6 Spell it Out Like to D-I-Y? Letter Perspectives lets you design your own unique framed letter art using a name, unique phrase or word that is special to the recipient. Create your masterpiece by entering the letters, choosing your theme (nature, sports or ustic), selecting from black and white
or sepia photo tones, and picking the
perfect mat and frame to match. Starting
at $160. www.letterperspectives.com.
7 As You Wish
Need a little R&R after the holdays?
Spa Wish gift certificates and cards can
be used at thousands of day spas and
beauty salons across the country for services like manicures, pedicures, haircuts,
hot stone massages and tanning. Print
a personalized gift certificate at home,
have it delivered via email or shipped
in a gift box for as low as $4.99. Prices
vary. www.spawish.com.
8 Keep it Classic
Charles Dickens
CAROL
STAR IN THIS CLASSIC NOVEL
You And Your Friends Star As The Leading Characters
They say all professional speakers should have a book. U Star
lets you star in a personalized edition of your favorite classic
alongside your friends, family members or colleagues. The plot
remains the same, but you choose the cast and decide who
follows the White Rabbit down the hole in Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland and who gets to be Tom Sawyer in the Mark Twain
classic. $24.95. www.ustarnovels.com.
U St
in th
Clas
Nov
ed
U Star
n this
Classic
Novel
0 Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot
Spice things up in the
New Year with a personalized gallon jug of
everyone’s favorite hot
sauce. Available in all
the flavors you know
and love: Original Red,
Green, Chipotle, Garlic, Habanero, and
SWEET & Spicy. $44.95. www.co
untrys-tore.tabasco.com.
9 Help Haiti
Give a gift with meaning, purpose and
passion. The Lambi Fund of Haiti provides boats, fishing equipment, pigs,
goats, honey bees, tree seedlings and irrigation canals that can be purchased in a
friend or family member’s name. With
these special gifts of life, families in Haiti
are provided with numerous opportunities to grow and generate income. Prices
vary. www.lambifund.org.
Next to Napa
Dinner at Thomas Keller’s famed Napa
Valley gourmet restaurant (voted one
of the top 10 restaurants in the world)
costs around $300 a head and reservations have to be made six months
ahead. Why wait? Treat someone to
The French Laundry cookbook and dine
in style over the holidays. Cookbooks
can be purchased for $28 by calling the
restaurant or on Amazon. Bon appétit!
www.tkrg.org.
A veteran speechwriter and executive communications specialist, Ian Griffin
helps CEOs and senior managers develop strategic messaging and content for
presentations to audiences worldwide. He is past-president of the Northern
California Chapter and an active member of Toastmasters. Griffin has spent
more than 20 years working with mainstream Silicon Valley companies such as
Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems. He blogs at http://www.exec-comms.com/blog.
