Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Oprah's Favorite Things 2008

By Tasha Miller

This year's secret is out about Oprah's Favorite Things 2008, which aired on November 26th. The show this year was very different from past year's shows where the audience received several thousands of dollars in gifts.

Understanding the financial stress that people and the country is under; Oprah really addressed this in her show this year. The focal point of the show was to show her audience and the viewers at home that you can still have a great holiday season and give gifts that will touch the receivers' heart but not empty your wallet.

Oprah's Favorite Things 2008 was a combination of things such as Gratitude boxes, which Oprah says is one of her all time favorite things and she still, does it to this day. You can make or buy a Gratitude box for as little as $2 and place heartfelt notes inside to the person. These notes can be from just one person, friends or family. Words from the heart mean much more to people than something you buy them.

Oprah made a list of her favorite holiday music hits and in the spirit of the season she made both the music and the CD cover art available for download at her site including artist Faith Hill singing "Joy to the World", Aretha Franklin singing "Silent Night", Josh Groban, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", Tony Bennett, "I'll be Home for Christmas" and many, many more of this season's hits sung by today's hottest artists.

A thrifty holiday gift is a Treasure Box as was shown on Oprah's Favorite Things 2008 show. You can find a Treasure box for around $12 and some are finished wood and others are bare wood you can stain. Then get yourself some folders and plastic sheet protectors and put them in there and start a collection of mementos that the receiver will hold dear to their heart. These can be made for anyone from a child to adult. Put special photos, cards, awards, letters etc anything you want. If it is for your child then you and your child can add things to the Treasure box together and if you give it to someone special then they can add things and when a special occasion comes up you can give them something to add to it also.

Hot Chocolate becomes more popular as the temperature goes down. For just a little bit of cash you can make people a gift they will truly enjoy...Hot Chocolate Cones. Simply take a few moments to find a recipe online to make your own hot chocolate, add marshmallows and chocolate chips and place it all into decorative candy bags or piping bags found locally at a craft store. Then just decorate simply with a bow or some added ribbon for an added extra touch.

Gift Baskets are a great inexpensive gift when you are making them yourself and the things that go into them. So if you are a person who loves to bake or make cookies, candies, or do any kind of canning, these would all make great items to put in a Gift Basket to give as a gift to family and friends. Great gift ideas like this from Oprah's Favorite Things 2008 show can all be done with a little effort and not that much expense. Try a Swap party; it can be for children, or a group of friends. Set a price and everyone brings a gift and either you can pull names or numbers and choose your gift. You bring a gift and leave with a gift and everyone had a great time doing it and had the pleasure of being together.

If you watch Oprah, you know that she is an avid reader and has her own book club. One of Oprah's Favorite Things 2008 is a book she has fallen in love with, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski". This is an astonishing, mysterious, bewildering and profound novel.

There are also several other items on Oprah's Favorite Things 2008 that are broken down by price range starting at under $25 up to $100 and then there is Oprah's All Time Favorites list. So you can have a great holiday season and not empty your bank account. - 17943

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