Gifts for the Single Parent

Christmas to New Years, Birthdays to Holidays, gift giving can be overwhelming regardless of the occasion. However, this time of year is when we tend to focus on gift giving the most. What about the hard to buy for, you ask? What about the aunt of the girlfriend's best-friend who is visiting for the holidays? Well, you can always make a gift basket or a stocking of the items I listed yesterday.

I was thinking about the single parents. What might they need or want outside of the normal things? They are focused on getting by, providing for their families, working, even surviving the holidays. My situation is unique, I'm not only single, but a single mother of a son with special needs and of an aging parent, neither of which is a whiny story but instead filled with blessings. I can relate to many things a single parent might need, but I asked both guys and dolls about this and then put a list together. Please comment on other ideas:

Movie tickets

Pizza gift certificates

Milk and cookies (seriously)

Gym membership

Makeup

Grilling spices and BBQ sauces

Qaffle maker

Car serviced

Coffee or tea

Basic cook book (for guys and dolls who don't cook)

A month of cable

Pay utilities (I know, a biggy)

Basic set of tools

Board games

Movie Night gift basket (make sure they have a DVD player)

Bible

Journal

First Aid Box

Bath supplies

Laundry Basket of supplies

Rosemary Plant with $1 bills rolled up and tied with a ribbon on it

Candle

House Plant with directions please

Freezer Meals

Slow Cooker

A vacation (only got this once! lol)

Clean House

Robe and house-shoes

Christmas cards in the mail

Scrapbook to add photographs

Stamps

Gas Cards

Family Photograph

Blanket

Adult Coloring Books

Portable Radio (was surprised by this one)

Emergency Box with batteries, flashlights, matches, etc)

Address book

Calendar for new year (wall and desk)

Devotionals

Books

Newspaper and magazine subscriptions

These are just a few ideas. Groceries was the number one response, then gas cards. You and I both will be surprised that the next one was the one I titled "Laundry Basket." Things like laundry detergent, fabric softener, basket, linen bags, quarters for the laundry mat (men don't always have washer and dryers), clothes pins even were on that list. The gift ideas are vast and opportunities are bigger. Everywhere you turn there are single parents, widows, widowers, elderly, those with special needs, college students, individuals working three jobs to get by...opportunities are everywhere to be a giver instead of a taker. If they pass something on, then that is more people reached because of one gift. God has blessed the hands that held it.

May your New Year be filled with daily giving and opportunities to share Him with skin on.

Hugs, Rita

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