Gifts of Time
Try as we might, we never seem to have enough time. We try to buy it, save it, preserve it. . . . Yet it
keeps ticking away. With these time-themed gift ideas, maybe you can help someone else capture a precious moment before it fades.
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ERASING TIME
Decades of smiles, frowns and squinting into the sun are sure to show on our faces. But that doesn’t mean we have to like the crinkles, wrinkles and lines. A time-erasing cream, like Philosophy’s moisturizer, is aptly named Hope in a Jar. The uplifting message on the label: “Science can give us better skin. Only humanity can give us better days.” And if you don’t like that approach, there’s always another maker offering exotic alternatives in the form of serums, masques, vitamins, potions and lotions.
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PRESERVING TIME
They grow up so fast. Children may be the greatest gift of all, but each momentous step is fleeting. You can notch their heights on a growth chart tacked to the wall. You can put their photos in albums and frames. You can even press their hands into plaster molds. But how to capture the innocence of those tiny feet that will one day walk away from you? Try saving their inked footprints on pretty paper that you’ve rubber-stamped with their names or initials.
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KEEPING TIME
It’s tempting to buy one of the many millennium souvenirs--a tablecloth, a purse, a champagne flute. But nothing signifies the passing moments better than the instrument invented to do just that: a timepiece. With the huge variety in prices and styles, 2000 may be the best time in history to buy a watch. Spend $25 or $2,500. Have it engraved. Pass it on to the next generation . . . who surely will wonder how we spent our time in the 20th century.
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REFINING TIME
E-mail, voice mail and overnight mail give us faster and faster communication. None, though, allows the luxury of a slowly and artfully considered composition. A letter, hand-written on elegant paper, does. Even the most simple sentiment seems more meaningful when it’s composed with beautiful components. A box of engraved cards, a fancy fountain pen or a journal crafted from handmade paper may be the best way to give someone your time . . . and may even make writing all those thank-you notes a joy.
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TAKING TIME
Sure, protest that you don’t have time to relax. Who does? You are a perfect candidate for a day-spa gift certificate. So maybe the next time you’re frazzled from a day of elbowing through the mall, you can slip into the Spa at South Coast Plaza for the “Hold My Calls CEO’s Retreat,” a $300 package of massage, mud masque and body polish. Or sneak off to Beverly Hills for a two-hour massage ($180) at the Peninsula Spa. Then just let time stand still.
