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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v10n24)
Right in my Own Backyard - Visions of Holiday Shopping - by Brandt Carter
posted: Dec. 06, 2013

Right in my Own Backyard header

Visions of Holiday Shopping
We're heading into the holiday season again! I have always enjoyed stockpiling gifts for family and friends. At the same time, I realize many people think gift shopping is nothing short of an ordeal. I'd like to suggest some ways to make it otherwise.
We might take a clue from my brother to make gifting a little merrier. He has kind of a "one-size-fits-all" scheme for gifts. There was the year he thought glue guns would come in handy - and everyone received a glue gun, our mother, all siblings, and each of the next generation. Ten glue guns, and his shopping was done. This approach has its possibilities if you can hit on a idea with universal appeal. He's succeeded with it time and again. One year The Gift was elaborate jar openers (especially handy for those with weak hands and wrists); another year it was fine chocolates. He always seems to be able to pull off the feat and win appreciation to boot.
Come to think of it, my sister has followed suit. There was the year she knitted a cap for every family member and then presented them on top of inflated balloons. Each balloon had a face drawn on it to resemble the person receiving the cap. Voila, "a Kodak moment" was born, and we got a great family photo with everyone sporting his or her new, warm head topper.

Right in my Own Backyard - Visions of Holiday Shopping - by Brandt Carter
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I, on the other hand, have a totally different tack. Picking up gifts is a year around pleasure for me, and I tend to do most of my shopping while traveling. It's recreational. I think I find gifts that are more out of the ordinary in speciality shops and out-of-the-way spots. One of the added benefits is that I can tell fun stories about where things have come from thus reliving the glories of weekend expeditions and vacations.
So let me throw out still another possibility for infusing holiday shopping with a sense of adventure.
How about declaring that all gifts be from Broad Ripple? Yes, make a requirement that everything you give must have a connection to our community. Let me offer some suggestions as inspiration:
  • An art class from the Indianapolis Art Center
  • Growler and add a red bow from Broad Ripple Brewpub
  • For the child, adult, or octogenarian, a bike or tricycle from the Bike Line
  • A membership to the Broad Ripple Dog Park, a groom at Village Dog
  • A gift basket from Good Earth or Fresh Market
  • Tickets to a special show at the Jazz Kitchen or The Vogue
  • A starter savings account at one of the local banks. . . better than a piggy bank.
  • Gift cards for anything good to drink or eat at local restaurants
  • Baubles from Artifacts, G. Thrapp Jewelers, or Marigold
  • A wonderful painting from galleries of the area including Ashland, Hoosier Salon, and Eckert Fine Art

I can't end the suggestions without including possibilities on the fringes of Broad Ripple. Stop by the Veterans Antiquities' (46th and the Monon), Agrarian (for urban farming), pasta from Nicole-Taylor Pasta. I have to include Backyard Birds, offering birdseed, birdfeeders, and an array of garden items.
To start or finish your gift buying with an "all things Broad Ripple" theme, pick up a current Broad Ripple Gazette, using its 4-page Map and Directory of Broad Ripple Village and surrounding area to aid this strategy. One last thought: don't pass the temptation to stop for refreshments along the shopping trail. The gift giver deserves a treat too.



Brandt Carter, artist, herbalist, and naturalist, owns Backyard Birds at 2374 E. 54th Street. Visit her web site www.feedbackyardbirds.com. Email your bird questions to Brandt@BroadRippleGazette.com




brandt@broadripplegazette.com
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