I requested “No gifts” for my kid’s party, and several guests ended up giving me gift cards at the party. When I told them it really wasn’t necessary to bring presents, they said, “Gift cards don’t really count do they? You could always buy something nice for your house at Target rather than a gift for your child there.” What’s this about? Are gift cards not seen as presents and acceptable to bring if we have requested “No gifts?”

It seems obvious that since they are called “gift cards” they are, in fact, gifts. People often do not like to show up to a party empty-handed, even after you have made such a request. So, people may purchase the gift cards with the thought that this isn’t a birthday gift per se, but rather a host gift. This way, the host parent can decide to purchase a gift for their child with it or spend it on themselves or something for their homes.

Read the rest of this entry »

I live far away from my niece who is about to turn 12 years old. We want to give her something for her birthday, but I cannot afford to send a big gift through the mail and we don’t have a lot of money to spend on the gift either. When I ask her parents what she would like, it is hard to get information from them. What to do?

Well, the perfect gift to send is a gift card…and it works for any age really. When you are talking about a 12 year old, it is really a great idea, as you are not just stuck giving a $5 or a $10 bill in the card. Put the amount of money you have allocated to spend on to a gift card to a popular store, like Target, Wal Mart, The Gap, etc. and let the tween decide what she wants. She can also take the gift card and put it toward a more expensive item if she chooses. Gift cards can also extend to a favorite arcade (if you can find out the place from the parents) or to the movies ~ these would be fun outings.

Read the rest of this entry »