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New Year Gifts :
We have come across presents of various kinds at the pre- Christmas festivals; now that we have reached New Year, and
the spirit of Christmastide itself still hovers around, we may dwell a little upon the festival as the great present-giving
season of the year, and try to get at the origins of the custom.
The Roman strenae offered to the Emperor or exchanged between private citizens at the January Kalends have already
been noted. |
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 According to tradition they were originally merely branches plucked from the grove of the goddess Strenia, and
the purpose of these may well have been akin to that of the greenery used for decorations, viz., to secure contact with a
vegetation-spirit. In the time of the Empire, however, the strenae were of a more attractive character, "men gave honeyed
things, that the year of the recipient might be full of sweetness, lamps that it might be full of light, copper and silver
and gold that wealth might flow in amain [exceedingly]". |
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 Such presents were obviously a kind of charm for the New Year, based
on the principle that as the beginning was, so would the rest of the year be. With the adoption of the Roman New Year's Day
its present-giving customs appear to have spread far and wide. In France, where the Latin spirit is still strong, January 1
is even now the great day for presents, and they are actually called etrennes, a name obviously derived from strenae. In
Paris boxes of sweets are then given by bachelors to friends who have entertained them at their houses during the year - a
survival perhaps of the "honeyed things" given in Roman times. In many countries, however, present-giving is attached to the
ecclesiastical festival of Christmas. This is doubtless largely due to attraction from the Roman New Year's Day to the feast
hallowed by the Church. A common gift to German children at the New Year was an apple with a coin in it; the coin may
conceivably be a Roman survival, while the apple may be connected with those brought by St. Nicholas. |
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GIFT IDEAS :
New Year is a time of celebrations with friends and family. An important aspect of new year celebrations is giving gifts to
friends and family members. Selection of the right gift is yet another important aspect. What you give does not matter . What
matters only the selection. The perfect new year gift can be anything from depending upon the kind of relation we share with
the person, the love and concern we have towards that person. There is simply no specific gift for the new year. A simple
gift can be given in a very extravagant way and manner with a simple thought and the way we present the gift. |
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The new year
gifts can be DECORATIVE. These category of gifts include beautiful flowers, wall hanging, showpieces and other things with
which we decorate our house. The perfect new year gift is something which is useful for the person we are giving. This may be
pens with the name of the person engraved in it, clothes, purses, handbags etc. If the gift has to be give to a child it can
be a very good book, some puzzles, coloring books, colors etc. Another great gift for the new year is the CDs and musical
records. If you want to be a bit extravagant and give a gift to the love of your life then the best gift is a jewellery. It
can be a pair of earring, a pendant etc. So, in total we see that there is nothing in particular that you have to give a new
year. What matters is your budget and your feeling for the person whom you are giving the gift.
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New Year Gifts can be anything and everything New that imbibes with it the spirit of well being and the renewal of
love, peace, humanity and good relations. So it may be as simple as a bunch of nice flowers, or a basket of season's fruits;
a box of candy or a pack of chocolates; an item of trivia or, utilities or, luxury. The list can go on and on. Well,
remember, gifts might not necessarily be rich and glamorous in their worldly possession, but make sure that they're rich at
heart. Before taking a random or on-the-spot(shop) decision plan beforehand. Toy with every feasible liking of your target
receivers. Are they sport lovers or hikers? Keen on new dresses or shoes? Theater or movie buffs? Party hoppers or getaway
seekers? Art lovers or cool on crafts? Connoisseurs of classical or contemporaries? Habitual readers or glossy pickers? |
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Also consider :
- if there is an event, theater, etc... they would like to go;
- if they would like to visit or see something else e.g. the nature park, the local zoo, the museum;
- if there is a magazine they would love to receive as a gift. Yearly subscription?
- if they have been asked to recommend gifts that they need or want? If no, ask.
- if there is a personal item you could create, that they would enjoy having.
- if you can help them purchase something that they need.
Great is also the idea of gifting a ticket to a favorite sporting event - may be at the nearest ball park to ride the crest of excitements; or an entertainment show provided it matches with your affordability. |
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| Floral gifts |
Object d'art |
Musical gifts |
Miscellaneous |
*Traditionally flowers are great gift items. Be they ordinary or the cut ones, make sure they are well arranged
and bear your personal touch. A well chosen floral bouquet to honor your taste will do wonder.
You can buy flowers and gift them in designer vases with the 'A Very Happy New Year' imprinted on them. |
*Gifts under this category can be anything from fountains, clocks, wind chimes, dream catchers to china or,
metal sculptures and picture pals.
*Choicest books and writing materials like pens, letter or writing pad can go well with and for all ages and
occasions.Try The gift link down below.
*For kids and grown-ups with some creative bent of mind, things like drawing and coloring materials
or musical instrument; or toys or games of infotainment to mind
teasers are always wonderful. |
*Again a cassette or CD - audio or video, is a great New Year Gift.
Well, A collection of all the songs that catch the true spirit of the season.
*But no less great is the idea of dedicating something to the listening pleasure of your friends and family.
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*Nifties & Utilities
Pick up anything from a Perfume, to a nice looking useful school bag to a fancy leather bag or even a sizeable
kit bag. A watch band, or a belt; a television or a two-wheeler. Or,
a watch, key rings, pen stand, telephone index, electronic notebook and so forth.
*Jewelry
For those who can afford it may be anything - designer rings, bracelets, and necklaces, to photographic charms,
handcrafted jewelry and
beaded votive holders. |
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WILD PARTY IDEAS :
Partying is the most important of all traditions of the New Year. To organize a party for the new year is just not easy. It
needs proper planning and organization for a party. Decoration is the most important aspect of the new Year. here are
following tips for the new year party.
- The best kind of decoration for a new year party is putting up streamers and balloons.
- We can decorate the party area with new year greetings and ecards.
- Tie bunches of flowers and put them all over the party area.
- Another elegant decoration is putting fresh fruits in a basket and then decorating the area with beautiful scented
candles.
- Play light tune music in the party area.
Once the decoration is all set you need to plan some games to keep the guests busy and let them have a gala time all
through. Here are some of the games you can play during the new year party :
The Grouping Game -
This is a good game to play as a mixer. It is a fun, fast moving game. It starts out as everyone collects in one big group.
The leader initially calls out a number, usually a number between two and fifteen. The number shouldn't be more than half of
the number of total participants. When the number is called out everyone must try to collect in a group that contains that
number of people. The group members should be latching arms or have their arms wrapped around each other so that the leader
can see who is in the group. If someone cannot enter a group because the number of required members has been reached, he is
out of the game. As different numbers are successively called out the number of participants gets smaller and smaller.
Eventually, there are less than ten people. The last group, or winning group, should have anywhere from two to five people.
Musical Chair -
The old favorite. With one fewer chairs than people, a short snippet of music is played while the people move around the
room. All the chairs are placed in the middle of the room or arranged in a corner, all facing back on the wall. When the
music stops everyone tries to sit on a vacant chair. (Only one person per chair) The person who doesn't find a chair is
'out'. One chair is taken away and the game continues until only one person (The Winner) is left. |
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