Wednesday 17 September 2008

Eid Gift Ideas

I know it seems a bit early, as we should be focussing on Ramadan rather than Eid, but for those that decide to buy presents, they need the time to buy them. I always have a hard time trying to decide what to get my sisters hence the wishlists this year. However, trawling the net and past Eids have given me a few ideas:

For Her
Pretty scarves and pashmina’s (sarongs can also be used for this purpose)
Bling – Swarovski jewellery (from ebay if you can’t afford full price)
An abaya (my fave online shops in the UK are Lebaas, Al-Hijab and Arabian Nites) although sisters Alixianna, Ange, Jana and Basbousa are offering up great ideas for Eid right now.
Magazine subscriptions (for Emel, Sisters etc).

For Him
Alcohol-free scent
Autobiography of Malcolm X
Any of the numerous Muhammed Ali books
Name a star after him (£20 instead of £40 at the moment) - I can't deecide if this is a total waste of money or an adorable gift, I suspect my better half would think the latter, so might not go for this one.
Children
Halal Sweets
Islamic or educational toys and books.
Dress up Box for a Little Girl – fill with tiara, gaudy jewellery, your old bangles, gloves, hats and scarves. They’ll have a blast when the other little girls visit.
Craft supplies to get them started (scrap-booking, card-making, embroidery, knitting, jewellery-making). Last year I gave my two teenage girl cousins, small boxes full of a mix of beads and elastic cord.

Family Friends and Neighbours
Home-baked cakes or cookies
Fruit
Mithai (Indian sweets) or baklawa


Anyone and Everyone
Islamic Books
If you are a craft enthusiast then anything handmade – jewellery, candles, knitted items etc.
Adhan clock
Journal or notebook (Siratt have some nice Islamic options)
Home made baskets or boxes. I pick these up from the £-store or the boot market and fill them to suit the person. Last year I found six matching silver boxes with portions of the lid made of clear plastic for £2.50 at a boot sale. I filled them with toiletries, sweets, games, Parker pens and anything else I had accumulated over the year and gave them to my male cousins.
I filled another large basket with fruit, sweets, nuts and honey to present to my mum on Eid day.
When I was a kid, my parents used to have lovely Gujerati neighbours who used to stop by every Eid morning and bring round a big plate of home-made Indian sweets, cakes, biscuits and savoury snacks. I loved this tradition (and the almond and cherry biccies) and look back on it with affection.

Also if you are sending out food, don’t forget your non-Muslim neighbours, they will love the special food and that you thought of them and it will be a very sweet form of dawah (as they will want to know why you are celebrating)

Incidentally ideas for wrapping paper can include comic’s from the Sunday paper, old road maps, old sheet music and tissue paper (my little sisters friends do this with small gifts like earrings or a scarf and it looks very nice)


Frugal Gift Ideas:
63 Gift Ideas for Under $10
30 Frugal Gift Ideas to Show You Appreciate Someone
How to Save Money with Great Gift Ideas
Simplify the Holidays

I agree that not everyone can afford lots of presents and also that it’s wrong to be extravagant with money or try to emulate the festivals of others. But it is nice to give someone something that will make their day, especially as in our house we don’t celebrate birthdays, so Eid makes up for it. The only person that I would really spend a lot of money on is my parents or gran, followed by siblings. It doesn’t take much to please little ones, the excitement of the day and your enthusiasm will make any gift look great.

The Prophet (PBUH) said “exchange gifts, as that will lead to increasing your love for one another”. [Bukhari]

Aa’ishah said: "The Messenger of Allah used to accept gifts and reward people for giving them." [Bukari - thanks to Hijabi Apprentice for this hadith]

I would love to hear your gift ideas pretty please.

13 comments:

  1. Assalamvalekum, i always struck with gifting ideas. Inshallah this will help me out this time. Thank u for posting. Just a little reminder dear u said u will be posting two more recipes this week. Waiting for those yummies to post all five on my blog. Please make it soon so that i can post them as soon as possible. Allahafiz.

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  2. are we thinking of the same Gujarati neighbours?......

    some good ideas-will have a think...

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  3. Aslamu alakum sister
    nice gifts but i feel Eid is becoming so comercilised and i feel all this gifting is becoming expensive. why not exchange sweets? Home made? Maybe i have been in Algeria to long and out of the materalisic dunniyah of the Uk just forgotten how expensive and demanding it can be....don't worry i am sure i will be caught up in the Eid gift exchange soon.

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  4. Asalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu Sis,

    What a fabulous post! I love how you gave many different suggestions in gift ideas from store bought to homemade! Masha Allah.

    I feel that here in the States people don't make a big enough deal about Eid and making Ramadan festive in a halal way.

    This is actually the first year I've really gotten into gift giving during Ramadan and for Eid and it really feels good. Thanks again for the ideas Umm Salihah!

    ma'a salaamah,

    Umm Mustapha

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  5. assalamualikum,

    Nice post sis.
    Ramadan is always interlinked with eid and its shopping right.-)

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  6. ...was this list written before or after the Ramadan Rage? :-)Add "time" to your list, I wish I could buy some time!

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  7. Lovely gifts idea. Mash'Allah!
    Exchanging gifts bring us closer and we should get used to exchanging gifts any time of the year. Jazak'Allahu kheir for sharing sis.

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  8. Assalam-alaikam,

    Sister Lubna,
    insh'Allah I will e-mail you.

    lss,
    you know which neighbours, what other Gujji neighbours did you have?

    Sis Rainbow,
    I just KNEW you were going to say that!! I agree, we have to be careful not to over-commercialise our celebrations. I guft gifts from my family, but I don't celebrate birthdays and my kids see everyone else celebrating Christmas, I just want to make sure that they don't long for these things because they have something better and more special. But I have to be careful that it doesn't become all about material things and therefore meaningless so JK for the reminder.

    Sis Umm Mustapaha!!!
    I hope you are writing this from bed (cause you know you get 40 days bed-rest as a honorary desi - yeah right!). I agree, being in a non-Muslim majority country you prize your celebrations and I always want to promote and make the most of them.

    Sister Ummsaaz,
    The shopping must be getting manic there right now? I was in lahore for Eid-ul-Fitr 2003 and it was crazy!!

    Sister Ummnassim,
    That would be a perfect gift, or maybe just the sense to try and do less. I wrote this long before the "rage" and have been adding ideas.

    Sister Muslimah,
    I agree, I would love to get more gifts. Although I can rely on my sisters to bring me offerings every now and again which is sweet.

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  9. LOL Umm Salihah! I am almost on complete bed rest enforced by my mum and my hubby. My mom's culture and my husband's culture are both big on the 40 day confinement so I will only be seeing the outside world for doctor's appointments :(.

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  10. I really appreciate you for this post this is really nyc dress i would love to wear this...



    Abaya Online shopping

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  11. Interested ideas you given i like it thanks for sharing this gift ideas.Send Gifts to Pakistan

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  12. Since Eid is the time for celebrations,along these lines,you can gift your dear ones a box loaded with sweets which they would love to enjoy.Sewaiyan,kesar burfi,patisa, and baklava are a percentage of the treats that can be sent to your loved ones on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.You can really set up these sweets or sweet dishes at home or buy a box loaded with a mixed bag of sweets to let your loved ones revel in a delightful treat.
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    Choosing a Baby Gift Baskets

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  13. Nice read i must say. For me as a Pakistani i personally use SendGiftPakistan to send eid gifts to pakistan a reliable name.

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