Grace: As silly as it sounds, one of the most memorable gifts I received recently was from one of my violin students. She didn’t buy me anything expensive or give me a gift certificate, but rather, she gave me something she spent time growing herself; vegetables!

It’s a strange gift, but I remember spending my summers in Yamanashi, Japan when I was younger and my grandma’s neighbor would always come over (always through the window, never the door) to give us freshly grown eggplants. There’s something very sentimental about receiving a gift that someone took time to grown and nurture. Not to mention, it’s delicious!

I realize that it’s not very practical to grow a garden just for the sake of giving a gift, but a cute alternative, especially for children, would be a gardening kit, complete with seeds. I remember how much fun it was to plant my own seeds and watch my vegetables grow. Not to mention, this gift is also eco-friendly and promotes sustainability. These days kids are spending too much time indoors and aren’t getting the health benefits from being outside. This gift encourages kids to go outside and play around in the world in addition to growing beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables!

Dan: What do you mean no video games! Just kidding…this is a wonderful gift idea that is more than just a food item. When I was younger doing the yard work was an order and not a gift. It was…plant those bushes or you cannot go out with your friends instead of something positive. I’ve come to realize that yard work and growing plants is an excellent way to pass the time and is really fun. Planting enables you to not only get outside, but to bring out your creative self. The arrangement and placement of a garden is the most fun part because the finished product will look exactly like you imagined. This is a great gift idea. There is one seed superstore called Burpee that offers all kinds of plant seed including edible vegetables and offers them at fair value.