THE GIFT OF PREPAREDNESS

I think my dad is one of the hardest people to shop for.  And if that isn't bad enough, he always tries to guess what the gift is before he opens it...and he is right 99% of the time!  One year for his birthday, I came up with a great idea while I was at a field trip with my kids at the Denver Mint.  I got him the never-been-touched-by-human-hands collector's edition coins for that year.  It was all packaged up so nicely and just a fun unique gift that I knew he would love.  I wrapped it up and told my kids that they absolutely could not tell grandpa what was in the package.  The day of gift-giving came and after inspecting the present, he looked up and said, "I have absolutely no idea what is in here."  YES! I was so excited to finally see a surprised look his face when he opened a gift!  But before he could unwrap it, a little voice said, "Grandpa, I can't tell you what it is, but we got it at the Denver Mint!"

If you have a hard-to-shop for person on your list this Christmas, why not give them the gift of preparedness?  There are so many items in any price range that would come in useful for everyday use or in case of an emergency.  Here are a few ideas:
FOOD STORAGE:  ldscatalog.com sells cases of food in #10 cans.  You can get anything from wheat to spaghetti all packaged up and ready to go.  Beready.com also sells a myriad of food, from freeze dried to whole year packages.  And, if you are a super generous giver, Costco also has full year supply pallets.
72 HOUR KITS:  So many places have pre-packaged kits, there are several different kits (and prices!).  I have always thought the backpack kits would be great gifts.  I found kits at Costco, be prepared.com, and Amazon.
WATER:  Whether it is a filtration bottle, 55-gallon drum, accessories, or packaged water, do not leave this out of your emergency kits!  Check out Emergency Essentials, our local Be Ready Store and Costco.
KITS:  A car kit, first aid kit, or even a basic tool kit can come in handy for everyone!
GEAR:  Sleeping Bags are always useful and a flashlight can make the difference between getting where you need to go, or being left in the dark.
GREAT TOOLS TO AID IN EVERYDAY PREPAREDNESS:  Some great items to help your loved ones become more self-reliant can include a steam canner, wheat grinder, applesaucer, or dehydrator.
GIVE A CUSTOM GIFT:  These buckets from Costco are a pretty good deal (the Gamma lids are amazing!).  You could fill them with your own 72 hour kit items or choose a single food storage item you know they will use.
OTHER EMERGENCY OR FOOD SUPPLIES:  Some of the best places I have found to buy all kinds of useful things are Emergency Essentials, Lehmans, and Walton Feed.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully enough to get your mind working to check off that Christmas List!