Happy Muslim Mama: Eid Gift Ideas

I know it seems a bit early, as we should be focussing on Ramadan rather than Eid, but for those that decide to buy presents, they need the time to buy them. I always have a hard time trying to decide what to get my sisters hence the wishlists this year. However, trawling the net and past Eids have given me a few ideas:

For Her

Pretty scarves and pashmina’s (sarongs can also be used for this purpose)Bling – Swarovski jewellery (from ebay if you can’t afford full price)

An abaya (my fave online shops in the UK are Lebaas, Al-Hijab and Arabian Nites) although sisters Alixianna, Ange, Jana and Basbousa are offering up great ideas for Eid right now.

Magazine subscriptions (for Emel, Sisters etc).

For Him
Alcohol-free scentAutobiography of Malcolm XAny of the numerous Muhammed Ali books

Name a star after him (£20 instead of £40 at the moment) – I can’t deecide if this is a total waste of money or an adorable gift, I suspect my better half would think the latter, so might not go for this one.

Children
Halal SweetsIslamic or educational toys and books.Dress up Box for a Little Girl – fill with tiara, gaudy jewellery, your old bangles, gloves, hats and scarves. They’ll have a blast when the other little girls visit.Craft supplies to get them started (scrap-booking, card-making, embroidery, knitting, jewellery-making). Last year I gave my two teenage girl cousins, small boxes full of a mix of beads and elastic cord.

Family Friends and Neighbours
Home-baked cakes or cookies

FruitMithai (Indian sweets) or baklawa

Anyone and Everyone
Islamic BooksIf you are a craft enthusiast then anything handmade – jewellery, candles, knitted items etc.Adhan clock

Journal or notebook (Siratt have some nice Islamic options)

Home made baskets or boxes. I pick these up from the £-store or the boot market and fill them to suit the person. Last year I found six matching silver boxes with portions of the lid made of clear plastic for £2.50 at a boot sale. I filled them with toiletries, sweets, games, Parker pens and anything else I had accumulated over the year and gave them to my male cousins.I filled another large basket with fruit, sweets, nuts and honey to present to my mum on Eid day.When I was a kid, my parents used to have lovely Gujerati neighbours who used to stop by every Eid morning and bring round a big plate of home-made Indian sweets, cakes, biscuits and savoury snacks. I loved this tradition (and the almond and cherry biccies) and look back on it with affection.Also if you are sending out food, don’t forget your non-Muslim neighbours, they will love the special food and that you thought of them and it will be a very sweet form of dawah (as they will want to know why you are celebrating)Incidentally ideas for wrapping paper can include comic’s from the Sunday paper, old road maps, old sheet music and tissue paper (my little sisters friends do this with small gifts like earrings or a scarf and it looks very nice)

Frugal Gift Ideas:

63 Gift Ideas for Under $10

30 Frugal Gift Ideas to Show You Appreciate Someone
How to Save Money with Great Gift Ideas
Simplify the Holidays

I agree that not everyone can afford lots of presents and also that it’s wrong to be extravagant with money or try to emulate the festivals of others. But it is nice to give someone something that will make their day, especially as in our house we don’t celebrate birthdays, so Eid makes up for it. The only person that I would really spend a lot of money on is my parents or gran, followed by siblings. It doesn’t take much to please little ones, the excitement of the day and your enthusiasm will make any gift look great.

The Prophet (PBUH) said “exchange gifts, as that will lead to increasing your love for one another”. [Bukhari]

Aa’ishah said: “The Messenger of Allah used to accept gifts and reward people for giving them.” [Bukari – thanks to Hijabi Apprentice for this hadith]

I would love to hear your gift ideas pretty please.