by Leann Zotis

Created on: September 14, 2010   Last Updated: November 22, 2010

The most treasured memories of Christmas for a woman are those with a timeless quality attached to them.  It's not always the gift itself that is timeless.  Sometimes it is the memory associated with the gift that will burn in her heart and soul for a lifetime: the first bicycle as a child; the class ring from a "steady" boyfriend; or the vintage cameo passed down through the generations that now becomes her own.  These are the gifts a woman will remember and cherish. 

Today, as in Christmas's past, the timeless gift for her will be one that carries a meaning beyond the tissue paper and gift wrap.  It is more than the quickly purchased last minute gift you needed to buy so there would be something under the tree for her to open.  A timeless Christmas gift must carry an emotional meaning.  Some of these timeless gifts can be found in the department store, others cannot.

Jewelry that expresses your love and undying affection may carry that timeless quality.  A forever diamond necklace or ring may bring tears to her eyes and become that cherished memento of the proclamation of your love.  Just as likely to create that timeless quality might be a jewelry box, perhaps one that opens to play her favorite song, that she opens daily in search of other pieces of jewelry she may have gathered over the years.  Each time she lifts the lid, the tinkling sound of that special song will remind her of the happiness she carries forward from the past.

Time marches on for all of us.  If you are able to capture a representation of an earlier time, perhaps a time from your early years together, that shows the youth and happiness that was once hers, you will create a timeless gift.  A youthful photograph, long forgotten, brought to life once again in a classic frame will carry her back in time.  A souvenir of her high school or college days on the varsity tennis team or a playbill from her lead role in the class play, mounted and framed, will help her feel the past, present and future that exists within her.

If you can give her a gift that ties her present life to the lives of the women who came before her and the women who are coming after her, you will capture time for her.  A multi-generation photograph showing her seated with her grandmother, mother, sisters and daughters will capture her place in the timeline of her life.  Heirloom jewelry or accessories will allow her to hold onto the past while preparing to face the future. 

A timeless gift is not generic and mass produced.  It is not a gift the media tells you to buy this season.   A timeless gift carries a memory of the past or a hope for the future.  Its time is not limited to the present or the length of time the gift item is popular in the stores or in the fashion magazines.  If you succeed in finding such a gift for the woman in your life, you will secure your position in the timeless reality of her life. 

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