by TuesThursSatClub

Created on: April 04, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

Moving is hard to do, saying goodbye is even harder! I always want to give my friend something to remember me by, but I don't want to give something that is either not personal enough, like a gift card; a decorative item that might not fit in with the new decor, say like a candle sconce or framed art; or something too big for what might be smaller living conditions.

This is what I have hit on, a mug. The mug can be as simple as going into your local super market and picking up a one color mug or as complex as going into a paint your own pottery store and decorating a mug with a sentiment on it or even signing your name. It all depends on the amount of time you have for creating a mug and what your own budget can afford.
Friends don't expect friends to go into debt on their account!
Then I fill the mug with simple items. For the tea lover, I either put in her favorite tea, or a sampling of other teas, and a few individually wrapped biscotti.
For the coffee lover, I put in a unusual foil pack of flavored coffee and a few foil pouches of a non-dairy, flavored creamer, and a few individually wrapped biscotti.
For the person I know really loves hot chocolate, I will include either some foil pouches of commercially available hot chocolate, or if time and budget allow, I'll scour the web for some premium, boutique hot chocolate, usually one bag. I'll also include a small zip lock bag of mini-marshmallows, biscotti and some peppermint sticks for stirring.
For each mug, I always handwrite a small gift tag telling the person how much I will miss them and to think of me when they use the mug. I punch a small hole into the gift tag, and tie it to the mug handle with ribbon.
It's easy to add more things to the gift mug if your budget can handle it. On Ebay it is very easy to pick up a handmade mug mat or rug fairly inexpensively. A phone calling card could also be added.
I package it all carefully in a box with plenty of padding, and I mail it either the day before the person leaves, or on the day the person leaves. I never give it personally for two reasons: one, I would probably start crying and who needs the extra drama? and two, there are so many little odds and ends to moving, why add more to it?
Everyone has told me that the timing is perfect! That the mug arrives usually during unpacking or at the end of the bigger part of it, and just when homesickness and nostalgia start setting in.

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