Many of us restrict gift-giving to birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions; but why not surprise family and friends with a present that continues to delight all year? Magazine and newspaper subscriptions, book clubs, even flower and gourmet food clubs will send your loved one a new present periodically throughout the subscription period.
Food clubs have become tremendously popular and amazingly varied. The Fruit of the Month Club has been around for decades, and has been joined by offerings from gourmet chocolate to coffees to pastries to wine and beer; the growth of the Internet has boosted the popularity of these clubs tremendously. Whether your friend is a gourmet coffee fan or a sushi freak, there's probably a food of the month club out there to suit her.
Of course there's the issue of paying for the club offerings. Magazine subscriptions can be paid up front, but gifting with a food club is trickier. Contact the club and find out if you can prepay for the monthly specials, or whether the club can send the gift to the recipient and bill you. Also check to see how the club runs; does it simply offer one item to be shipped automatically, or, like book clubs, does it offer a special each month and alternatives that can be ordered in addition to or instead of the special? If the latter, you might want to ask if you can set a price limit on the orders.
Don't restrict yourself to holiday and birthday giving, even with these clubs. If you come across a club that's absolutely perfect for someone, order it on the spot; don't wait for Christmas, or you may forget about it. Just let the recipient know something's coming in the mail so he won't question why the package arrived and possibly send it back.
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics.