NEW YORK (MainStreet)
This is an important thought, but it's hard to pretend to smile when you receive the same unwanted holiday gift year after year.
From Aunt Polly's snowball to Grandpa John's reindeer tie, some common Christmas gifts tend to attract more attention than excitement.
Keep reading our turn
There are seven cheesy Christmas gifts constantly looking under your tree, as well as suggestions for fresher gift ideas for your friends and family.
Snowballs look cool. . .
About five seconds.
After that, snowballs are just plain vacuum cleaners and don't have any useful features. O. K.
We see, they are a decoration, but how much do you really need?
Too many snowballs scattered around your home look cluttered, and if you want to give your place a comfortable feel, there are better options now.
The better option is: "A new snow field will be mercury glass votives or decorations," said Catherine Drury Wagner, senior content manager for gifts recommendation website gifts. com.
"Mercury glass is very popular now, giving people a festive atmosphere.
"One option is this set of mercury glass votive cups made of four gems that have grooves and nail-like textures for the Pottery Barn ($22. 99).
The fruit cake is made of dates or dried fruits, nuts and spices and is sometimes soaked in alcohol, arguably one of the most popular fruits
There are gifts every Christmas.
In fact, Johnny Carson once joked that there is only one fruit cake in the world and people always send each other.
Although some people still die
Especially for the younger generation, they often think that this classic cake is not delicious and outdated.
"I think the fruit cake is now out of date," Drury Wagner said . ".
"Who knows, it might cheer you up again to see all the 1890-year-old hipsters in Brooklyn
Do facial hair now.
"The better option: in addition to the fruit cake, another delicious option is babkas, a popular Eastern European yeast --
Fermented cake made of soft briochelike dough.
Drury Wagner recommends buying bread items from Williams Tcho chocolate BabkasSonoma ($49. 95)
Composed of five separate babkas, filled with homemade candied orange peel, chocolate block, ganache made of local-sourced Tcho chocolate and baked-
Almond Dew topping.
You can also be satisfied with the purchase of this product: babkas is produced by the bread project in emmerville, California
A non-profit organization that cultivates people with limited resources in the art of baking.
A man may wear a suit to work every day during Christmas, but that doesn't mean he likes to receive holiday ties decorated with reindeer, snowmen and candy bars.
Not only are these ties old, but they can only be enjoyed for a few weeks each year.
A better option: you can still buy a unique and fun man in your life without being tacky.
For example, in the Jerry Garcia series at Macys.
Com includes vibrant silk ties with various interesting patterns (
Think of lines with stripes, brushes for swooping, stars and waves).
Cheap gift cards to expensive store gift cards can be great gifts, but if you give someone a cheap gift card to an expensive store, it can sometimes be more troublesome than a pleasant shopping experience.
After all, recipients either have to fix some tricky issues or have to add some of their own hard-
In order to buy something substantial, cash was earned on the gift card.
Equivalent-owner and founder Kyle JamesBe-Shopping.
Com recalled that a few years ago, he received a $20 gift card from his uncle for clearer images.
"Have you tried to buy something from a clearer image for $20 or less?
This is impossible. "He said.
"I think the only option I have is to buy a few luggage locks for $19. 99.
I ended up buying a $50 feet massager that I really didn't need and didn't want.
James said: "The better option is:" If you're going to give someone a gift card, make sure you have enough money so that the recipient can get something useful. ".
If you have a budget and can't afford generous gift cards from expensive stores, it's better to buy a smaller gift card for a store that sells moderately --or lower-priced items.
To save on the extra cost, you can purchase gift cards at a discounted price from websites such as GIF cardgranny. com, CardCash.
Com and gift card. com.
The cute PajamasWho might forget the funny scene in the 1983 movie Christmas story when poor Ralphie received his Aunt Clara's pink rabbit pajamas?
While this may be an extreme example of a big problem with pajamas, many would agree that cute pajamas are not cool until 7.
In addition to the rabbit suit, we are talking about suits that feature dogs and cats, snowflakes, penguins and baseball.
A better option: you might want to stick to those pajamas with pinstripes, grids, or checkered patterns instead of those with beautiful prints. Solid-
Color pajamas are also a safe choice, such as this satin, Plum
The color lady of pajamgio ($59. 99).
Candy can be one of the typical symbols of Christmas, but does anyone really want them?
These sticky mints will soon grow old, and at the end of the holiday, their boxes often pile up in trash cans.
Better option: consider giving mint skin to your friends and family, a delicious treat that combines regular chocolate and white chocolate with mints. Williams-
Sonoma offers one
A can of handmade mint skin for $21. 56.
From those calendars depicting Italian scenes to those featuring buff New York City firefighters and Sports Illustrated babies, the calendar has been a popular Christmas gift for many years.
Nowadays, however, hanging calendars on the wall seems a bit out of date, especially with the popularity of computer calendars and smartphone scheduling applications.
A better option: If you want your other half, friend or family to check in as scheduled in 2014, consider giving up the calendar and instead buying him or her a watch.
Some interesting ideas include personalized pocket watches from what you remember ($39. 99)
, Personalized photo frame wall clock from personal creation ($29. 99)
And a color iPhone Alarm Dock from non-ordinary goods ($14. 99)
It puts your iPhone in the cradle and hides the USB cord and converts it to mid-
Modern century clocks. --