit card to her, so relish the opportunity when she would like you to be involved. Don’t be overwhelmed and enjoy the process.
   


6. Read Books. This one’s a great way to bond with your little girl. Take out time from your routine and read her something special before she goes to sleep; have a sense of humor and invent silly rhymes for her. She’ll grow up to love reading books and cherish the bedtime stories rituals.


7. Praise her beauty. Tell her it’s important to be beautiful not only from outside but even from within. Appreciate your daughter’s beauty each time she does something good; she’ll grow up to be grounded and not carried away by supermodels in fashion magazine.
   


8. Teach her about money. Encourage her to be money wise from childhood. Gift her piggy bank so that she learns to save money. She’s going to make you spend for her shopping escapades later anyway!


9. Fix a Flat Tire with her. Every girl remembers the event when she first fixed a flat tire or called for help from the nearby garage. Prep her for this occasion when you start giving her driving lessons; the first time it happens, you know she will call you!
10. Gift an experience. Provide opportunities that give her an experience over material things. Gift her swimming lessons; take her out for activities where she gets mesmerized by nature like hiking, scuba diving.

Why We All Love Bappa?

We are fascinated by his grandeur, wisdom and the power to clear obstacles. Ganpati a.k.a Vinayak or Lord Ganesha is indeed the most popular deity. As kids we all adored his curved trunk, big ears and pot-bellied body, for he is the cheerful god who blesses you with wisdom and destroys all difficulties. Remember carrying Bappa’s photo to school before every exam or sharing homemade modaks with your friends? Each one of us has a special connection with Bappa.
Often our elders would tell us the significance of praying to Lord Ganesha; for e.g. the laddoos he holds near his trunk mean one must add sweetness to their soul, his large ears tell us that he hears our problems patiently, and despite his grandness, the Lord is down to earth to ride a small creature like mouse. And of course, we all know the famous story of how Bappa got the elephant head when he stopped Lord Shiva from entering mom Parvati’s home. What’s your favourite memory related to Bappa? For me it’s my grandmother making modaks in kitchen on Ganesh Chaturthi and relatives visiting us to take blessings from the newly arrived Ganesha at our home. The whiff of delicious modaks stuffed with coconut and jaggery would surround our home and all kids in the family would participate in elaborate decorations beautified with marigolds and roses. The entire week we’d visit Ganesh pandals for evening aarti and savor the sweet modaks. Thanks to the growing awareness about eco-friendly Ganesha idols, it’s now possible to immerse idols which do not release any toxic materials in water bodies.

Ganpati’s charm transcends beyond the traditional. There are so many gift essentials that draw inspiration from the Elephant God. Look around and you’d always find a Ganpati motif whether it’s a beautiful painting or a small Ganpati idol in your car. Think about the last time you went shopping, you must have spotted many t-shirts with Ganpati pictures in myriad colours, a home decor store with tons of Ganpati idols and plaques with ‘Vaktratunda Mahakaya  Suryakoti Samaprabha (Oh Lord Ganesha, of curved trunk, large body, and with the brilliance of a million suns). There’s a bit of cool quotient attached to Bappa; browse through gift stores, and you’d find Ganesha idols dressed in modern attire playing a guitar, working on a laptop, dressed as a batsman and more. Ganpati motifs on pendants and coins crafted in gold and silver continue to be a favourite during festivals.

He’s truly a global deity, inspiring even international fashion designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Prabal Gurung, Manish Arora to weave designs and colourful motifs based on him. The elephant deity strings a multitude of cultures in India during Ganesh Chaturthi; he even has a Wikipedia page dedication! Not to forget the blockbuster songs in Hindi movies which has seen many leading Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan crooning about Bappa’s glory. So bring on the festivities and get ready to hail Ganpati Bappa Morya this month!

‘Thank You’ Gifts for your Guru-Cool on Teacher’s Day!

When you think of Teacher’s Day, what comes to your mind? Flowers, Chocolates, Thank You Cards? Well, that’s great! Traditional gifts always work, but have you ever thought of going out of the ordinary for your favorite Guru on Teacher’s Day. There are a host of amazing gifts on Giftease just one click away and will be delivered at your teacher’s doorstep.  Show your love to your cool gurus for being great mentors, by picking unique appreciation gifts. So get started now!

 

Home Essentials

Artifacts and home knick knacks always make for pleasant gifts. Not only do they make for a great décor piece but also offer utility value. Pick table lamps, clocks, photo frames that can double up as a desk accessory. You could also choose glassware or table and kitchenware like trays, coffee mugs. 

Style Guru

Back in school and college you always admired your teacher’s dressing sense and wished you could be the same. Relive those moments by sending them chic fashion accessory; choose from a handbag, clutch, wallet, and cuff links. Remember to keep it elegant, most teachers prefer being understated.

Keeping it Organized

Multitasking comes easy to your favorite teacher, and gifting them smart stationary utilities like an organizer, desk accessory, magazine rack, LED lamp will simplify their daily chores at school or college. 

The Goodie Bag

If you know your teacher’s personal interests, then you could create a goodie bag filled with things they love, so pack it with their favorite fragrance, candles, jewellery, spiritual idols, chocolates, books and more, all available on Giftease.

Great Reads

Remember the classes when your teacher would often quote famous authors and told you to read their books from school and college library. Well, it’s your turn now, gift wrap some great books and help your teacher enhance their personal collection. 

The Good Old Gifts

Not sure yet? Then say ‘Thank You’ with flowers and chocolates. Keeping it simple with fresh flowers and chocolates always brings back sweet old memories of the student-teacher bond.