Holiday Gifts: Tickets, Gift Certificates and IOU’s

Do you have someone on your gift shopping list who likes the theater, live concerts or sports? Then one way to handle the “what to buy” dilemma during the holidays is to purchase a pair of tickets to an event that you know the recipient will enjoy. This is especially nice if you are getting something that they wouldn’t necessarily buy for themselves. I say a “pair” of tickets because most events are better if you can take someone with you.

Depending on where the recipient lives, you can buy tickets to a number of events:

Tickets or a season subscription to the local playhouse. There are a great number of amateur playhouses (some that also serve dinner) in many communities. Junior colleges and even some high schools put on performances that are highly enjoyable.

Tickets to a local concerts. Check your local chamber of commerce to see what your community offers. There’s nothing like an outdoor concert under the stars to help shed the day’s tension quickly. And there are a variety of types of concerts to fit every interest from classical to classic rock and beyond.

Sporting events. Most places have at least one team that is within an easily commutable distance, whether its basketball, baseball, football, hockey or even racing. The tickets don’t have to be for a professional team to be appreciated. You can find local AAA teams, college teams and high school teams that are just as much fun to watch, if not more so, than any National League team. The tickets are also a fraction of the cost of the big leagues and the variety of food, beverages and souvenirs can rival any pro stadium.

I’m not a big fan of this technique, but gift certificates can also be a way to go when you really don’t know what to get. You can get gift certificates for just about any store or restaurant, even a generic VISA gift card that works anywhere.

And gift certificates don’t necessarily have to be for the purchase of products. A better gift certificate is for a service, especially a service the receiver might not purchase for themselves. A day at a spa is a welcome gift for anyone, (even men like the pampering of a good massage). You can get certificates for facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, steam baths, and mud packs, in just about any combination you could want.

Here’s a clever idea — a twist on the gift certificate and much more thoughtful. Sit down at your computer and design an I. O. U. from you entitling the receiver to a service you can provide. For example, if you have new parents on you list, an I.O.U. for one evening or one day’s babysitting would be very welcomed. Do you have young children who need a gift for grandma? Let them design an I. O. U. for a hug and a kiss, or they can make one for their parents gifting one hour helping with housework or one car wash or anything else that strikes their imagination.

With this last idea, you can be very creative — the I.O.U. can be useful, fun or even cheeky. But make sure its for something that will be appreciated or it really isn’t a gift at all.