More Holiday Gifts for Women Who Need to Be Pampered

"Top Holiday Gifts for Women Who Need Pampering" by A Servant, opened a wonderful can of worms, however the author didn't take things far enough. As those who know me know well, I LOVE to shop!

Folks, it doesn't qualify as "shopping" if you only go to one store, or look at one site on-line! The above article only addresses Mary Kay items available at someone's Mary Kay site. BORING! If you are a man, and in need of genuine gift ideas for your woman, who needs pampering, the above article probably won't be much help to you.

Before we embark on our virtual shopping tour, this might be a good time to point out that some women LIKE to be pampered, and some women NEED to be pampered. There is an important distinction here: some women really need the pampering, but resist spas, "frou-frou" frills, and so on. For your gift to be appreciated and "go over" well, it is important to fit the gift to the personality. For instance, if a woman gardens a lot, or always has her hands in modeling clay or works on a farm, or cleans her horse's stall daily, she might be in severe need of the gift of several manicures and pedicures at a local nail shop. However some women who are always working with their hands wouldn't enjoy such a gift. If you are seeking to delight a very practical, down-to-earth woman who doesn't usually spend much time on herself, she might resist a spa gift certificate , even if she really needed the attention.

What is "pampering" to one woman is impracticality to another. If you are unsure what would be most appreciated, consider trying a little experiment. It goes like this: "A bunch of us were sitting around on a break, and one of the guys asked us something that most of us couldn't answer." Well, that is sure to get a woman's attention. You want advice? We're usually full of it! (That could be taken two ways...take it whichever way suits you best.)

You could go on to say that one of the guys has a cousin who wants to pamper his wife, but she is a practical and busy lady. The (mythical) cousin wants to spend $100. No one came up with any good gift suggestions to pamper the wife. Just the usual stuff. If you are asked what the suggestions were, that's your cue to throw in things like a gift certificate for several manicure sand pedicures, having her hair done and dinner and a movie afterwards, or a day at a spa, etc. The response you get back will most likely help you figure out whether your lady would like such gifts, or whether she ends up talking longingly about something else. Perhaps her idea of pampering is dinner out, no dishes and no kids! Or some special fragrance or cosmetic or a weekly foot rub from you. There are as many ideas of "pampering" as there are women! If, however, you both end up reading this article, then my friend, you're on your own! Good luck with a good story!

When it comes to cosmetics, I've tried a ton of them and have my favorites (who doesn't?!). I sell Avon as a hobby, rather than a business. No, relax, I'm not going to slip in a link for my site here. The only reason I'm bringing this up is because I've found that what I think smells great or feels super on my skin isn't necessarily what one of my customers likes. So if your lady likes cosmetics, and would enjoy the full compliment of facial products, lotions, cream and "war paint," she probably would enjoy picking it out herself. That's where a gift certificate is so handy. Take a look at Macy's or Nordstrom's or even HSN.com! With these sites you get the added insurance of a wide variety of products, not just cosmetics. Clothing, beauty products, household helps, you name it and it is available! Each of these sites carries several beauty lines, not just one. So there is plenty to pick from.

Or how about Godiva chocolates? Think truffles. Those who adore chocolate agree that Godiva chocolates are luxurious and can make a person feel pampered. Remember the old saying about, "Eating bon-bons and lying in bed all day long." I'm not big on lying in bed all day long, and don't know too many busy women who could do it, to save their souls. We're the human equivalent of a toaster: the alarm clock goes off and we pop up. However chocolate, rich, smooth, creamy chocolate truffles are pampering to a lot of us.

If your lady loves chocolate but finds the sugar is bad for her, take a look at the smooth, creamy Belgian chocolate bars made with Maltitol and Xylitol. If you have never heard of Xylitol, it is a natural sweetener which is as sweet as sugar, yet does not substantially raise blood sugar levels. XylitolNow.com sells these delicious chocolate bars. Van Duyn sells decadent sugar free chocolate assortments, the kind that comes in the candy box , each candy in its own little paper cup, and the big gold seal on the outside. Van Duyn also offers regular chocolates made with sugar. If I ever sample a Van Duyn chocolate that I don't like, I'll let you know, but so far, everything they offer is fabulous!

No article seems complete to me without some mention of chocolate, no matter what the topic! Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on to other ideas. Some women would enjoy a spa experience, while others would prefer to be given the items to create a spa feeling in the privacy of their own bathroom. Candles, chocolate (there it is again!), a new soft bathrobe, a soothing CD and bubble bath are sort of the traditional home-spa stuff. If you decide to wrap such items and make your gift-giving theme one of pampering at home, don't forget to include some sort of escape for the kids. It is very hard to relax in the bathroom when kids are pounding on the door, or (even worse) when they are very quiet! Maybe the gift package could include movie tickets and a card explaining that you will take the kids to a local movie when she would like some quiet time. Even by itself, that is a pretty great gift! But there are many busy women who simply don't know what the heck to do with themselves when they get a moment or two to themselves. I recall a sweet young woman who offered to babysit my daughter so I could have some time "o myself. I didn't have enough gas in the car to drive to the mall, and no money to do anything with. All I did was work, come home, fix dinner, do the dishes and ironing and fall into bed, ready to do it all over again the next day. Women like that need a little prompting with do-it-yourself spa gifts. I know this is about PAMPERING, but honestly, some women would prefer a little time to themselves and good book, or a hobby item.

When it comes to books, the biggest and best selection is found on-line at amazon.com.Does she like mysteries? Romance? Comedy? How about a DVD instead? Not everyone enjoys reading. Most women have a favorite movie or two.

Try this one on for size: arrange with family friends or relatives to take the kids on a mutually agreeable evening, so you and your sweetie can watch a DVD together. You could find one of those pretty cards that is blank inside, and write out the arrangement for the kids to play elsewhere on an agreed upon night. Whether kids are part of the family or not, consider giving her chocolate, gourmet popcorn, a DVD you think she'd like (something SHE'D like - you may have to suffer through it as part of your gift to her), and maybe a homemade coupon for a foot rub. Perhaps she'd like a box of fancy hot chocolate mix for the two of you to sip while watching the movie, or champagne and chocolates or...well, you know what she likes, right?

Suggestions for soothing and relaxing Cd's can be found on About.com's Top 10 Spa Cd's. The site lists quite a few vendors, so you can shop around for the best price if you want to. Amazon.com. offers most of them, if not all of them.

How about candles which smell of ocean fragrances? Yankee Candles.com has a fragrance called Ocean Water.Lavender is a scent associated with relaxation and Yankee Candles has that too. Inexpensive Yankee votive candles are small enough to allow you to purchase several different fragrances. WicksWorks.com offers pretty, boxed aroma therapy candle gift sets.

How about bath salts from a real spa? Calistoga Golden Haven Hot Springs sells bath salts in lavender, ocean mist, rose garden and mint cooler fragrances.

Additional ideas could include a gift certificate for a professional massage, or a card which can be redeemed for a massage by you, or the gift of a night away at a charming local bed-and-breakfast. Planet B&B.com is a directory of bed-and-breakfasts across the nation, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Some women would feel pampered if they received a dishwasher (if they've been hand-washing the dishes and are tired of that). However, a dishwasher would not make some women very happy, but it does serve to illustrate that successful gift-giving involves matching the gift to the recipient. Henry J. Kaiser, who founded the massive Kaiser Industries used to say, "Find a need and fill it." He did (with cement, aluminum, steel, etc.) If you can find the need in your lady's life and supply her with what she needs or wants, she will be pretty happy with you! If all else fails, check out the web site on how to pamper your wife.