The Last Minute Christmas Gift for Everyone on Your Christmas List

Can you believe it? Only 13 more days until Christmas! When we were kids, that was joyous news. It meant that the big day was going to arrive in just a short time. But, as an adult, and especially if you a re the adult responsible for seeing that everyone in the family, and maybe a few people not in your family, receives gifts on Christmas morning, the words, "only 13 more days until Christmas," may not put you in a joyful mood at all. That means only 12 more shopping days until Christmas.

Well, I have something that will help you out---an Amaryllis kit.

Now, before you come up will all kinds of excuses about why that wouldn't possibly work for Uncle John, or 8-year-old Susie, or Great Grandpa Samuel, just think about it for a minute.

An Amaryllis is a gift that keeps on giving long after Christmas. If you have never seen one grow, pick up one for yourself, too, and be prepared for a treat. An Amaryllis is practically foolproof to grow. Even purple-thumbed Aunt Sally can succeed with an Amaryllis. You only have to dump some soil into a flowerpot, stick the bottom of the Amaryllis bulb about an inch and a half into the soil, water it a bit, and sit back and wait.

The great thing is, you don't have to wait very long. Within several days, the first little green spear of your plant will appear, and after that, it will grow so quickly that the whole family will be measuring it daily to see how much taller it has grown since the day before.

Don't worry about Great Grandpa Samuel. He probably misses having his own garden every year, and will love the opportunity to tend this quick growing, spectacular plant and see it produce some of the largest and most gorgeous blossoms he has ever seen. Before long, all of his friends will want Amaryllis bulbs of their own.

Children, even 8-year-old Susie, will have fun watching their very own Amaryllis grow and bloom, and will invite their friends to stop by so they can show it off.

Who knows, Uncle John and purple-thumbed Aunt Sally may even set up some kind of Amaryllis competition to see which one's plant gets the tallest or has the most or largest blossoms.

Now for the best news of all. An Amaryllis bulb kit can be purchased for $5 or less at most stores around this time of year. The kit not only has an Amaryllis bulb in your choice of color, but it also includes a pot and a soil package. (Some kits have soil disks that expand when water is added.) Nothing could be easier for the recipient and really, nothing could be easier for the giver of this gift as well. The whole kit is packaged in a nice little box that is easy to wrap, or if you are one of those gift-wrapping challenged persons, a big bow stuck to the top of the box along with a gift tag or card should be enough. (See picture)

There may be only 12 more shopping days before Christmas, but you can have the problem solved this afternoon. Simply count the people still left on your shopping list, multiply it by $5 (maybe a little more, depending on which store you use) and go pick up your Amaryllis kits. An hour later, your gifts will be lined up on a table, ready for Christmas morning, and you will spend the next 12 days actually looking forward to Christmas