Unique Gift Ideas for Diwali

Diwali, the festival of lights, is also the festival of gifts. One of the most celebrated occasions in India, Diwali is associated with fortune and prosperity, and hence, it is the biggest gift giving and shopping festival in India. Giving Gifts on Diwali is an excellent way to strengthen relationships with your near and dear ones. A present on this occasion reflects the warm feelings of the gift-giver and also the spirit of the festival.

The popular tradition of exchanging gifts on Diwali is an age-old custom tied in with the festival and has probably started with the inception of Diwali itself. In olden days, the simple rural people of India whose occupation mostly consisted of agriculture and cattle-rearing, used to exchange homemade sweets, farm produce or handcrafted decorative among themselves on Diwali. Such presents were considered a token of love and the warmth and good wishes associated with the gifts mattered more than the gifts themselves. With time however, the tradition got more and more complicated and gift-giving is not so simple as it used to be earlier.
Today a lot of importance is given today to the quality of the gift that one is presented with not only on Diwali, but also on other occasions. However, this wonderful tradition is not wholly a materialistic one and for a large section of Indian people, gift-giving still stands as a way of conveying love, respect, thankfulness, appreciation and a sense of belonging.

So you must pull out all the stops to decide on the most appropriate gift for your loved ones on Diwali. To assist you in your quest, here we present you with some grand gift ideas and suggestions. Go over these and choose the best of Diwali presents and gifts for your friends and near ones:

Sweets:

Sweets are traditional Diwali gifts and the festival of lights is truly incomplete without a generous helping of these sugary delights. Go for single type of sweets or a mix pack containing varieties of sweets. These days, many shops offer custom made Diwali Sweets in beautiful packs enveloped with gift wrappers. In case you can't decide on any other present, a big sweet pack will be just a nice gift for your friends, relatives and acquaintances.

Dry Fruits:

Like sweets, dry fruits too are a popular gift item for Diwali. An irresistible delight, dry fruits are thoroughly enjoyed during the winter season that follows the festival close on its heels. Dry Fruits Pack containing a mix of several varieties of nuts, cashews, chestnuts, almonds are easily available these days in most gift shops and make for nice Diwali Gifts. What's better, one can store these for long periods of time and don't have to bother about preserving them.

Diwali Apparels:

People love to receive new apparels on Diwali. Like in most festivals, people love to celebrate their happiness by dressing themselves in new clothes and want to give their loved ones the same feeling. Keeping in your mind the tastes and preferences of the receiver of your gift, you can present him/her with traditional Indian outfits or the latest designer clothes from popular brands.

Diwali Diyas

Diwali being the festival of lights, beautifully painted Diyas (earthen lamps) of exquisite designs are indispensable for the occasion. They also stand as a symbol of fortune and are believed to usher in prosperity to individual homes. Present your loved ones with a set of diyas on Diwali. They will love it for sure!

Diwali Candles

Nicely decorated candles are great too. These days, candles of various shapes, colours and scents are available in the market. Beautiful Diwali candles and candleholders are pocket-friendly for you and yet make lovely presents for your friends and relations.

Diwali Greeting Cards

This is the common but still highly popular gift of Diwali.

Greeting Cards are a highly popular gift for all occasions. In India they are increasingly getting popular and used as a secondary present that accompanies the main gift item. Whatever your present is, you would do well to send along a cool Greeting Card with your Diwali gift. Greeting Cards can be gifted to any person of any age; put in a nice message to your card expressing good wishes for the recipent and make this Diwali a memorable time for both of you.

Silver Gift Items:

One more traditional gift idea for Diwali is handing over silver items. Available in a wide range and exquisite designs, silver items are a great hit for Diwali and a favourite for aged people. The festival being a religious occasion, religious gift items made of silver like silver coins with images of idols as Lakshmi and Ganesh, puja thalis, small silver showpieces and crockery items like silver tea sets and utensils are quite popular as Diwali Gifts. They also reflect your wishes and prayers for the health and fortune of the recipent and his/her family.

Decor Items

Diwali is the time to decorate the house and hence an appropriate time to present your friends and relations with decorative items.
Gift your near and dear ones nice decorative items to adorn their houses. Popular decor gift items include paintings, bric-a-bracs, show pieces, sculptures, flower vases, Feng-Shui pieces and hanging bells.

Stationery and Desk-top Items

Stationery and Desk-top Gifts are also fabulous items to present to your near ones on Diwali. Preferred items in this category include
writing instruments, portfolio bags and folders, time-pieces, reading lamps and the like. You can gift these items to anyone, including your colleagues, business associates and even the boss.

Diwali Gift Hampers:

In case you wish to present a whole lot of gift items, Diwali Gift Hampers is the perfect idea to do so. You may make your own or go in for ready made Diwali Gift Hampers which are readily available in the market these days. Keep in mind the taste of your recipent(s) and your budget before you choose the gift hamper.

Other Popular Diwali Gifts:

Household gifts like kitchen gadgets, chinaware and traveling bags; Gourmet gift hampers consisting of mithais, dry fruits, jams and sherbets; home appliances like steam iron, juicers, toasters, microwave, coffee makers and rice cookers; electronic devices as mobile handsets, iPods, digital cameras, handy-cam, MP3 Players, DVD Players, PDA, cordless phones, LCD TVs and laptops; jewelers items like bracelets, rings, chains, pendants, cufflinks, tie-pins and the like.