shopping
Gifts for people you don't know well - even though you regularly put your life in their hands.
By Susan Caba
I know a woman—more than one, actually—who avoids getting her hair cut in December because she doesn’t know whether to bring a present or triple her tip. This is one of the few instances in which the problem does go away if you ignore it long enough.
Unfortunately, the same technique doesn’t work for your kid’s teacher, the person who cleans your house (unless it’s yourself, in which case only the most luxurious extravagance will do), the mail carrier, the garbage collector, the baby sitter, your personal trainer and any number of other people who provide regular personal service throughout the year. Don’t forget the newspaper carrier. Mine sends me a holiday card with a self-addressed stamped envelope enclosed.
And once you’ve decided that, yes, some acknowledgment is in order, there is still the question of whether to give a gift or cash. I double-checked with the Emily Post Institute (www.emilypost.com), and Emily’s guidelines boil down to this: Give a gift to those you don’t normally pay—the teacher, the mail carrier (the U.S. Postal Service doesn’t allow cash, but gifts under $20 are OK). For the rest, give a tip in an amount roughly equivalent to what you pay for one instance of that person’s service—the cost of one haircut, the cost of one housecleaning, a week’s pay for the nanny or the dogwalker. The money should be enclosed with a note, and the bills, if you give cash, should be crisp.
If a gift is in order, why not make it a meaningful and slightly absurd one? At the SAINT LOUIS ZOO (One Government, 314-781-0900, www.stlouiszoo.org), this year’s adoptions feature the orangutan family. You can give a cuddly plush orangutan, personalized adoption certificate, holiday card, photo and fact sheet, car decal, T-shirt transfer, newsletter subscription, invitation to the annual Zoo Parents Picnic and name display on the Zoo Parents kiosk for $35.
The holidays are also the perfect time to indulge yourself—uh, I mean those on your gift list—in all the small luxuries you normally resist. Take, for instance, the brownies available at BREADSMITH (10031 Manchester, 314-822-8200, www.breadsmith.com). If I’ve ever had brownies, homemade or otherwise, that compete with these, I don’t remember them. I usually buy three (at $2 apiece), quarter them (they’re huge), dust myself with flour and take full credit for their perfection. Besides, owner Kay Johnson is usually in attendance, and I feel as if I've stopped at a neighbor's house for coffee. Call in advance to make sure it's a brownie day.
Bookstores are another great source of temptation and inspiration, and not just for books. I’m particularly fond of magnetic poetry kits ($10–$20), boxes of words with which someone can compose refrigerator verse (example, from the cat-lovers kit: Stalk/cat, cat, kitty/Pounce/wild, curious, frisky tiger/Meow). Almost every bookstore carries at least the basic kit, if not all of the variations (try slang words for the baby sitter, ransom-note words for the postal carrier). The national book chains provide one-stop shopping, with everything from leather luggage tags to exercise balls. Locally owned LEFT BANK BOOKS (199 N. Euclid, 314-367-6731, www.left-bank.com) has a less extensive (and more book-focused) inventory, but you can give someone an instant opportunity to participate in the city’s cultural and literary community with a membership in the Friends of Left Bank Books Literary Society. Memberships, which start at $35, include invitations to private-reception members-only sales and discounts on purchases. I like the idea that I might be luring someone to a great store he or she might not otherwise patronize.
This year I’m also thinking about gift certificates to STRAUB’S grocery stores (Webster Groves, Town & Country, St. Louis and Clayton, www.straubs.com). Carnivore alert: Straub’s beef is like butter on hooves—if you want to go over the top, the company sells a $350 meat gift package. I’m not a fan of gift certificates unless they come from a store that gives me the choice of spending them on something practical or splurging on a little something beyond my means, so a grocery-store certificate fits the bill. Wrap it around a bar of luxury chocolate. Or if it’s for someone with kids, attach it to something horribly wonderful, such as a jar of marshmallow creme.
Bird feeders are surprisingly trendy these days; they’re also non–gender-specific, activity-oriented and suitable for everyone from kids to adults. WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED (five St. Louis locations, 800-326-4928, www.wbu.com) has feeders starting at $5, and the people who work there can guide you. Suet, for example, will attract woodpeckers; the smallest suet feeder is $6, and a cake of suet is $4. (Be careful about giving a bird feeder to an addictive personality, though; basic birdwatching may balloon into a full-time hobby, with purchases escalating from feeders to bird guides to binoculars to funny hats and many-pocketed vests.)
It’s hard to go wrong giving a membership to the SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM, ST. LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER, MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN, MISSOURI HIS-TORICAL SOCIETY or any other cultural mainstay with broad appeal.
You can also borrow a brilliant idea from SHAARE EMETH CONGREGATION (11645 Ladue, 314-569-0010) who used to host a “mitzvah mall,” literally a mall of good deeds. Instead of buying gifts, shoppers would make donations or buy memberships in nonprofit organizations. The gift recipient gets a card noting the donation in his or her name; the organization gets the money. The donation may be small or large (the card doesn’t have to specify the amount), and you tailor the donation to your recipient’s interests. Shalom.
Score Points With A Basket
Not only does HOLLYBERRY BAKING CO.’S “Star Tower” include freshly made cookies and a variety of chocolate- and yogurt-covered pretzels, but 10 percent of the proceeds goes to Big Brothers Big Sisters, Food Outreach or Service International. $39.50. 284 East Ave., 314-968-9239, www.hollyberrybaking.com.
Everything in the “Show Off Your City” basket from ST. LOUIS GIFT BASKETS is made locally, including the popcorn, peanuts, soda, beer and wine. The basket also includes sports-related items and a map of St. Louis. $50–$75. 16514 Manchester, 888-458-8359, www.stlouisgiftbaskets.com.
WHOLE FOODS’ “Spa Da-da” basket, based on a scent chosen by the customer, includes lotion, bath gel, bath salts, a loofah, a shower pouf and aromatherapy products. $39.95. Various locations, 314-968-7744, www.wholefoodsmarket.com.
TREATS UNLEASHED makes gift baskets for animals (treats and toys) and their human companions (mugs and dishes). Prices based on selection. 3057 Sheridan, 636-536-5900, www.treats-unleashed.com.
SWEET BE’S custom candy bouquets are pure nostalgia, with retro candy, chocolates, 21 colors of M&Ms, bulk Jelly Belly and their signature chocolate-dipped Peeps. Prices vary. 12027 Manchester, 314-835-1400, www.sweetbe.com. —Amber Schmisseur
