Ideas for Y2K Christmas presents?

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Goal: To complete my XMAS shopping by Labor Day, or at least by Thanksgiving, to avoid what I anticipate to be a last minute monster retail crunch. I figure, as long as we are ordering all this stuff now anyway, how about stocking up on some extra Y2K items that could used as presents.

The problem, as usual, is good ideas that would also serve as a last minute plug to my DGI and DWGI friends to do *something* *anything*. There is a range of practical (BORING!) and not-so-practical (are you sure there is a use for this??) stuff.

Under the heading of boring yet practical would be: oil lamps (with extra wicks and oil), battery lanterns (with extra batteries), tealight sets, sterno sets, collapsible camping water jugs, hand warmers, thermal underwear, solar shower.

For that special relative who lives in the desert, I also bought an extra 200-gallon water bag from www.watertanks.com in the hope that she will use it if I send it to her. It comes in a box about the size of a toaster oven, so it can easily be shipped and stored.

So far, these are items that most of my friends won't believe they will actually need, so I have to include something else. I have picked up some old-fashioned, Y2K-compliant toys like boomerangs, artsy yoyos, and bicycle horns. My discovery today was canned 'possum (www.adventurefoods.com). Other exotic reconstituted foods would also be an idea, provided they are really palatable. Perhaps a sprouting kit with seed and instructions.

Are there small ticket items that have caught your fancy in this regard?

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), July 28, 1999

Answers

Solar radio
Solar battery charger & NiCads
Solar outdoor light
Good 6V Flashlight
Toys & games that don't need batteries
Gourmet food items
Big candles
Wine ?

-- rb (ronbanks_2000@yahoo.com), July 28, 1999.

Brooks-- don't forget to give the oil lamp recipients some matches, too... ;-)

I'm a little dry on good ideas right now, but wanted to mention that at least since you don't want to have a "Gift of the Magi" type Christmas with no way to light the lamps...

What about books?

-- winter wondering (winterwondering@yahoo.com), July 28, 1999.


How about something sweet like homemade jams..which are not likely to be eaten straight away or boxes of weird nuts or biscuits that nobody fancies now but might be pleased to eat next year.Its a bit sneaky & your reputation may take a nosedive if its only a bump in the road!

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), July 28, 1999.

Big ticket items:

Bicycles generators hand crank radios Ham radio equipment cb radio equipment marine band radio equipment boats (sail, row)

Small ticket items: Wine jelly (just use the grape juice recipe) bicycle accessories fishing gear (poles, reels, lures, etc.) hadmade soap sewing kit (hand) knife sharpening kit BBQ accessories warm clothing (in cold climates) gardening tools, seeds plants which produce edible fruits bridge books and card decks self-help books hand tools

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), July 28, 1999.


In another month or two the drug stores have 10 cent seed pack sales. Last year I bought lots, put together "gardens" and gave them to all sorts of people. Included some flowers like marigolds and nasturtiums which are also edible.

What about first aid kits, made out of stuff bought on sale, with coupons, etc. Can split packs of bandaids and such. Tins make good boxes. Also good for sewing kits.

-- seraphima (seraphima@aol.com), July 28, 1999.



They may not have been cool for all these years, but this is ONE Christmas where socks, especially the wool, boot-top style, will be THE treasured gift of the year.

WW - Got warm toes?

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), July 28, 1999.


You know those obscenely expensive "specialty food" gift sets from catalogs - heavy on cheese & chocolate? Get the ones that are "Breakfast" - full of pancake & bread mixes, canned ham, etc - if you can afford them. I can't so I'm making up a huge hamper for my far-away son & his 2 little kids, with fancy-looking but not priced dry soup & chile & noodle dinner mixes, toaster pastries, dried fruit, instant mixes of all sorts including elegant cocoas & coffee - dry milk & more common stuff too, Tang, candy for the kids, etc. It will have a card saying "Do Not Open Until New Years"- my son will understand. Sleeping bags for the kids, face mask-hats, mittens, clothes for them, not Barbie. For teenagers like 15 year old grandson, Swiss Army knife & camping tools - already gave him my 22. (Knives & guns? yes, I'm not a very modern grandma. Never bought him a video game yet.) Books, yes. How-to variety. For my daughter the gardener, enough seeds for years - she'll forget. Little appliances to use Sterno in. Trail mixes & chocolate covered raisins. A coffee pot she can use over a flame. All the guys get hunting & camping gear- what they like best anyway. My best friend is getting a case of Alcobrite (canned heat, higher grade - so they say- sterno) Nobody, including me, gets pretty doodads this year.

-- Scat (sgcatique@webtv.net), July 28, 1999.

The specialty food gift baskets are an outstanding idea. But you can save a lot of money by making your own. Or another way to look at it is that you give a whole lot more good food for the same money. When I've been less than wealthy, I've even made up "generic baskets," of staples for Christmas presents for my kids.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), July 28, 1999.

The only problem with that water bag is it's made of vinyl. I don't drink scotch but I now know what watered down bad scotch tastes like. How do I know - I bought that water bag and fortunately tested it. It'll be my water for my toilet.

Now to the point I plan to give Y2k preparedness gifts to family. Even if they're not preparing. Some sources I'm using:

-- Bookworm (bookworm_2@hotmail.com), July 29, 1999.


Sorrey - hit the wrong button Sources for gifts :

www.sportsmanguide.com

www.cheaperthandirt.com

www.heartland.com

www.cabelas.com

-- Bookworm (bookworm_2@hotmail.com), July 29, 1999.



In the meantime, I have a wedding present to give. I thought maybe some garden seeds and a solar cooker, plus a check. These people got a generator, BUT I don't think they are REALLY prepping. He just likes toys.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWAyne@aol.com), July 29, 1999.

For children - the little house on the prairie book series.

-- Amy Leone (leoneamy@aol.com), July 29, 1999.

quilts, zippo lighters, sleds, snowshoes (make sure they are big enough for the persons weight + weight of a pack), dirt bikes or minibikes, hand tools, especially hand drills - one thing even many 'tool guys' don't have, slingshots, dutch ovens or other cookware, thermos, gardenig tools, wagon

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), July 29, 1999.

These are GREAT responses! Our college son is getting camping gear: sleeping bag, coleman stove, lantern, mess kit, maybe a tent. Want him to really go camping if it's only a BITR. Other son and daughter in law getting bikes. Youngest daughter thought about what would be good y2k gifts and asked for a new Gameboy and batteries. What the hell? It's not such a bad idea. For dad, all new garden tools. (he got a couple years worth of seeds for Father's Day). Other gifts: oil lamps with oil, pressure canner, canning basket(similar to the above food baskets) with extra flats, pectin, canning salt, spice mixes etc. All nieces & nephews get new sleeping bags. Stocking stuffers: matches, batteries, playing cards, swiss army knife, waterless soap, flashlights, hard candy, journals, pens & pencils, compass, whistles, coloring books & crayons. My problem is with my own kids, who are tolerating my prepping, knowing that I expect all of them home if the SHTF, so they don't need to worry. I don't want to buy anything really frivolous(like playstation games)but I want their gifts to be enjoyed even if (dare I say it) nothing much happens. Any other ideas following that particular thought process?

-- lvz (lvzinser@hotmail.com), July 31, 1999.

I've been giving seed sprouting sets with small bags of alfalfa, mug bean, sunflower and chick pea seeds.

IDEA: while you're shopping for Holidays '99 gifts that aresurvival- related, consider buying a few luxury gifts for Holidays 2000. We might all need a break by then!

Also, consider buying children crafts gifts theat will inspire hand- made gifts and activities in a post-Nintendo world (bead sets, looms,mega-crayon/marker/paint sets etc.)

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), July 31, 1999.



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