Gift Central Store

Disney fans of all ages can find souvenirs that satisfy their taste from anywhere inside the universe of Disney World. The most magical place on earth is also the most commercially savvy. Strategically placed and well stocked, Disney World gift stores offer plenty of creative choices for mementos and gifts, including merchandise of all of your favorite characters.

Each of the Disney World parks hosts easily accessible shops, many which are themed. Listed below are a few favorites from the four main parks.

MAGIC KINGDOM

Pooh’s Thotful Shop – Everything a hungry bear could want, this shop features all Hundred Acre Wood items. Located in Fantasyland.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – This is the all girl place to officially become a princess. Beauty make-over packages begin with hair and shimmering make-up, with additional options of nails, princess dresses and crowns, shoes and wands. Located just inside Cinderella’s Castle.

The Yankee Trader – Located in Liberty Square next to the Haunted Mansion, The Yankee Trader sells candy, jams, and kitchen items.

Main Street Gallery – Offers a lot of everything.

Pirates Bazaar – Next to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, everything Pirate is found here. You might even see Captain Hook!

Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe – This year round Christmas shop offers classic ornaments, toys, and gifts. Located in Liberty Square.

EPCOT

Mitsukoshi Department Store – Located in Japan, this store is huge! Everything is from Japan and includes a variety of items for home, body, and life.

Mission Space Gift Shop – Space themed items are offered at this shop located next to the Mission Space ride in Futureworld.

The Tea Caddy – A variety of English teas, candies, and chocolates are offered in this specialty shop in the United Kingdom.

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Island Mercantile - On Discovery Island, this Disney World gift store offers Animal Kingdom related merchandise, pin trading, and hair wrapping.

Mombasa Marketplace - African themed souvenirs and clothing.

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Beverly Sunset - This unique shop offers items featuring Disney villains and Fantasmic gifts.

Rock Around the Shop - Located at the Aerosmith Rockin’ Roller Coaster ride, here you’ll find items related to music, Aerosmith and the Rockin’ Roller Coaster.

The Writer’s Shop - Books, pens, coffee and pastries are sold here.

For a full day of shopping Disney World gift stores, Downtown Disney provides a plethora of choices. The Disney World resorts won’t leave you empty handed, either. They all include shops with huge selections of Disney merchandise.

Perhaps the best feature of all of the Disney World gift stores, at least if you stay at a Disney resort, is that any purchases made at shops in the parks can be sent to your hotel and held for you at the gift shop to pick up the following day. This keeps you from having to tote around heavy, inconvenient bags of merchandise while you continue to enjoy your day discovering all the parks have to offer.

Most individuals or families view their pets as a member of the family as well. That said there is no reason why they should not be included in birthdays, Christmas or any other holiday for that matter. It’s a special day for them as well and it should be celebrated. So what are you going to get for your feline friend on their birthday? Why not consider some of these popular ideas which are sure to excite your pet on their special day:

1. Pet Carrier – Your pet will love this gift! A pet carrier is a bag large enough to allow room for you pet. Your pet then sits in the carrier while you tote them around town. Imagine how excited they would be to go everywhere and never have to walk a step. These items can cost anywhere from $20 to thousands of dollars depending on the style, make and size of the bag.

2. Pet Clothes – Just as humans like clothes for the birthdays, pets do as well. They like dressing up and they also like sweaters to keep them warm in the winter. There are many places to buy clothing for your pet and they can cost as little as $10 or as much as thousands depending on your preferences and the amount of money you are willing to spend.

3. Tasty Treats – Every pet will love the gift of food. Their favorite treats are sure to make them feel special on their birthday (or other occasion) and this can end up being a very inexpensive, yet effective, gift.

4. Pet ID Tags – These items can be personalized with their favorite designs or characters but what’s most beneficial about these gifts is that if they get lost they will be brought back to you. That would probably be the best gift they could wish for.

5. Manicure/Pedicure – I know this sounds crazy but it really isn’t. Think about how much walking your pets do on their paws. Just like we like manicures and pedicures, your pets will appreciate the special treatment as well. Keep in mind this will only work for animals with paws and most likely is only best for those of female nature.

There are many other great gift ideas for your pets. It’s up to you to decide which is best for them but also within your budget. Many individuals spend unreasonable amounts on gifts for their pets but you really don’t need anything extravagant, just something small to let them know you care. In the end it’s the thought that counts…not the price tag.
About the Author
Christine Arbor is a pet lover who works as a contributing writer for http://www.topsellingpetsupplies.com – a site that offers information on buying pet supplies such as pet meds, dog food and more.

If you are considering looking for a nautical gift, for a friend or relative, this Christmas, then you are in good company. Buying gifts is something that just about everybody indulges in at one time or another during the year, especially Xmas. So, it is no surprise to know that millions search for gifts on the internet. What is more of a surprise though is that nautical gifts are amongst the most popular. Why should a gift of a nautical nature be more sought after than a romantic gift or gift for mum? If recent search statistics are to be believed, then a gift to do with the sea is the more “popular”.

What is it, then, about a gift of a nautical origin or inspiration, that makes them so popular? Of course, the word “gift” is English, so the statistics focus on English speaking countries, most notably the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. All of those countries have strong nautical connections. England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland have always had nautical traditions; settlers from Europe travelled to North America by sea in vast numbers, as they did later to Australia and New Zealand. The countries of Britain have been in many sea battles over the centuries.

Millions of people, then, have some sort of nostalgic and historic connection to the sea, so probably feel attached, at a deep level, to matters nautical. That may, or may not, explain the immense interest in nautical gifts that we see today.

Another very simple reason for the popularity of sea related presents could simply be the attractive range you can find with a nautical theme. Here are just a few of the types of sea and ship related gifts you can find online:

Nautical Wall Hanging Gifts

You can find many nautical gifts for hanging on walls, such as a brass bell, mirrors, clocks, bar signs and sculptures.

Bar and Tableware Gifts

You can find some lovely nautical gifts for a bar or the table. The nautical theme has been applied to coasters, table mats, salt and pepper pots and other types of attractive gifts.

Ship Models

Models of ships have been popular for centuries and remain so today. Their beauty and intricacy makes them exceptional gifts for the nautically minded.

Books

Books are an ever popular gift to give and receive. For someone who is interested in nautical subjects such as pirates, seamanship, navigation and boats, then a nautical book is doubly appreciated.

Nautical Lighting

Some of the most attractive nautical gifts are the lighting products. Lanterns and lamps based on a nautical design are very popular and deserve to be so.

There are, of course, many other nautical subjects that make a great theme for a Christmas, birthday or other present. The number one, of course, is a ship; okay, you can’t afford a real one, but there are some fabulous models around! Including the perennial ships in a bottle.
About the Author
This nautical gift article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Xmas Gift website, http://www.gifts-for-xmas.com. He is also responsible for the Xmas Ornament website, http://www.xmas-ornament.com

As we reach the time of year when Christmas items start to appear in the stores, and thoughts of vacations start to wind down with the shortening daylight, it is a good time to think about gifts. Not only the gifts, though, but also the practise of giving.

Offering a gift can be a mutual pleasure; some might say it should be a pleasure for giver and recipient. A problem with a modern commercial Christmas, however, is that buying gifts can become a chore. Often it is a stress ridden chore in the dying days before Christmas Day, as everything gets left to the last minute.

A true gift, though, should bring with it no stress; it should come from the heart to be a true gift, and not be out of duty. If someone is resentful of having to spend time and money buying Christmas gifts, then the result is not a gift but a token of duty.

Why not make this next Christmas a time to make the choosing of individual gifts a pleasure for yourself, and for the recipient. Often in the last minute haste to buy gifts in time for Christmas Day, people become detached from not only the purpose, but the person to whom they are giving. Bought hastily in a crowded stress filled store, scarcely a thought may pass for the individual on the receiving end, however close they may be to you.

Most of the year, if not all, can be filled with work, commuting, rushing here and there, stress, and self focus. How about time and attention for those who really matter in your life, whether spouse, offspring, other relatives, friends or colleagues? The choosing of a gift, and presentation of it, can be a silent way of giving each of them special attention, and then culminating with their pleasure at the receipt of the gift.

Behind every good present there is a person who worked hard to make the best choice. The secret to buying the perfect gift is to think about the message you want to send out, when the receiver opens it. If you think about his or her hobbies, to his or her vacation plans etc. It means you have really studied that person and you bought the present precisely for them, for that occasion; in this case, Christmas.

Friendship and caring are themselves are a gift, so you can see that if you put some real selfless effort into choosing gifts, the value of the gift is magnified. That is something which will shine through the wrapping paper, and in the moment of giving the pleasure that you feel in making the gesture will radiate in the warmth of your expression. The choosing and the giving of a gift are inseparable.

With Christmas some way off, now is a good time to start thinking about the meaning of giving, so that by the time Christmas comes, there will be no thinking “oh, this Christmas gift business is a chore.”

Instead of thinking about the physical aspects and “inconvenience” of buying Christmas gifts, of the costs and effect on your credit card, think about the love, respect and caring that you feel for those to whom you will be giving. That way you will beat the stress before it surfaces, and enjoy the act of giving as a true pleasure.
About the Author
Roy Thomsitt is the owner of http://www.gifts-for-xmas.com and http://www.xmas-ornament.com

I truly think gift giving is an art form. I also think that I have gotten it down to a science. Most of the time when I have the opportunity to give a gift, I already know the person well enough to know exactly what to give them. However, what do you do when you have no clue what to give that person, like when you are going to the wedding of two people who are upwardly mobile and seem to already have everything? Here are some suggestions for you.

Find out if that person is a part of a fraternity or a sorority. If they are, then find out about the fraternity or sorority. Most of them will have special colors or animals that are associated with them. You can’t go wrong if you get them something that is associated with their fraternity or sorority.

Think about what they do for a living and get them something that they can use on a day-to-day basis. For example when my friend graduated from law school, I got him a mug that pictured some men wearing his fraternity’s colors. The mug also came with some highlighters. Judging from the reaction that I got from him, that was the perfect thing to get him.Another example of a good gift is something that I saw at a bridal shower that I recently attended. The gift was some stamps and some thank you cards. Pretty clever.

Giving great gifts doesn’t have to be that hard or that expensive. You just have to use that brain of yours to come up with something that the other person will enjoy and not wind up standing in a long “customer no service” line trying to return or exchange. One final suggestion. Don’t even bother with clothes unless you know the person’s exact size and taste.

Copyright DeAnna Spencer 2004
About the Author
DeAnna Spencer is the webmaster of Learn Small Business. Visit the website often to get free tips on running a small business. Visit http://www.learnsmallbusiness.com today.

Many nonprofit organizations focus their attention on annual giving programs, such as, direct mail and special events. Yet neglect setting up an effective major gift program, or if they have a major gift solicitation program they fail to effectively implement it to it’s full potential. If you are currently focusing on annual giving, then you are not getting all the funding you could get from an effective major gift program, and you are making a big mistake.

Because an ongoing and effective major gift solicitation program can, and will produce a very large block of capital for your nonprofit organization on a regular basis. And such a program can give your organization these funds with a relatively small investment of time and money being needed, as compared to the return you will get.

Here are some guidelines to help you set up your major gift program, or obtain more funds from the program you are already using:

1. Set up a major gift committee, which should include your board chairman, two or three other board members, and your executive director. This committee could also include two or three community leaders or movers and shakers in your community. With the main idea here being that those who solicit major gifts for your organizations should be at or near the same social-economic level as those they will be soliciting for major gifts.

2. Survey your universe of major donors and donor prospects by carefully reviewing your own donor data bases for moderate donors with a regular history of making larger than usual gifts, and of course those who have already made major gifts to your organization.

3. Develop a questionnaire for your board members, key staff members, and volunteers leaders to list their banker, insurance rep, doctor, dentist, lawyer, accountant, as well as their spouse, and their family, friends, and associates who are capable of making a major gifts, and might be solicited to do so. This list should also be supplemented with names from printed sources of information such as published information on major gifts made in your area, local society columns for people of note and etc.

4. Make sure that your major gift committee knows the basics of major gift solicitation techniques. If not, you’ll need to conduct a training program of some kind for them. This could be a short four hour seminar or workshop that’s held on a weekday evening or weekend afternoon, and it should cover the three main areas of gifts solicitation which is the approach, the presentations, and the ask (close).

5. Draft as many of the documents you’ll need for your major gift program as possible before you need them in the form of templates. Which will include such items as development proposals, case statements, network solicitation letters where you have a network connection to the prospective donor, cold solicitation letters when you have no network contact, follow up letters for both those who made gifts and who declined at this time, and etc.

7. Develop a major gift solicitation funding plan which will include a timeline, and how many gifts will be solicited each week, month, quarter, and for the year, as well as who will make what solicitations to whom. And be sure that each member of your major gift committee has already been solicited for their gifts before they attempt to solicit others.

8. Implement your funding plan and keep your plan on track by holding regular major gift solicitation committee meetings with task action minutes as to who is supposed to do what and by when. And be sure to keep good prospect solicitation records on each contact made, including the results, and any needed follow up and when.

A well planned and well ran major gift solicitation can produce an extremely large amount of funding for your nonprofit organization year after year. And the results you can obtain with such a program can be astronomical when you compare the small amount of time and funds you must invest to get these results. That makes setting up a major gift program, or more effectively implementing your current program a very wise investment for your nonprofit organization.
About the Author
Berwyn J. Kemp is a development consultant who helps nonprofit organizations obtain funding. For free subscription to his newsletter Nonprofit Funding Solutions, or full details on his funding products and services, or to read more of his re-printable articles you can visit: http://www.berwynkempassoc.citymax.com/

Need help with gifts? Not everyone is good at choosing them. But there’s more to gift giving than getting gift ideas from someone else.

This is why we’d like to share our gift giving philosophy: Focus on “The Who”. No, no, no… not the band. Don’t go giving someone a “the who” t-shirt. (Unless, of course, they are a fan of Pete Townhsend.) What we mean is… who is the recipient? Who are you giving to? And we don’t mean their name. You need to know about this person. You can’t give a great gift without knowing that. It’s helpful to have a general idea of what they like, and better to know some specifics details about their life and personality. It’s also useful to know what they dislike (to avoid the “wrong” gift).

For your own, self-made help with gifts, ask yourself: Where do they work? Do they like what they do for a living? How do they spend their day? Their night? Their free time? Do they have any hobbies? Where do they live? What kind of car do they drive? Are they married? Do they have any kids? What about pets?

These are all questions whose answers can give you the information you need to choose the perfect gift. People notice and appreciate it when you take the time and effort to pick out a gift that reflects WHO they are. It’s an especially thoughtful gift when you can give something that relates to a person, pet, cause, or idea that is important to your recipient.

Notice we said “important to your recipient”, not “important to you”. Gift giving is not about you. It’s about them. Some people tend to forget that and end up giving a gift that they would like themselves.

Another tip: If you are an important person in the recipient’s life, a gift that involves giving of your time is usually appreciated. For example, if you’ve been working a lot and haven’t had much time to spend with your spouse, for your anniversary, consider giving a weekend getaway together.

That in itself is a good example of examining a person’s life or situation and turning it into a great gift idea. The situation is: your spouse hasn’t had the quality time with you that he/she deserves. The gift is: a weekend getaway together.

It’s a simple concept really. Create your own help with gifts: take a look at who you are giving to and try to understand the circumstances of their life. Then find a gift that fits! Put that brain of yours to work to find the perfect gift! And don’t forget to use your heart, too. That’s where the ALL of the really good gifts come from.

We hope this help with gifts and gift giving has been… well… helpful!

For more help with gifts, visit http://www.the-gift-wizard.com
About the Author
The Gift Wizard is a gift researcher for http://www.the-gift-wizard.com

With all the excitement surrounding the arrival of a new baby, the mother can be forgotten in the whirl of activity. There are several “gifts” that you can give that will be appreciated by a new mother.

When the new mother arrives home, it is nice to have someone to help for the first few weeks, especially if she has no close family living nearby. The new father may be home also, but may not be capable of taking care of everything. Offering to prepare home-cooked meals and to clean the house is an ideal gift and will help to keep the mother from getting too overwhelmed as a new parent. Having someone to care for the baby while she can get some well deserved rest would be greatly appreciated also. You can offer to babysit as well as running any necessary errands. The less the new mother has to do the faster she will recuperate form the effects of childbirth.

Another “gift” that you can give a new mother might be a gift certificate for a makeover. After months of being large and awkward, she may not be feeling very attractive. Offer to babysit and send her for the full treatment that includes a facial and a pedicure (which she may desperately need since she has not seen her toes in two months). A new hairstyle and makeup will make her feel refreshed and ready to take on the world. A new mother needs to be pampered as much if not more than the baby.

A certificate for a full body massage would be a nice gesture. The new mother’s body has taken a beating for the last few months and every muscle in her body may ache. A massage will allow her to fully relax and enable the masseuse to rub away any lingering aches and pains that she may still have.

If the new mother has suffered from a huge weight gain, a trial membership to a gym might be a good idea. Whenever the mother is physically able, she can try out the facilities and it may give her the extra push she needs to begin a fitness program to gain back her pre-pregnancy body.

If you wish to do something for both the new parents, you can offer to babysit while they spend the night in a prepaid motel room. The room doesn’t have to be elaborate. The privacy and the idea of being away from it all will help the couple to relax and reconnect with each other. The advantage of this gesture is that this “gift” includes the new father, who may be feeling more overwhelmed than his wife.

Finally, you can offer to babysit so that the mother can do anything she may want to. She may want to have lunch with old friends or spend a peaceful afternoon at the library. Every mother needs a little “me” time, whether she is a new parent or not.

Many people purchase items for the new family, but the gesture of giving your time freely so that they can enjoy some spare time without the baby can be the greatest gift of all.
About the Author
We have baby gift baskets that are cute and practical. Perfect for the newborn and new moms. Check out our amazing collection of baby gift baskets and many more at www.mygiftbasket.us