I don’t know about you, but I come from the family that has everything. And yes, I do mean everything. It makes my holiday/birthday/Mom’s Day/Dad’s Day shopping a little akin to the Imagination Olympics.

Case in point? We’ll start with my mom. My mom decided to collect roosters one day. She has hundreds of them. Okay, maybe that’s conservative. I’ll put it out there and venture a guess at thousands. (Millions might be pushing it). I don’t know why she started collecting roosters, and it’s a real sticking point with my dad – maybe because he doesn’t like roosters, or maybe because if the rooster cookie jars, rooster dish towels, rooster spoon rests, rooster trivets and rooster wine stops were ACTUAL roosters, the U.S. poultry count would reach an all time high and the Department of Agriculture would have to enforce some sort of population control measure. But you can imagine, it is very difficult to buy a unique and meaningful gift for someone who already owns a set of ceramic rooster wall hooks.

And my sister? She actually owns all of those crazy things you see in the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. I’ll send a shout-out the next time she has a garage sale. I would hate for anyone to pass on the opportunity to own a High Definition Video Pen, Remote Controlled Rolling Beverage Cooler and a 33-in-1 Golf Club at yard sale prices! But again, what could I possibly purchase for my little sis that says, “Relax, enjoy and feel loved” when she already has a Frozen Fruit Soft Serve Processor?

Enter Etsy.  I love this site. I love how unique everything is, I love how you can shop anywhere on the price point range, and I really love the idea that I’m supporting self-employed individuals across the world. From cufflinks to fine art to personalized tees for the kids I find I am always able to come up with a little something that is inexpensive yet classy, and that says: “Hey. We both know you already have everything, but I’m thinking about you and I love you and I wanted to say Happy Birthday!”

This year, my sister and my mom are both getting monogrammed stacking rings (hundreds of shapes, sizes and materials from which to choose) for their b-days.  I might even buy a set for myself, I love them so much! But be forewarned, while these rings will of course feature the initials of their children and grandchildren respectively, I am also throwing in an “H” for each of them (as in hen…and hoard).

CockaDoodleDoo!