Sponsored by High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse

Don’t panic if you have a big holiday or celebration coming up and grab a basic gift of chocolate, jewelry or stuffed animals. The more thoughtful you are, the better the gift turns out to be.

On a holiday like Valentine’s Day, consumers in 2020 plan to spend $5.8 billion on jewelry, $2.9 million on clothing, $2.4 million on candy and $2.3 billion on flowers, according to a study from the National Retail Federation.

Skip the lines in major retail stores! Get creative.

The closer you are to someone the more difficult it may seem. To help you with some creative gift ideas, Aaron Herrington, owner of High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse, offered his advice.

“I’ve seen people do bouquets of the airplane bottles glued to skewers, I’ve seen people buy the chocolate bottles and fill them with the airplane bottles, too,” said Herrington, who said he’s seen some creative gifts no matter what holiday is coming around the corner.

Plus, every celebration is better with a little wine.

THRIFTY SHOPPING

At High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse, Herrington said that there are different sales associated with holidays as they approach.

“Last year we had nine different wines thematic to Valentine’s Day, and this year we’ll probably do a 10 percent off certain wines,” said Herrington.

Other stores also have sales around major holidays for gifts that may be thematic, or that are popular during certain times.

“We will have prepackaged items during the [Christmas] holidays because companies will only release certain items during certain times of the year,” said Herrington. “Like Bailey’s Strawberry Cream is only released this time of year.”

Even just the effort of gluing airplane shot bottles on cardboard is something Herrington has seen as a creative gift.

THOUGHTFUL GIFTS

The more unique you get with the gifts, the more memorable they will be.

Herrington said there may be a slight difference between the women and men when shopping for creative gifts, but there’s always the potential to be thoughtful from both sides.

“The most unique gift I’ve ever seen come in the store was right after we first opened and a guy came into the store to buy a bottle of wine for his girlfriend from every country she visited while studying abroad,” Herrington said.

High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse also offers experiential events, like bottle engraving events around Christmas last year.

It’s the thought that counts, and the more creative you can get, the better. In 2020, don’t go the normal route.

For more creative gift ideas, stop by High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse at  2216 Jackson Ave W, Oxford or check out the website. https://www.highcottonwarehouse.com/