Know their need first. Gifting things that are useful to them can make them happy. Some of the things that are useful are comfort chairs and furniture, comfort shoes, jackets, suits and baskets etc.

Give them books of their favorite author. Books such as Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and Srimad Bhagvatam can be Holy Gifts for the occasion of Diwali.

Gift a nice dinner set to them. The set should feature all the needs of the elderly. This can be an ideal gift for Diwali.

For elderly women the kitchen items and accesories can be great gifts for Diwali.

You can also think of gifting the decorating items for their personal rooms like showpeices and photoframes of Lakshmi, Ganapahi and Saraswati. Art piece can also be a beautiful gift for Diwali.

Good quality clothes for elderly with latest trend can also be gifted on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. Dhoti-Kurta for men and traditional sarees for women can be a perfect gift.

You can gift gold and silver jewellery suitable for elderly. This can make your mother very happy as the jewellery is all time favorite for women folk.

Gift your parents their favorite movie star movie CDs or favorite muscians or singers song CDs. This gift they will remember for ever.

Mobile phones, iPods, MP3 players and digital cameras are other options that you can think of gifting them. See that all these suits their taste and need.

Some of the other gift items are suitcases, shawls, blankets, good quality canes and wrist watches etc.

Do not forget to give a box of sweets and eatables with a smile on your face. This will definately make them happy for the Diwali.

Jewellery is all time favorite of girls. Gift her pendants, rings, hangings, bangles etc. Other accesories like latest bindis, make up kits etc can be gifted. See that these are of latest trend so that other girls appreciate. This can be a very nice gift for girls for Diwali.

For girls who are traditional you can gift them rangoli design books, mehandi design books, recipes or cook books. This will be the need-of-the time for them and the girls like them very much.

For the girls who are technology savvy you can gift them iPods, MP3 players, flash players, video games the latest CDs or music DVDs.

For girls who are sportive you can gift them sport shoes, sport accessories and kits.

Watches, digital cameras, perfumes, hand bags, diaries, cooling glasses, pair of sandals, craft kits, mind elevating books, comic books, chocolates …. All these can be nice gifts for the occasion of Diwali.

Gifts for Teenager Boys:

Teenager boys are very particular about latest technology and sports. But you should know the boy’s interest before gifting him.

Consoles, iPods, MP3 players, flash players, video games, head phones and the latest CDs or music DVDs are gifts that you can think of gifting any teenager boy.

For sportive boys, basketball hoop, footballs, skateboards, sports cycle, sports shoes, sport coats, hats, hoodies and sport jeans can some of things that you can thing of gifting.

Other amazing gifts can be muscial guitars, digital note books, low budget labtops, wallets, stylish pens etc.

Jewellery: Gifting jewellery is the safe option as every women loves jewellery. As the occasion is Diwali you can gift your wife with gold pendants featuring Lakshmiji or Ganapathi. You should also know the kind of jewellery she prefers and gift her accordingly.

If your buget agrees you can gift her diamonds and precious stone jewellery. Now-a-days light delicate jewellery are very popular and see if you can gift her a nice set of such jewellery this Diwali.

Wardrobes: Women are very fond of designer sarees and outfits. Know her favorite colour and style and gift a nice saree this Diwali. This can be a perfect gift.

Shringar Items: On the occasion of Diwali your wife might spend considerable time for decorating herself. So you can please her by gifting items such as bangles, cosmetics, nail paints, lipsticks, makeup kits, perfumes etc.

Generic gifts such as purses, hand bags, pair of footware, jewellery box, body lotions, moisturizers are some of the ideas that you may thing of gifting.

You can surprise your wife with gifting tickets of movies, concerts, musicals or events. This can spice up your Diwali too.

If she is fond of books you can gift her good books of her favorite writer. Gifting recipe books can also be thought of if your wife loves cooking.

Art peices, aromatic candles, decorative showpeices and kitchen appliances can be sensible gifts for the occasion of Diwali.

The best gift, however, is your love and concern. More than a substance, the feelings behind are important. The above items can undoubtly show your love towards her but if you can gift her your smile and soothing words that can be a real gift for any occasion leave alone Diwali.

Gift Ideas for Husbands:

Before selecting a Diwali gift for your husband keep certain things in mind like his hobbies, taste and interests.

For husbands who like to dress up gifts like T-shirts, trowsers, waist coats, belts, tiepins and watches can be decent gifts. If he is traditional bent then traditional clothes like kurtas, shervanis, dhotis can be good gifts.

On the occassion of Diwali, men jewellery is the best gift. You can gift him silver coins, lockets, braclets, pendents and rings featuring Ganesha and Lakshmi.

Perfumes of his choice are one of the auspicious gifts that you can gift your husband.

For techy savvy husbands there are number of gifts that you can choose, for example: mobile phone, laptop, electronic diary, etc. This can also include wallet, briefcase, laptop case etc.

For music lovers you can gift favorite music Cds. Gifting Diwali music Cds can make the occassion wonderful. This can also include iPod, flash player and MP3/MP4 player.

If your husband is fond of books you can gift him mind elevating books for this Diwali. Take care of his taste and select the book as book means a lot for a booky minded husband.

If your husband is creative and artist you can gift him a nice art peice or paintings and photoframes to surprise him on Diwali.

Men too like sweets, chocolates and flowers as much as women do. On festival occassion these can be very special. So do not hesitate to gift him the pack of his favorite sweets.

Before selecting a gift for child:

• Make sure that you are gifting according to the requirements of the age and sex of the child.
• See the gift is a new one which means you have not gifted such a thing before. Children are very sensitive to repetitions.
• Examine the mindset of the child, for example the nature and interest of child. Also think of the effect of the gift on him or her.
• Take care of the quality of the gift. Being children they can toss up the gifts. Give good quality, longing gifts.
• See that your gift is useful and applicable to the child. Do not give the gift for which the child has to wait to use.
• Give the gifts personally so that the child gets a personal touch and feeling of contentment.

Here are few gifts ideas for Diwali:

Crackers: Crackers are the first and the best gifts on Diwali. They are very much appreciated by children especially boys and teenagers. The crackers should be gifted according to the caliber of the child.

Jewellery: For girls, shringar items like bangles, necklaces and jewellery items can be good gifts. Other gifts like embroidered bag, silver items like Lakshmi coins and Ganesha coins can fascinate them.

Eatables: Cookies, cakes, chocolates and milky sweets are all time favorite to children. Gifting the best flavor available will be the best gift for Diwali.

Books: For a intellectually-bent child, books can be a welcome gift for Diwali. Books such as ‘Ramayana for Children’ and other epic books can be a seasoning for the occassion.

DVDs and Videos: Children movie videos and DVDs are now-a-days very popular gifts for children. Children music videos are also appreciated as good gifts.

Games: Video games and Cds are liked by every child. Even electronic toys are very popular these days. Other traditional toys made for Diwali, for example Diya toys or Bell toys can also be gifted.

Make sure that you gift these with a smile so that you get the child’s million dollar smile in return.

Happy Diwali !!!

Greeting cards are customary during the season of Diwali. Business men send Diwali cards to their clients and customers which are known to be the means to foster a close relationship with them. If you can prepare the greeting cards with your own hands then you can add feelings to your creativity. In this article we give simple steps to prepare a greeting card for Diwali.

Materials needed:

Heavy stock paper: Any manila folder or mail envelop will work
Embroidery threads or ribbons
Photographs featuring Diyas or Diwali
Pencils, pens, erasers etc.
Paints of different colorus, red and yellow are must
Scissors
Glue sticks

Method to prepare:

Measure the size of final layout to determine the width and height. 7” x 11” is an ideal size. Cut the card paper accordingly and fold the paper into a card.

Leave half an inch border on all sides and paste embroidery threads or ribbons for the decoration. The size of this designed rectangle may vary as per your design visualization.

Now decorate the inside of the rectangle with colours and photographs. Big picture of ‘Diya’ looks ideal and you can decorate red and yellow colours. You can also paste the photographs featuring Lakshmiji and Ganesha. Photographs of crackers can also show your enthusiam on the card.

Write “Happy Diwali” or “Shubh Deepawali” on the motif. Adding a short message can also make your card ideal. Write your message on the inside of the card in presentable hand writing. You can also take a computer printout of the writing part. Varieties of designs can be selected from computer that add flavor to your greeting card.

Diwali is synonymous with a lot of wining and dining on sumptuous feasts, for which no expense is spared. Women spend several days making traditional sweets, snacks and savouries .

On the first day of Diwali, a warm sweet drink is made with semolina, saffron, cardamom, raisins and nuts and eaten with a black-eye bean curry. On the second day, everyone fasts all day and break their fast at sunset with lapsee, a warm sweet porridge made of broken wheat, sugar and clarified butter. Day three is meant for a milk pudding with rice or sago, and often accompanied by spicy urad vada (lentil fritters).

On Diwali day, people eat a lot of vegetarian food, comprising as many vegetables as possible. This signifies a whole year of prosperity. Sweets in their fullest array are common and as gifts people exchange dried fruits too.

Here are some trademark recipes that almost everyone enjoys at Diwali:

Khoya Laddu
Ingredients:

• 2 cups khoya
• 1½ cups coarsely powdered roasted sesame seeds
• Powdered sugar to taste
• Kesar, chopped almonds and pistas for decoration

Preparation:

Roast the khoya on low flame till it turns a very light golden yellow. Let it cool. Then, add coarsely powdered roasted sesame seeds and mix it. When lukewarm, add powdered sugar. Mix well and shape into small balls. Arrange in a plate and decorate with kesar, chopped almonds and pistas.

How to make khoya in a microwave oven:

Put three cups of full cream milk powder in microwave oven proof casserole. Make a thick paste by adding sufficient water. Add 2 tbsp ghee. Cover with plastic cling film and microwave for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Gujia
Ingredients:

• 250 gm flour
• 500 gm khoya
• 250 gm sugar
• 100 ml water
• 100 gm almonds, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• Sugar 250 grams
• A few raisins

Preparation:

Mix oil and flour well to give a firm consistency. Now add water and knead lightly. Make soft dough, cover with a damp cloth and set aside. Fry the khoya in cooking oil till it becomes light brown and then mix the sugar in it well. Add almonds and raisins, and fry for a few more minutes. Remove from fire and let cool.

Make small thick chapattis out of dough. Fill half chapatti with the khoya mixture and, roll it, seal the sides, taking care to see that the khoya does not drop out of the chapatti. Decorate the sealing with a hemming pattern. Deep-fry these gujias until light golden brown on a low flame. Take out the gujias on a newspaper and let the oil soak. Serve hot or store in an airtight container.

Diwali is all about fun and feasting, so don’t think of your diet on that day. Just binge and then you have the rest of the year to diet.

Diwali is such an important festival in India that come October or November, everyone buys furnishing, linen, kitchen gadgets and perhaps a car too-all to give the home an air of newness and prosperity.

Fancy decorations lead the preparations for this beautiful and eagerly-awaited festival. People also their homes painted and decorated traditionally. And those who do not buy anything new make cosmetic changes like changing their furniture in each room to give it a minimal air of newness.

Traditional Diwali Decorations:

All said and done, there are some traditional decorations associated with this festival that everyone participates in. Some of them are:

Bandanwar or Door-hangings:

These are decorative door-hangings put out at the entrance of homes especially at Diwali. They give a festive and traditional look to homes and could be decorated with embroidery, bells or mirrors at the entrance of homes and that of the prayer room.

Rangoli:

As a sign of welcome to the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, women design elaborate and colorful Rangoli patterns at the entrances of their homes by hand, often freestyle. They use colored sawdust, chalk, flour or rice-grain. The patterns can be in a square shape, rectangle or circular with motifs drawn from Nature-peacocks, swans, mango, flowers, creepers, etc. Today, however, they also use rice, brick, chilly and turmeric, and to give a 3-D effect, they also use dhanya, cereals, pulses that are tinted with natural dyes. A lot of creativity and hard work go to make beautiful Rangoli patterns.

Diyas and Candles:

Earthen lights or diyas and candles are an inherent part of Diwali decorations. People light every part of their house, including compound walls, terraces and staircases with beautiful diyas and candles in interesting and artistic shapes.

Decorative Lamps:

These lamps add glamour to the house, so are used in large numbers, making them very popular. You can find them in all kinds of materials ranging from rice paper to glass, brass and marble.

Decorative Pieces:

As Diwali gifts, these can be very welcome in most homes, as each gift can be not just eye-catching but customized to your needs. For instance, if you need a reading lamp, you can be given a beautiful ceramic or crystal lamp, just right for your bedside table-and it will be most welcome too. Since this is a time to give a bright new look to the home, decorative pieces are popular as Diwali gifts. People gift curios, ethnic wall hangings, paintings, decorated pots, linen and perfumed candles.

The pleasure that one get in decorating the house for Diwali is so personal and spontaneous that it defies explanation. Still, all those who continually experience it can never have enough of it each year.

Diwali or Deepawali, is also referred to as the Festival of Lights. Light is important in Hinduism as it symbolizes goodness. All through the Festival of Lights, ‘diyas’, or oil lamps, are lit to keep away darkness and evil. Homes are adorned with oil lamps, candles as well as decorative lights. Diwali is observed on the final day of the last month of the lunar calendar. Hindus all over the world are engaged in week long festivities. Diwali marks the commencement of a new fiscal year and a fresh start for everyone. Diwali celebrations last for five days with each of the days having its own importance and custom. Numerous folklore and legends are also associated with each day of Diwali. Every part of India observes Diwali in its own characteristic manner.

The Diwali Puja Thali is a vital feature of the celebrations associated with Diwali. Not only is Diwali the most propitious of all festivals, but is also the most colorful with all its complex details. There are numerous customs connected with the Diwali festival and among them the illumination with diyas and the ceremonies associated with Lakshmi Puja are the most significant.

Beautifying a Pooja-Thali during Diwali is a privilege that all kids are keen to enjoy. However just before the puja it is up to the womenfolk of the house to ensure that the thali is in proper order. They adorn their Thalis with great meticulousness and patience as if the articles kept on that Thali are actually an offering for the gods. Adorning a Thali is a vital aspect of the rituals associated with Diwali and hence one should exercise great caution while decorating the thali keeping in mind the requirements that such act entails.

A Diwali Puja Thali is a plate, generally made out of copper or occasionally gold, that is utilized to store all those accessories that are necessary during the worship of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi. Adorned Diwali Puja Thalis having all the Puja accessories can be bought from the market but the contentment and the delight of decorating this exceptional Thali by ones own hands produces in an individual a sense of divine feeling. The diverse accessories are placed quite beautifully on the Thali that the womenfolk of the house carry in their hands. Thus the Puja Thali has great importance for the Diwali celebrations in which the worship of Goddess Lakshmi is the central theme.

The mode of worship through which prayers are offered includes a wide array of rituals that are quite unique in their representation. The manner of worship is colorful and is marked by a tuneful melody. Decorated with exquisite patterns these Pooja Thalis assist one in performing Diwali Puja with great dignity and splendor. The Puja Thali includes Roli for tilak, Akshat or the rice grains, Ghanti or bell, a small Kalash or pot containing water, Kalava or mauli that is generally tied around the wrist, Aarti-diya, dhoop, agarbatti, camphor, coconut, betel, betel leaves, sandalwood paste, candles, flowers, seasonal fruits together with sweetmeats that are offered as prasad and silver or gold coins depicting the images of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesha, Om, Swastika or Shree.

Diwali, also known as Deepavali is an important festival of the Hindus but the celebration is also associated with Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism as well. Also called the “Festival of Lights,” it represents the triumph of good over evil. The celebration is marked by the lighting of lamps and is symbolic of eternal hope for mankind. Celebrations centre on lights and lamps, chiefly conventional diyas. Fireworks are an important aspect of the festival in most parts of India.

While North Indians refer to the ‘Festival of Lights’ as Diwali, South Indians call it Deepavali. However, both the names when literally translated give similar impression, which is “row of lights”.

It is an acknowledged fact that Diwali is a festival of lights as well sweets and mithais. In reality one can find all types of sweets at the time of Diwali, even if it means the rarest of the rare. During Diwali the markets get flooded with all types of Diwali sweets. People do their utmost for obtaining their desired Diwali sweets.

In fact the diwali sweets form a vital part of the Diwali revelry in India. During Diwali people greet their relatives and friends with an assortment of sweets that are specially prepared for the occasion. People also entertain their guests with Diwali sweets at the time of Diwali celebration.

Of all the Diwali sweets Rasgullas are extremely popular. The chief ingredients of Rasgullas are milk, sugar and rose water. Rasgullas can be purchased loose from sweetmeat shops or can be bought in the form of tinned stuff. Generally Rusgullas that are available in tin packs weigh about a kilo and it has a shelf life of 12 months, if unopened. Tinned Rusgullas are hygienically prepared and can be eaten inside the 12 months of packing. The packages are further adorned with various types of Diwali motifs so as to create the thrill connected with the festival of lights.

Gulab Jamun is also regarded as a popular Diwali sweet and is profusely consumed during the festive occasion. A standard packaged tin of Gulab Jamun contains 12 pieces of Gulab Jamun prepared from Khoya or concentrated milk solids, refined wheat flour, sugar, chenna or pressed milk curd, rose water and cardamom. Pure ghee is generally used for its preparation. The weight of twelve pieces of tinned Gulab Jamun is roughly a kilo. The packaged stuff is hygienically prepared and has a minimum shelf life of six months. Gulab Jamuns are also freely available in sweet meat shops.

Soan Papdi is another popular sweet that is extensively consumed on the occasion of Diwali. The chief ingredients of Soan Papdis include sugar, pure desi ghee, wheat flour, gram flour, cardamom, almonds, pistachio and cucumber seeds. One can also include an attractive Diwali card decorated with Diwali motifs together with this packet and can readily present them as the ideal Diwali gift to ones relatives and acquaintances.

Kaju Rolls made up of milk, cashew, sugar, ghee and pista are favoured by many because of their delicious taste. Kaju rolls can be obtained in special Diwali packs or can be purchased loose from sweetmeat shops