Let Us Know about Gifts Given for Special Occasions in Your Culture!
Kids Songs Around the World with English Translations
or French Translations
or Spanish Translations
Mama Lisa's World Blog
English Nursery Rhymes
Mother Goose in French
Wizard of Oz Audiobook
Poetry for Kids
ML Reviews
Mama Lisa's Hub
This is the Gift Giving Archive Page
- Red Packet Money (2)
Categories
- 1512 (1)
- Arts and Crafts (21)
- Books (56)
- Children's Songs (432)
- Countries & Cultures (912)
- Customs (42)
- Folk Lore (6)
- Folk Songs (76)
- Food & Nutrition (4)
- Games (40)
- Gardens (2)
- History of Nursery Rhymes (8)
- Holiday Calendar (1)
- Holiday Songs (154)
- Holidays Around the World (340)
- Languages (723)
- Learning (37)
- Lullabies (40)
- Mama Lisa (422)
- Movies & TV (23)
- Music (63)
- Nursery Rhymes (161)
- Parenting (72)
- People (18)
- Photos (27)
- Podcasts (29)
- Poetry (96)
- Proverbs (20)
- Questions (309)
- Quotes (7)
- Recipes of the World (74)
- Recommendations (62)
- Recordings of Nursery Rhymes (19)
- Recordings of Songs (101)
- Rhymes by Theme (42)
- Seasonal (29)
- Songs by Theme (69)
- Teaching (41)
- Traditional Songs (2)
- Traveling (35)
- Video (23)
- Words & Phrases (16)
- YouTube (70)
My Tweets
Archive for the 'Gift Giving' Category
Contents
Posts
Let Us Know about Gifts Given for Special Occasions in Your Culture!
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009I’ve been asked… “about gift customs around the world like the one of the temari balls in Japan. Which gifts do people around the world traditionally give for special events such as marriages, births, etc.?”
FYI Temari balls are fancy balls with colorful, intricate patterns on them. They originally come from China, but are also found in Japan. They were traditionally made out of silk, often from old kimonos. Now they’re made with embroidery covering the balls.
They’re thought to bring good luck to whoever owns them. They’re given for births, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. They’re also given by parents to kids on New Years Day.
Mama Lisa
I asked Ayako in Japan about the Temari balls. Here’s what she wrote:
“Hi Lisa,
Temari balls are beautiful. Their embroidery is fancy. We don’t play with them now. We just enjoy looking at them.
By the way, one of the traditional gifts is “Otoshidama”. It is special money given to children from their parents or relatives on New Year. It may sound dry to give money, but it is traditional heart-warming gift.
On Valentine’s day, women give chocolates to the men whom they love in Japan. It is called “true heart chocolate”. Sometimes working women give chocolates to their male coworkers. It is called “obligation chocolate”. Recently, it’s also common to give chocolate to one’s friend. That’s called “friendly chocolate”.
Usually men give gifts to the women in return on the 14th of March.
Ayako
Please join the discussion and let us know about any special gifts given for special events in your culture by commenting below…
Video Game Gift Ideas for Kids
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
I asked my children to tell me what they’d consider to be their favorite video games. In case there are people out there still looking for last minute gift ideas, below are some recommendations.
I recommend going to Game Stop to buy video games since they’re small stores that you can find anywhere. If you’re looking online, you can also try Amazon.
Here are my teenage son’s favorite games:
For the Wii:
For the DS:
For the PC (Computer):
Spore
World of Goo (It can also be downloaded onto the Wii*.)For the N64 (Some old N64 games can be downloaded onto the Wii* – that’s how my son played it):
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Here are my 7 year old daughter’s favorites:
Disney Princesses: Enchanted Journey – available for the PC, Wii and PS2
Littlest Pet Shop Video Game – available for the PC, Wii and DSBratz Baby Ponies – this is free online – all you need is a Flash player! You choose a pony and style its hair. Great for girls!
Frogger – another game that has a free version online – good for boys and girls (My daughter played it on the GameCube – which is an older system.)
For the DS:
For the PC:
World of Goo (It can also be downloaded onto the Wii*.)
Most kids seem to like games in the Mario Bros. franchise. You can see that Mario games are on both of my kids’ lists and I’ve bought them for many other children in our lives who have enjoyed playing them.
If you’re interested in stuffed animal and robotic animal gifts you can click the link to see an earlier post I wrote with recommendations.
Feel free to let us know about the games the kids you know like in the comments below…
Mama Lisa
*A Note About Downloading Games onto the Wii: There’s a Wii Shop Channel on the Wii Menu on the Wii. You can buy a Wii points card at a video game store or you could by points through the Wii Shop Channel. To use the card you just enter the code on the card into the Wii Shop Channel and search for a game. If it’s there it should come up. Most games cost $15 or less. 100 points costs $1. You can get old games on it and some games that are programmed specifically for it. The old games are from NES, SNES, N64 and some other systems.
Stuffed Animals and Robotic Animal Toys for Kids
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008Furreal Friends is the big thing this year. They’re robotic pets that act like real animals. They feel like stuffed animals – though sometimes, they’re hard underneath. There’s a horse that kids can “ride” on. Actually, it’s the head that moves – making real-looking movements – and you can “feed” it. There are cats, dogs, hamsters, and the list goes on. They range in price from about $19.99 (for the small animals) – $199.00 (for the horses). Preskool put out a Triceratops robotic toy that young kids can go on too. If you’re interested in buying a robotic stuffed animal, I’d recommend checking out the reviews of the different types of pets on Amazon and YouTube. Furreal Friends is the main brand – but some specific animals rate better than others.
Chantilly Lane Bears sing! Their mouths move while they belt out a song! These are really cute – though hearing the same song again and again can make a parent crazy! They’re less well-known than some other toys and I think there’s value in that! They come in other animals besides bears. They’re priced around $19.99.
A Webkinz is a little stuffed animal that comes with a special internet code that lets your child can interact with an online version of it. Webkinz have been around for a couple of years – but both boys and girls in elementary school still enjoy them. Their animals can get a “job” online and with the “money” they make they can improve their houses, and buy virtual food or clothes for their Webkinz. There are also games kids can play online in the Webkinz World. Webkinz normally cost between $8.00 – $15.00.
Girls aged 4-8 like Animals in My Pocket (like “Puppy in My Pocket“) and also Littlest Pet Shop animals. My daughter and her friend can’t get enough of them! There’s also “Safari in my Pocket” that boys might like.
These are some fun gift ideas if you have a school-aged child in your life who loves animals!
Mama Lisa
UPDATE: Check out my more recent post of recommended video games for kids!
How to Choose a Digital Photo Frame – A Great Gift Idea if You Can Afford It!
Saturday, November 29th, 2008I think a digital photo frame is a great gift idea that you could give to many different people – for many different holidays and celebrations.
However, I’ve been looking into the possibility of buying one, as a gift, and I’ve come to the conclusion that, if you’re the type of person who cares about image quality, the minimum you’re looking at paying is about $100.00 – here and now in December 2008.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind when buying:
According to PC Magazine, a digital photo frame should have a resolution of at least 640-by-480 pixels.
Also, consider who you’re buying for. If it’s someone who’s not tech-savvy, make sure they can easily access the photos. If I was going to give this as a gift to anyone over 60 or so, it would be for a family member and I’d load it up with photos in advance for them. This way they’d only have to figure out how to scroll through photos or set it to a slide show.
Make sure there’s enough memory built-in to the frame. It should have at least 128 MB or some easy storage for the photos. I would want the built-in memory.
Consumer Reports recommends buying a frame that’s at least 8″. They also recommend a matte frame.
The most standard and less expensive frame right now is 7″ – so if you’re going to go up to 8″ as recommended by Consumer Reports – it’ll cost more money.
I’ve only been able to find two digital frames that are close to $100 (on sale), that are 8″, with a resolution of at least 640-by-480 pixels, and with the buit-in memory of 128 MB. They are:
Smartparts SP800WS 8″ Digital Brown Wood Picture Frame
Kodak EASYSHARE M820 Digital Frame (Photo Above)I don’t have direct experience with these frames. You can check around the internet to see what other people say about them, if you’d like, and to hunt for bargains. These are the two I’d check out based on what’s out there for a reasonable price right now.
My hope is that next year there will be lower price/higher quality choices!
The Chinese Custom of Giving Red Packet Money as a Gift
Tuesday, July 11th, 2006Back in January, Ray Lee told us about the tradition of giving red packet money for the Chinese New Year. He sent me this note, this week, about how red packet money can be given all year long…
We talked about red packet money being given out during Chinese New Year. Actually, the Chinese New Year isn’t the only occasion on which red packet money is given out. In general, red packet money is given on occasions that are worth celebrating, e.g. at your kid’s wedding or even birthdays, or when you open your own business.
Please feel free to comment below about gift giving customs in your country.
-Lisa
What Are Important Birthdays in Your Culture?
Monday, May 1st, 2006My friend Ray Lee from Hong Kong told me that 60 is an important birthday in the Chinese culture.
In the US, I’d say the following birthdays are important…
1 – because it’s the first
18 – because it’s when you’re officially an adult
21 – because it’s when you can legally drink alcohol (i.e. you have all the rights of an adult)
All of the “0″ ages… 30, 40, 50, etc.40 is somewhat more important because it’s considered when you’re middle aged.
And I’d say once someone reaches 85 or 90, every birthday is important.
Feel free to comment below and let us know which birthdays are important in your culture!
-Lisa
Traditions of the Chinese New Year – Visiting Relatives and Giving Red Packet Money
Tuesday, January 17th, 2006January 29th is the first day of the Chinese New Year in 2006. This year is the Year of the Dog.
My friend Ray Lee grew up in Hong Kong. I asked him how the Chinese New Year is celebrated. Here’s what he said…
- The New Year is a time for friends and relatives to go visit one another. Not that you’re not allowed to visit your friends and relatives during the year, but at the beginning of the New Year (i.e. New Year’s day and the couple of days that follow) it is especially encouraged.
- Red packet money: It’s money stuffed inside a red envelope, usually with a new-year-related drawing and/or writing in gold on the front. Parents give their kids red packet money on New Year’s day. Uncles and aunts give their nephews and nieces red packet money too.
And remember I said that people visit one another during the New Year? Well, the visitors will give each other’s kids red packet money. For example, if your family goes to visit my brother’s family, my brother and sister-in-law will give your kids red packet money. And you and your husband will give my brother’s two kids red packet money. Red packet money, however, is not limited to kids.
In general, as long as you’re not married and relatively young (maybe up to 30, but don’t quote me on that), you get red packet money. There has been a lot of debate between me and my co-worker Kate about whether or not someone who is divorced is eligible for red packet money. I think as long as you’re single, you’re good. When you get divorced you regain your eligibility. She, on the other hand, insists that once you get married, no matter what happens, you give up your red packet money eligibility for good. I don’t know who is right. Unfortunately, there is no “International Red Packet Money Council” to set the rules.
- While we are still on the topic of red packet money … How much money should you give? Well, it depends on whom you’re giving to. It’s common practice to walk around with several red packets in your pocket, some carrying less money, some carrying more. Then, when you run into someone and have to give their kids red packet money, you make a quick assessment of how close these people are to you, and you decide how much, i.e. which red packets from your pocket, to give them.
I will write more as I think of more Chinese New Year related traditions.
Thanks Ray and have a Happy New Year!
Lisa
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World China page for Kids Songs from China and
The Mama Lisa’s World Taiwan Page for more Chinese Children’s Songs
________
Copyright ©2009 by Lisa Yannucci. All rights reserved.
Help Support
Mama Lisa's World!
$5, $10, $25
or any amount welcome!
Advertisements
