My sister is getting married a little later this year, and as her sister I have lots of planning to do. One of the big events will be a bachelorette party along with bachelorette gifts. We’ll probably have a little shindig at my house, followed by some sort of gallavanting thereafter. I have a feeling her bachelorette gifts will lean towards the naughty and the risque to make her good and embarrassed and put on the spot in a way only a sister can orchestrate.

Some ideas for bachelorette gifts that we will likely bestow upon her include: all sorts of jellies and powders and creams and sprays to enhance her love life, teeny tiny items of material that resemble dental floss and yet are meant for wearing, and of course some heftier items including a lightweight whip, and maybe a pair of handcuffs for good measure. Most of these bachelorette gifts will be meant as pranks and jokes, however, I’m sure she will also receive some valuable items including lingerie, bath items and possibly some actual items that the happy couple can enjoy together.

I’ve had to buy bachelorette gifts in the past. One of the funniest bachelorette gifts I ever purchased was a cardboard carton called ‘Make-out Take-out’ which contained a variety of naughty toys and gags. The actual carton was similar to the old-style Chinese food cartons, and it really made for a novel bachelorette gift.

I doubt we will include strippers in our evening. The bachelorette gifts will be naughty and good for a laugh, but none of us are likely to go so far as to create a potential problem for the couple. Marriage is pretty serious business – it’s okay to lighten things up a bit – but we’re of the opinion that including strippers (even as a joke) is going too far and it undermines the seriousness of marriage.

Even still, we love a good joke, and I quite look forward to terrorizing my sister will all manner crazy, risque and off-the-wall bachelorette gifts. After all, she is my sister and part of my job is to embarrass her and get her laughing. We have many close friends who will also be dying to get in on the action. I have no doubt that the bachelorette gifts that they purchase will be right out-on-a-limb and we will have an evening full of laughter, embarrassment and fun. My sister is nearly 29 and she has waited a long time to find just the right guy to marry. We are all very relieved that the big day if coming up quickly. This should be a bachelorette party and a pile of bachelorette gifts to remember for a good long while!

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Good friends of ours just had their first baby – an adorable baby girl named Madison Lee. We have been talking about what to buy them as a gift. We have had so many ideas, but finally settled on a baby gift basket.

Baby gift baskets can be purchases pre-assembled. However, we have decided to collect and assemble our gift basket on our own. We will purchase a large basket with a sturdy handle at a local craft shop along with cellophane (preferably in pink or printed with a baby motif). As well, we will pick up some ribbons, tissue paper, possibly a pre-inflated foil balloon with congratulations message, and of course an appropriate card.

Then we will begin gathering items to put into our baby gift basket. Some items we will look for are good quality baby shoes with decent support, a couple of choices from the Baby Einstein line of products and a fashionable hat, mitts and scarf set. Then we will choose more generic items to fill up our baby gift basket. These choices will likely include liquid baby powder (real baby powder can affect baby’s breathing), a baby-safe stuffed toy, something to help mommy relax (bath salts or similar aromatherapy products), an assortment of baby care products and last but not least, a gift certificate for a local restaurant so that both parents can enjoy an evening away from the hectic demands of parenthood.

Baby gift baskets are an especially good choice for people living a great distance away (like us). As long as items are non-breakable, these gift baskets can be safely shipped and are a great way to send best wishes and practical gifts to new parents and babies.

In the past, when we had our children, we were fortunate to receive several baby gift baskets. It’s a lot of fun to get and give an assortment of gifts and it’s a good way to make sure to include everyone in the family. It’s especially good to remember any other little brothers or sisters in the family, who may feel somewhat left out by all the fuss over the new baby. Including a special gift or two for the other children is a wonderful gesture of care and makes things go that much more smoothly while welcoming the new little one to the family. Good choices to include in your baby gift basket, for the other children will likely include toys and games that they are able to operate on their own. So it’s very important to be conscious of their ages, since buying a toy or game beyond their age range will require adult assistance and likely result in disappointment for the children, rather than the intended distraction.

Indeed, buying or assembling a baby gift basket is a great way to personalize your gift. The extra time it may take to make your gift just right will definitely be appreciated by the new parents and the practicality of the gift will make their job that much easier.

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