I’m reposting this old article I did last year. I mean, how many corny, coffee mugs do you get EVERY year?

Time to be creative. Before you do, check out what NOT to give this year.

Just click below.

Here’s the list

5. FRUIT CAKE – yeah baby! Talk about something unique – not! Fruit cakes are boring. Well, except those that really taste good. Can’t think of anything better? Pathetic.

4. SCENTED CANDLES – Yeah, right! Something I really need and useful, di ba? OMG! Not another candle… PLEASEEEEEE

3. PICTURE FRAME – Oh boy! I’m really excited now… sheesh. Another boring gift. Something that will probably gather dust if it doesn’t match my living room. I’m sure you could think of something better to give (and wrap).

2. PLANNER – Aha! The bane of every office worker – to get 7 or 10 planners at Christmas. What do I do? I put my different schedule types on EACH! Eureka! My personal schedule on one, my business appointments on the other and my gaming scheds on yet another. Genius! Einstein, eat your heart out! Sigh.

1. MUG – The freakoid who invented the ceramic mug must have been Santa’s sick clone. Hehehe. How many mugs have you received this Christmas? Enough to make your own mug kiosk/store? You bet. There’s nothing worse to get (or recieve) than an old boring mug. So, be kind and think twice before buying that mug. I beg you.

Surely, we can all be original – or even personal when giving gifts. It’s not the price tag that matters. Discern if your gift will be something useful for that friend or relative. For example, if he or she is a dog lover, perhaps a nice stainless dog dish will be more appreciated than a planner, right? Or if he’s an outdoor type of guy, maybe he’ll be excited about receiving a nice outdoor knife or a compass… the key here is to find out what they love and find the corresponding gift to match their hobbies. Not rocket science, ya?

Meanwhile, the experts at about.com have a few words to say about “re-gifting”.

I leave you with 101 great personalized gift ideas – still from about.com.

Merry Christmas!

GM T

Yeah… yeah… I know it still is very early and Valentine’s is next month. But I was recently inspired to do this post when I saw someone peddling flowers on the way here to work. I wondered how a gamer, especially an MMO player, might deal with Valentines. What sort of gifts would appeal to a girl gamer or to a fellow gamers’ “special someone”?

Of course, it’s a fact that flowers and chocolates are guaranteed to hit the “spot” when it comes to Valentine’s gifts.

Some tips on valentines gift ideas after the jump…

Here are some valentines gift ideas to get you started

• In-game items that scream “LOVE” – sometimes when the Cupid’s season comes, online games have patches that include special flowers, cakes or even chocolates. Try to farm for these and avail of the special events and show your partner that you took time to get them
• A special note – if the game has a messaging system, a special prose or poem can say “I love you” in a unique way.
• A video – If you can sacrifice a few hours of your time by combining screenshots of you and her, you can put them together in a simple video. You can either mail it or upload it online for her to see
• Real flowers – even if others say that it’s common, nothing beats REAL flowers as a valentines gift idea. If you don’t have time, you can just order online and let the experts prepare it for you. Check out this short video on how to say I love you.

So, what other ideas do you have? Here’s wishing you more love in both the online gaming world and in real life.

And remember, it’s never early to say “I Love You”. If you really care, Valentine’s should be everyday!

Now that you know what to shop for if you’re looking for video games, have you noticed the most “abused” and unoriginal gifts this Christmas?

Below are 5 gifts that I don’t want to get YET AGAIN.

I mean, c’mon! Let’s be original. I’m sure you’re not immune to these types of gifts come Yuletide.

So, before you hit the jump, make a wild guess and see if your list is the same as mine.

Ready? Here’s a bonus….

Alrighty kids…

Here’s the list

5. FRUIT CAKE – yeah baby! Talk about something unique – not! Fruit cakes are boring. Well, except those that really taste good. Can’t think of anything better? Pathetic.

4. SCENTED CANDLES – Yeah, right! Something I really need and useful, di ba? OMG! Not another candle… PLEASEEEEEE

3. PICTURE FRAME – Oh boy! I’m really excited now… sheesh. Another boring gift. Something that will probably gather dust if it doesn’t match my living room. I’m sure you could think of something better to give (and wrap).

2. PLANNER – Aha! The bane of every office worker – to get 7 or 10 planners at Christmas. What do I do? I put my different schedule types on EACH! Eureka! My personal schedule on one, my business appointments on the other and my gaming scheds on yet another. Genius! Einstein, eat your heart out! Sigh.

1. MUG – The freakoid who invented the ceramic mug must have been Santa’s sick clone. Hehehe. How many mugs have you received this Christmas? Enough to make your own mug kiosk/store? You bet. There’s nothing worse to get (or recieve) than an old boring mug. So, be kind and think twice before buying that mug. I beg you.

Surely, we can all be original – or even personal when giving gifts. It’s not the price tag that matters. Discern if your gift will be something useful for that friend or relative. For example, if he or she is a dog lover, perhaps a nice stainless dog dish will be more appreciated than a planner, right? Or if he’s an outdoor type of guy, maybe he’ll be excited about receiving a nice outdoor knife or a compass… the key here is to find out what they love and find the corresponding gift to match their hobbies. Not rocket science, ya?

Still stumped? Amazon has a nice toy list for ideas and so does toysrus.com Meanwhile, the experts at about.com have a few words to say about “re-gifting”.

I leave you with 101 great personalized gift ideas – still from about.com.

Merry Christmas!

GM T