Saturday, December 20, 2008

Oprah's List of 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.

The primary focus of this years Oprah's Favorite Things 2008 was to show you how you can get through the holiday season without spending a ton of money. Oprah was very wise to do a show like this considering the financial state that the country is in and showing people some creative options to purchasing gifts and giving gifts that are more heartfelt.

First on the list of Oprah's Favorite Things 2008 was how to make your own Gratitude Box. Simple to make and what a heartfelt gift it makes to the receiver. You can buy a pretty box from your local craft store and some ribbon for as little as $2, or you may want to dress it up a bit more. Write some very special things about the person, times you remember, funny things that happened or things you enjoyed together and place them in the box. This is one gift that won't be forgotten.

Holiday Music Hits, Oprah not only supplied you with a downloadable pdf to make a CD cover but you were able to download her personal holiday favorite songs from her website, that included Faith Hill, "Joy to the World", Tony Bennett, "I'll be Home for Christmas", Il Divo, "O Holy Night", Josh Groban, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", Brian McKnight, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", Harry Connick Jr., "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and Aretha Franklin, "Silent Night".

Another one of Oprah's Favorite Things 2008 and a great gift idea is a Treasure Box and you can buy them for about $12. Inside you can place keepsakes for your children, friends or family. Give it to a friend and you start it off and let them continue to add to the treasure box. When a special occasion comes up such as their birthday you can give them something to add to it also. The Treasure Boxes become a collection of beautiful mementos that the receiver will hold near and dear to their hearts.

Who doesn't like hot chocolate ... You can make Holiday Chocolate Cones for next to nothing and give as gifts to not just children. You can find recipes on the internet to make your own hot chocolate mixture and then add marshmallows and top off with chocolate chips. You can find piping bags or candy bags at your local craft store to put these in and tie with a nice ribbon.

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. - 15359

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