‘Giving’ thanks

WHAT A WIKKI IDEA: One suggestion for a ‘thank you’ gift is the After School Fun Kit from Wikki Stix, which are wax-infused strips of yarn that can stick to almost anything and are easily removed.

4 ways to show your appreciation

Aside from being the month commonly associated with freezing cold temperatures and the beginning of soon-to-be-failed resolutions, January is also National Thank You Month. Since the holiday season just wiped you out for gift-giving ideas, we’ve taken the liberty (and justice) of giving you options with which you can say ‘thank you’ to someone.

Thanks for being active:

When I fist lay down on a TheraMat, I wondered if this is what Indian yogis experience. This acupressure mat has dozens of tiny spikes which require some getting used to. But after a couple of minutes, there is no discomfort at all, just relaxation. It’s a fascinating phenomenon and according to the makers, the effect is the result of endorphins triggered by the pain. These create a sense of well-being.

A Swedish innovation, the TheraMat is constructed from memory foam covered with flax fabric – and then there are the spiky flowers. Recommended for back pain, migraine, stress, and believe it or not, sleep. It is remarkably relaxing so I could see it being sleep inducing. But don’t fall asleep on it. $69. Visit www.theramat.com.

Thanks for caring:

In 2006, Blake Mycoskie was shocked to find children in Argentina had no shoes to protect their feet from cuts and soil-transmitted diseases. So he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need; he calls the program One for One. Later that year, he returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.

More than one million pairs have been distributed throughout the Developing World. But we wouldn’t suggest you give these if they weren’t super comfortable and chic. In 2007, TOMS Shoes won the prestigious People’s Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. They’re made of colourful canvas in elegant designs and prices start at just $55 a pair at major retailers or at www.Tomsshoes.ca.

Thanks for being entertaining:

Don’t want to miss the latest episode of your favourite TV show while you’re traveling? Want to watch at the beach or the cottage…or anywhere in the world? Monsoon’s Vulkano Flow is one cool device. It lets you watch your own television anywhere!

With a cable or satellite set-top box and a home network, all you need is a wifi or 3g connection and you can watch TV on your PC or Mac, or even on your iPhone, iPad or Android.  The Flow connects to your home network wirelessly and seamlessly, letting you control your home TV or watch the shows recorded on your PVR. With 4G of memory, it can actually store programs as well. And you can mark your ‘favourite’ channels for quick access on your mobile phone.

For the techies, high-quality video streams at H.264 standards at 150kbps. It also features a place shifter to access TV anywhere. $99 for the basic Flow model (you can also get models with more memory). Visit www.myvulkano.com.

Thanks for sticking around:

I just watched six children play contentedly for two hours with Wikki Stix. Winner of the Parents’ Choice Classic Toy Award, Wikkis are colourful, self-sticking strips of wax-infused yarn. They can be twisted and coiled and will stick to almost any surface, but are easily removed. They come in play sets that include cut outs to decorate.

The kids I was watching created three-dimensional animals by wrapping rocks with wikis and sticking them together. Clean-up took five minutes….everything just gets collected in the little carry case and can be re-used again and again. Best of all, these are imagination powered. No batteries required. Kits start as low as $14.95 and are available at most large retailers. Visit www.wikkistix.com.