Foo - A gift for a girls who have everything?

Argh... my post disappeared. Okay, here's the Cliff Notes version.

I'm trying to think of something to get for my three younger sisters. No particular reason. Preferably something they'll keep for a long time. But they have everything they need and then some, thanks to my parents' very generous support. So any ideas as to what to get them? Jewelry has been floated around as a possibility, though I'm a bit concerned that nice jewelry might make things difficult for their boyfriends (current or future) by setting expectations sky high.

Heh.
a bike?
heh
It's pretty difficult shopping for people who have everything because the few things one might give that they dont have . they probably wouldn't appreciate. maybe a new hobby?
I got nothing

A certificate for a day at a spa?

Ferrari 430 spider with tubi exhaust.

Two of them already have decent bikes. One of them (living in NYC) relies on her bike for transportation. (Unlike me--I just ride for fun.) I can't imagine the other one caring about bikes. (Plus, with her total lack of strength and the steep hills of SF, she wouldn't get anywhere even with a MTB triple.)


It's pretty difficult shopping for people who have everything because the few things one might give that they dont have
Yup. That's the basic difficulty. And trying to get all three of them something similar makes it even harder.

Ferrari 430 spider with tubi exhaust.
I don't mind spending on them. They're my sisters, after all. But that's a bit more than I can afford. :(

- three variable annuities?

- a down-payment for each on your state's 529 plan? perhaps this one? (http://www.scholarshare.com/)

- three trust funds to mature when they're each 59.5 years old?

- a bagful of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krugerrand) for each?

:-)

Me.

I will personally satisfy each one of them.

EDITED: I picked an inappropriate target for my ranting.

David

The spa thing...its always appreciated.

Subscriptions to Playgirl?

First class pass to Hugh Hefner's next big party?

Tickets to a NASCAR event? ( Hah! I kill me! )

Hey Boogs, chill, it's called a sense of humor, and I'm sure both slvoid and jschen know it.

anyhoo, jschen, make them something. put some personal effort into it; they have 'everything' but having something that you made or created means more than anything material. A flash movie, scrapbook, make some jewelry?

I bet your sisters would enjoy a nice time together with you, like a lunch or dinner, more than some mindless consumer item.

Hey Boogs, chill, it's called a sense of humor, and I'm sure both slvoid and jschen know it.

anyhoo, jschen, make them something. put some personal effort into it; they have 'everything' but having something that you made or created means more than anything material. A flash movie, scrapbook, make some jewelry?

I agree with this too. I think the best gifts are ones that people make themselves. :)

I agree with this too. I think the best gifts are ones that people make themselves. :)
I made this for you.

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7573/mbowl22ua.jpg

It took me all day.

I made this for you.

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7573/mbowl22ua.jpg

It took me all day.


That's sooo precious! I'm going to put it on my dresser and put all my earrings and necklaces in it!

:)

I hope you signed the bottom...

linux_author: Highly practical, but already covered. My parents ensure they will have no educational debt. (Even for the one that will blow through $400K in educational expenses. Yikes!) And help them get their Roth IRA's fully funded in the schooling years. And I already serve as their informal financial advisor.

Boogs: Appreciate your concern, but slvoid and I have enough prior interaction that his comments can be taken lightly, in the vein they were intended. No harm, no foul. Gift certificates, yup, lots of gifts end up as gift certificates. From them, too; I'm no easier to shop for.

superdex and Shadiyah: Good point. There's room for both, though. Making something personalized, as well as at some time just buying something.

BostonFixed: Excellent point. :beer: I think I do okay on that count. Though I still owe one of them dinner in Boston (Bristol Lounge in the Four Seasons, on a night with the dessert buffet) and a few rounds of karting at F1 Boston. Didn't have a chance to take her when she visited me. Managed to take my other sisters, though, when they visited.

Spa treatment, huh? No clue about those things, but okay, that's a possibility. Not as long-lasting a gift (more akin to dinner at a nice place from what I can tell), though.

a trip

puppies/or other pet? :)

puppies/or other pet? :)
I'd make a good pet. I only require food and fresh straw at least once a week to sleep in. I'll even clean while you're at work!

I'd make a good pet. I only require food and fresh straw at least once a week to sleep in. I'll even clean while you're at work!
But are you housetrained?

But are you housetrained?
The seat always gets put back down after I'm finished.

blah blah blah
Jeez. If you're going to troll, at least come up with something every other 14-year-old hasn't already shat out.

The seat always gets put back down after I'm finished.

Just don't drink from it and then lick my face afterwards! :eek:

Instead of jewelry you might try some art work. A nice statue or painting of some type.

Just don't drink from it and then lick my face afterwards! :eek:
What about the other way around?

I'd make a good pet. I only require food and fresh straw at least once a week to sleep in. I'll even clean while you're at work!
Wow! I need a pet like that!

A trip is an interesting idea. Timing is difficult--assuming all four of us go together--but that can be worked out. Puppies are cute and cuddly, but they cause issues when students move around from apartment to apartment since not all landlords approve. Plus, they need to be cared for, and I'm not sure my sisters have the time to care for pets.

Go to the beach..have a picnic...go hiking/camping...picnic...my sister loves eating..so maybe yours do to?

Maybe go on a sail cruise in the harbor or something..

Pets are a major commitment. I would suggest you combine some of the fine ideas that have appeared already.

A trip with all of you culminated by giving each of them a special gift either made by you or personalized by you at just the right moment.

Ginsu knives!

Ginsu knives!

What if they don't like them!!!! :eek:

...well, with my sister, I'd be nervous...

I'm going to say jewelry. A nice gold braclet for each of them, with perhaps something to link each one to the others. Your sisters boyfriends concerns are NOT YOUR PROBLEM. These are your Sisters. I would Charge the Gates of Hell for my Sister, armed only with attitude and a pocket knife.

It doesn't have to be a fancy design. In fact, classic is good, Talk to your mother perhaps, and decide on a pattern or style that would compliment each of their personal style. The trick is to tie them all together, with a theme, that would remind them of each other, but with an underlying element of the Brother that created the theme. The weight of heavy gold links around their wrists will be a constant in their universe, and comments from all those who see them.

Of course, this is just my opinion. But it has been my experience that GOLD IS GOLDEN. Let the boyfriends get the diamonds.

Ginsu knives!

Didn't I see one of their commercials at 3am on FOX?

Some japanese guy was like, "Oh no... I am trapped in my car! It will explode!"
Then he whips out this Ginsu butter knife he was buttering his bagel with (the reason why he crashed in the first place), cuts the roof open, and runs for safety.

I'd get her a half day spa treatment ($3-400) or full day ($6-800).

Personally, here's what I'd get at the elizabeth arden red door spa,

Hand renewel with olive oil salt scrub and shea butter.
signature facial with an acupressure massage.
80 minute sports massage.
50 minute warm shea butter body melt.
followed by a spa life luxury package starting with cream & sugar exfoliation, hydrating milk bath, and ending with a warm shea butter body massage.


I mean... that's what my girlfriend would get...

:eek: Spa treatments are expensive!

When jewelry is considered, I almost invariably end up fixating on diamond stud earrings. Easy to get three of, minimal thought involved (bad reason, I know; just being honest), and they'll certainly like them and use them for a long time. But it's so tempting to just pick color, clarity, and size and be done with it. Plus, from what I can tell, my sisters don't wear much jewelry other than earrings (reasonably often), necklaces (rarely), and a ring (always the same jade ring my parents bought for them in China). Not counting the tongue piercing one of them has.

Actually red door's pricing seems pretty reasonable. It only gets pricey when you start to customize everything.
Hell paying someone 60 bucks for an hour for someone to massage and clean my hands is cheap knowing the amount of motor oil, acetone, grease, molten aluminium, saw dust, and god knows what my hands go through every day.

Red Door Signature Spa
Experience (half day) $240
• Red Door Signature Facial
• Red Door Signature
Massage (50 min)
• Red Door Signature
Manicure
With Red Door
Signature Pedicure $305

Signature Stress Melter
Ritual (110 min) $205
• Olive Oil Exfoliation
• Aroma Balancing Massage
(50 min)
• Aromatic Wrap with Scalp
Massage

Red Door Signature Spa
Experience (full day) $490
• Cream and Sugar Scrub
• Red Door Signature Facial
• Red Door Signature
Massage (50 min)
• Red Door Signature
Manicure
• Red Door Signature
Pedicure
• Haircut, Blowdry & Finish
• Makeup Application
• Spa Lunch

Red Door Men’s Club
(half day) $175
• Red Door Signature
Massage (50 min)
• Sport Manicure
• Haircut & Finish
With Sport Pedicure $223

Elizabeth Arden Body
Essentials (half day) $205
• Elizabeth Arden Classic
Facial
• Classic Massage (50 min)
• Warm Cream Manicure
With Warm Cream
Pedicure $253

Elizabeth Arden Escape
(half day) $173
• Red Door Signature
Massage (50 min) or Red
Door Signature Facial
• Warm Cream Manicure
• Warm Cream Pedicure
With Shampoo, Blowdry
& Finish $218

Lighten Up Retreat
(half day) $243
• Lighten Up Facial
• Lighten Up Mani-Cure
• Heeling Pedi-Cure

Perfect Balance
(half day) $345
• Ardena Four-Layer Facial
• Purifying Seaweed
Body Wrap
• Desert Hot Stone Massage
(50 min)

jschen, perhaps I didn't read your posts carefully enough, but are you planning to give the presents in person? Do you have a big family reunion coming up or are you going to mail them?

If you're going to meet your sisters, I think organizing a day trip for just the 4 of you would be great: a picninc on the beach, sailing, horse-back riding... whatever you think they'll enjoy.
If you were planning to mail the presents, then I'd say +1 for the art suggestion. This can be a very good idea if you know what kinds of things each one of them likes, so that you can make the gift very personal... so that the moment your sisters see the gifts, they'd know you though about them when you picked them. You could also consider tickets for an event they'd like: opera, theatre, concert

In any case it's hard work finding a good present. Good luck!

peregrine, I hadn't thought too much about delivery. This is a time-insensitive decision. There's no occasion attached to these gifts. I've been throwing the idea around in my head for half a year now. If I were to decide something soon, I'd probably mail it to two of my sisters (in SF and NYC) and deliver it in person to the third (in LA). And many of the suggestions don't have to be one time things, of course. Things like lunch together, those are recurring things. Or sharing knowledge or skills with them. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching my sister to drive stick a few years back. Another one recently came to me seeking help with hill climbing on a bike and refinement of her downshifting technique in a car. And yet another one has wanted to discuss over the course of multiple conversations how to plan and care for her own investments.

But I also know they are somewhat envious of my ability to spend as I see fit. I know my parents help them far more than they help me since my sisters currently have more need for the help. But nonetheless, I have a far less constrained budget. (Having a healthy stipend and no tuition to pay helps. My consulting income does wonders. And my working years resulted in enough savings set aside to not really worry about saving even more money during grad school.) And when my parents do help me--recently by buying my new car--traditional biases in favor of the eldest/only son still show. My sisters' financially better days will come. After all, two are going to become medical doctors, and the other is going to become a dentist. But in the meantime, though not expected of me, I think they would really appreciate if I share some of the spoils with them. So I think for this occasion (non-occasion?), it will be something materialistic, though hopefully somewhat personalized. Don't know what yet, but I'll figure out something. Jewelry, art, tickets to an event, all of those are possibilities.

Adopt me and buy me a F4i. Used will do :D

On second thought, a nice photo printer would be good too. could order online and have it shipped to me, eeer, them so easily.

D Cell Batteries :D

D Cell Batteries :D

it's generally AA's.. D cells? You're damaged goods lady! :eek:

On second thought, a nice photo printer would be good too. could order online and have it shipped to me, eeer, them so easily.

I got myself a canon 6220D for free (shop forgot to charge my card). 6-colors, best printer I've used so far, I can knock off full resolution 8x10's from my nikon d70 and my friends can't tell it was done on a home printer even looking at it through a magnifying glass.
Next thing I'm buying is the canon i9900, 8-colors, and I can knock off a full res 13x19 print from my d200 in 5 min.

it's generally AA's.. D cells? You're damaged goods lady! :eek:
Hell no, just rewired for MORE POWER! :lol:

Hell no, just rewired for MORE POWER! :lol:

More power... arrrrrr!
I'm surprised you don't have to pull start your thing...

More power... arrrrrr!
I'm surprised you don't have to pull start your thing...
That's what the big batteries are for... ELECTRIC START!

The D-Cells are for when you've upgraded from "the rabbit" to "the kangaroo"!!

How about flying lessons?

Joe

I'd make a good pet. I only require food and fresh straw at least once a week to sleep in. I'll even clean while you're at work!

With a name like explody pup and a picture showing her what you spent all day "making" errr "sahping"....errrr...."exploding"......you expect shadiyah to believe your housetrained!:p I think she'll keep you because your cute and she can train yyou to fetch her kombucha!:p ;)

:D

jschen....

I like the spa idea, and I'm always one for making someone something by hand. It is usually a lasting gift. Good luck with it, I'm sure they'll enjoy whatever you decide on. Your thinking of them...theat's what really matters.