Saturday, December 30, 2006

2007 Already? - Don't forget ....

Hi, folks - I hope you had a great Christmas and that 2007 will be healthy, happy and prosperous for you.

I know it's difficult to believe, but there are some events just around the corner which will be demanding your attention!

Firstly, for those of Scottish origin or who are interested in Scotland, Burn's Day is 25th January. That's the celebration of the birth of Robert Burns, when many Scots toast his memory and eat haggis, neeps and tatties! Delicious. If you've never been to one, a traditional Burns Supper is a great evening out.

Then, in just a few more days, it's Valentine's Day! I came across this article about Valentine's - and thought you might like to read it.

History and Meaning of Valentine's Gifts by Natalie Aranda

"Love from your Valentine", this was the message that was once passed by a very brave Christian martyr who gave his life for love. And he didn't give it for his own love but for other's love. He took everyone's pain and gave everyone the love of their life. This was the great sacrifice that a man made. His name was Saint Valentine.

History

The history takes us back to the Roman period when King Claudius ruled. Earlier it is said that Valentines Day was started in Rome. The day was celebrated as a festival to honor the queen of Roman gods. She is recognized as the goddess of the female sex and matrimony. The next day was celebrated as the Lupercalia Feasts. On the eve of this festival only the youth were allowed to be together and rest of the time they were strictly kept separate. This was the theory that gives the origin of Valentines Day.

Another theory that gives the history of Valentines Day is the sacrifices that a Christian martyr named Valentine made for love. There was a requirement of a huge army, which the emperor of Rome was unable to make. It was only because there were many people who didn't want to involve themselves in wars and go away from their families. So there was a great problem that Claudius the cruel was facing. So he came up with a very nice idea that sufficed his needs. He stopped people from entering into marriages. For this he passed a law also. But there were people who were against this law and also didn't want to follow. So a priest named Valentine conducted marriages secretly. This laid down the foundation of Saint Valentine's day which is now celebrated worldwide. This day is celebrated as this brave martyr died on this day.

Valentines gifts

Earlier Valentines Day was celebrated by exchanging love notes and expressions. People used to send anonymous letters and cards to their loved ones. But nowadays Valentine's Day gifts have dominated the scene. However, giving gifts doesn't mean that love has turned materialistic. But it in fact expresses your love and your emotions.

Your love is always true but is a waste if it is not expressed. And there are many gifts that are available in the stores that are specially designed for this occasion only. Valentine's gifts for boyfriend or for girlfriend are available onlne or in local stores. Valentine's Day not only expresses your love and your emotions but will also win the heart of your sweetheart.


If you decide that Valentine's day this year is the appropriate time to get engaged to your sweetheart, you might consider ordering this beautiful Celtic engagement ring for her. It is 18ct gold, a solitaire diamond - and the shoulders of the ring feature the beautiful Celtic Trinity knot for everlasting love.

This ring can be purchased from MacGillivray's Scottish Gifts

If you do become engaged on Valentine's Day, we wish you every happiness together.

M

Friday, December 22, 2006

Happy Christmas

Christmas Greetings from Helensburgh! Sandy and I hope you have a lovely, safe, warm and happy time this Christmas. All the best for 2007.

We've had a busy time during December - and, although we spend a lot of time thinking about the kind of gifts our customers would like to buy, we still manage to find the time to make Christmas a nice, quiet family occasion.

Looking forward to 2007 - well, this year, we just purchased a timeshare week, so I now know that there's a holiday cottage with our name on it! That's a great spur to make the arrangements and go somewhere different! There are other benefits with this - and I can't wait to tell you about them; however, I'll leave it for a few days as there are still some gift baskets to prepare for customers and some last minute shopping to do for our Christmas lunch.

With many thanks for everyone who supported us in Helensburgh and online!

Love, Peace, Goodwill to all men
Sandy and Margaret MacGillivray
MacGillivray's Scottish Gifts

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

The Christmas Rush - where are you shopping?

The retailers' lament, I hear you say! "Where have all the shoppers gone?"

As a youngster, growing up in a rural community meant that we had a limited choice of where to do our Christmas shopping. Most of it was done in our home town of Castle-Douglas; and we occasionally went to the nearest Woolworths in Dumfries, some 18 miles away. We never travelled further than this - and somehow we managed to find the perfect gift for friends and family, get them all wrapped up and safely delivered in time for Christmas day.

Moving forward 40 or so years, how things have changed. As retailers, we serve a local community and do have a loyal core of regular customers who support us (despite the howling gales and horizontal rain this winter!) It's probably something to do with the home-made soup, but that's a tale for another day. Quite a lot of our Christmas trade comes from our online shop at http://www.macgillivrays.co.uk/scottishgifts - and we have been posting gifts all around the world.

What new products do we have this year? Well, we have increased our range of traditional and modern Scottish jewellery, including some of Hebridean Jewellery's lovely Celtic designs; we have a great selection of cufflinks and there are some beautiful scented candles from LilyFlame. If you are calling in to our Helensburgh shop, we also have a good range of ceramic mugs by Dunoon Pottery.

If you're like me, then perhaps you're still shopping for some gifts! I hope you have a great Christmas and a prosperous and happy 2007.

Best wishes from Scotland.

Sandy and Margaret MacGillivray

PS - if you're looking for last minute gift ideas and you live in the US, why not try one of these gift ideas for men -

- Panama Hats;

- Betmar

and for ladies -

Save 5% on any order at Perfume.com
Use Coupon Code
SAVEBIGNOW
At the checkout page!

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Another quick chuckle!

On the dark days of winter, it's quite nice to come across something which brings a bit of sunshine into our life.

Here's a post on a forum

The 3 Minute Management Course

:)

Hope you enjoy it!

Best
Margaret