Housewarming Gift from PoetryGift.com

House Warming Gifts for Her Personalize FindGift.com! -- Login | Sign Up | List of Services Gift Ideas Gift Registry Gift Shops Gift Bookmarks Home | Help keyword search Gift Giving Made Easy! A free service dedicated to helping you find creative gift ideas! Home Occasions House Warming Her Refine Search for House Warming Gift Ideas for Her Cosmopolitan Educational Exotic Fun Humorous Personalized Practical Professional Romantic Rustic Sentimental Unique Any Price $0 - $10 $11 - $25 $26 - $50 $51 - $100 $101 - $200 $200+ Use our Gift Wizard to customize your gift search Use our Gift Finder to find gift ideas customized to the likes/dislikes of the recipient. Free Spa Bag! Buy a Salon/Spa Gift Certificate Get a Free Spa Bag - 1500 locations www.1800THESALON.COM Unique Gifts Under $50 Handblown glass oil lamp w/bottle of oil makes a memorable gift. www.firelightglass.com Viewing 1 - 10 of 7780 gift ideas found Personalized Housewarming Gift from PoetryGift.com ($99.99) Renoir's painting and a customized poem combine to make a special housewarming keepsake. Personalize your gift with names and closing message and create your own timeless work of art. Free shipping FREE SHIPPING available for any order. Special 10% discount by entering coupon code - poetrygift - on order form Questions? Contact PoetryGift.com . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] Prism Oil Candle from Firelight Glass ($28.05) Handblown prism oil candles from 3" to 12" high. Candles contain enough oil to burn 24 hours or more with a lifetime fiberglass wick. Candle will act as a prism when light passes through. Special 15% discount and free shipping (UPS ground) for all orders. Enter coupon code BFG3S at check out. Questions? Contact Firelight Glass . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] Small EcoSphere from greenfeet.com ($57.95) Inside each EcoSphere are active microorganisms, bright red shrimp and algae; each existing in a clear soup of filtered seawater. Because the unit is a self-containing ecosystem, you never have to feed the life within. For Natural, Sustainable and Recycled Products - Perfect Gifts for Every Occasion -greenfeet.com Questions? Contact greenfeet.com . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often Sign from Personal Creations ($34.95) This sign says it all: the best advice you'll ever get. We engrave the sign with any message, up to 15 characters. Made from resin and marble. Sign measures 14-14 Wx11-12 Lx-34 D, designed for wall mount. $5 OFF orders over $40! Save on personalized gifts, ornaments and decorations. PROMO CODE: GFB548. (exp 12/31/05) Questions? Contact Personal Creations . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] Floating Moon Chimney Lamp from Firelight Glass ($68.20) Handblown glass oil lamps with suspended reservoir in a diamond shaped chimney. 7" to 11" tall with a lifetime fiberglass wick. Special 15% discount and free shipping (UPS ground) for all orders. Enter coupon code BFG3S at check out. Questions? Contact Firelight Glass . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] Housewarming Welcome Sign from Personal Creations ($29.95) Displayed indoors or out, our handpainted plaque greets guests with a colorful, front walkway scene. Across the mailbox, we add any family name, up to 10 characters, for an extra warm welcome! $5 OFF orders over $40! Save on personalized gifts, ornaments and decorations. PROMO CODE: GFB548. (exp 12/31/05) Questions? Contact Personal Creations . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] New Home Personalized Cartoon from Personalized by Annette ($10.95) New Home cartoons come matted, 8 x 10, in your choice of matte color. The Sign (3 lines) can be personalized. This cartoon can also be ordered as a snowglobe, key chain, magnet or mouse pad. Questions? Contact Personalized by Annette . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] New Home Gift Box- Medium from A Gift to Remember, LLC ($29.95) A variety of shortbread, coffee, nuts, chocolate covered popcorn, chocolate covered pretzels, and a Ghirardelli chocolate bar will certainly help them find the energy to move into their new home. We do all the work! Easy, convenient, & quick ordering process. Send a classy, elegant gift to show how much you care. Questions? Contact A Gift to Remember, LLC . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] Windowsill Herb Garden from RedEnvelope ($42.00) Our windowsill herb garden puts the enticing scent and flavors of homegrown herbs within easy reach. Parsley, thyme, mint and rosemary arrive fully grown in 3 1/2" grower's pots, all tucked in a galvanized basket with handle. Questions? Contact RedEnvelope . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] Personalized Marble Photo Coaster Kit Tilano Fresco from Future Memories ($32.95) Tilano Fresco Marble Photo Coaster Kit puts your favorite photo on a marble coaster! A totally unique way to display your memories. Making your own coasters is easy and fun to do, and can be done right at home. Questions? Contact Future Memories . Add to Gift Bookmarks Add to Registry [ More Gifts from this store ] [ People Who Liked This Gift Also Liked ] [ Report Error ] Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | viewing 1 - 10 of 7780 gift ideas found Bosses Day Oct 16, 2005 24 Shopping Days Left Bosses Day Gift Ideas Sweetest Day Oct 15 Halloween Oct 31 More Holidays Seasonal Gifts Wedding Gift Ideas Anniversary Gift Ideas Autumn Theme See this month's Top 20 Gift Ideas Gift Helpers » Anniversary Gifts » Flower Meanings » Monthly Flowers » Monthly Birthstones » Signs of the Zodiac » Additional Resources FindGift.com Newsletter Sign up to receive seasonal and unique gift ideas via email. Email Address Merchant Login | Add Your Products to FindGift.com | Press Room | FAQs | Contact FindGift.com Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Site Map © 1997-2005, Registry Online, Inc. FindGift.com and its logo are trademarks of Registry Online, Inc.

gift ideas | resource

Amazon.com Baby:Gift Ideas Your Store Baby See All 31 Product Categories   Your Account | Cart | Wish List | Help Baby Registry | browse categories | browse brands | gift ideas | resource center | baby outlet Search Amazon.com Baby Products Toys & Games Advanced Search Web Search Baby > Gift Categories > Gift Ideas Browse Gift Ideas Baby Books & Calendars Blankets Gift Sets Gyms & Playmats Keepsakes Layette Moses Baskets Photo Albums Picture Frames Piggy Banks Related Categories Personalized Gifts by Babies 'R' Us Browse Picture Frames Collage Frames Photo Frames Special Occasion Frames Browse By Occasion Adoption Baby'sFirst... Baby Shower NewBaby Pregnancy Religious Browse By Price Under $25 $25-$50 $50-$75 Over $75 Browse By Recipient ExpectingMom Grandparent NewDad NewMom NewSiblings Toddler Twins,Triplets & More Are you, or is someone you know,expecting a little bundle of joy? A baby registry makesshopping easy and ensures that everyone gets what they want. Create your ownbaby registry or search for someone else's registry. Visit our BabyRegistry The Napping House by Audrey Wood, Don Wood (Illustrator) Amazon.com There is a house, a napping house, where everyone is sleeping. "Everyone," in this case is a snoring granny, a dreaming child, a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, a slumbering mouse... and a wakeful flea! Uh-oh. Looks like the napping house won't be napping for long. With their very own brand of humor,... read more List Price: $5.95 Price: $5.95 Used & new from $3.00 See more books for baby A Reason to Celebrate Baby showers are a wonderful way for family and friends toshower the impending arrival (not to mention mom and dad) with plenty of gifts.Attending a shower and not sure what to give? No worries. Our baby shower gifts guide willwalk you through the basics and offer some gift-giving advice. Read our guide Subscribe Now! Find low prices on selected family and parenting magazines, including AmericanBaby , Parents ,and more! More magazines Give a Gift Set Gift sets are always a hit. Take a look at ourcollection of gift sets--from simple to spectacular--that include everythingfrom bathtime essentials to cozy layette items. See all gift sets Carters 4 Pack Receiving Blankets Price: $14.99 Great for swaddling , July 26, 2005 Reviewer: N. Kenisell "supermom" from The Woodlands,TX I live near Houston, so it is hot and humid for a good portion of the year. These blankets are just right for using in his car seat to cover him without getting too hot, and were great when we swaddled him when he was a newborn. They are very soft and look like new even after many washes! I would... Read more Treasures Pewter Dumbell Rattle by Empire Silver Company Price: $23.99 Along with the stroller, car seat, and diaper bags, it's nice togive something that they won't grow out of. See our collection of keepsakes that will make anynew parent ooh and aah. See more keepsakes Our Top Sellers Updated Hourly 1. SwaddleMe Adjustable Newborn Fleece Wrap - Ivory by Kiddopotamus and Co Price: $9.99 2. LeapStart Learning Table by LeapFrog Price: $39.99 You Save: $5.00 (11%) 3. Baby Einstein Play Gym by Kids II Price: $59.99 4. Gymini Super Deluxe Light and Music by Tiny Love Price: $59.99 5. SwaddleMe Adjustable Infant Cotton Wrap - Green by Kiddopotamus and Co Price: $9.99 More top sellers Treat yourfavorite parents-to-be to a gift certificate with a free new baby or pregnancy e-card!Or purchase an e-mail or paper gift certificate . Whichever one you choose,you can't go wrong by giving them the gift of choice. See samples of our gift certificates Baby Outlet BabyRegistry Books, Music &More LayetteBoutique NewParents' Checklist Parents'Favorites Resource Center Where's My Stuff? • Track your recent orders . • View or change your orders in Your Account . Shipping & Returns • See our shipping rates & policies . • Return an item (here's our Returns Policy ). Need Help? • Forgot your password? Click here . • Redeem or buy a gift certificate. • Visit our Help department . Search Baby Products All Products for Top of Page Babiesrus.com | Baby Registry | Browse Categories | Browse Brands Gift Ideas | Resource Center | Baby Outlet Amazon.com Home | Directory of All Stores Our International Sites: Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | Japan | France  | China Contact Us | Help | Shopping Cart | Your Account | Sell Items | 1-Click Settings Investor Relations | Press Releases | Careers Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1995-2005, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Teacher Gifts -- Show

Top Teacher Gifts PREGNANCY & BIRTH BABY TODDLER PRESCHOOL SCHOOL-AGE PRETEEN TEEN BEHAVIOUR & DEVELOPMENT FOOD & NUTRITION HEALTH, CARE & SAFETY EDUCATION PARTIES, CRAFTS & ACTIVITIES Birthday Parties Indoor Fun & Games Outdoor Fun & Games Seasonal Celebrations Travel & Outings Sports & Lessons Toys, Books & More Craft Corner The Forums LIFE AS A PARENT templatedata\content\html\data\2003\02\20030204_082547_3052 -- templatedata\content\html\data\2003\09\20030912_170127_1844 -- templatedata\content\html\data\2003\02\20030204_082656_1572 -- templatedata\content\html\data\2003\02\20030204_082656_1572 -- Seasonal Celebrations Amy Baskin Top Teacher Gifts -- Show your appreciation with these tokens that score high marks -- Top Teacher Gifts Show your appreciation with these tokens that score high marks By Amy Baskin • Homemade and homegrown • A way with words • Getting creative • Insider tips on gifts • Great Teacher Gifts • Edible Gifts for Teacher • Gifts Teachers Appreciate Most Some teacher gifts are unforgettable. One morning when former grade-seven teacher Jim Blomfield entered his classroom in Kitchener, Ont., he found it reeking of alcohol. A student clutching a dripping gym bag said: “I brought a bottle of wine for you, sir, but it broke.” Blomfield’s pupil learned first-hand how difficult it is to find the perfect present for a teacher. Of course, teachers don’t expect gifts, but many of us want to acknowledge their hard work. So Today’s Parent asked teachers what tokens they really love receiving. As the end of the school year fast approaches, here’s how to avoid making a gift gaffe: Homemade and Homegrown Foodie teachers relish home-baked and freezable goodies such as banana bread . Others are not as enthusiastic. Says one educator, “It depends on whose clean hands do the baking!” Alternatively, your child can make a date with the teacher and bring in a basket lunch. Try make-your-own sandwiches — pack deli-sliced cheeses and meats, crusty rolls, fresh fruit and juice . Teachers with green thumbs also appreciate the personal touch. “One year I received a potentilla plant from a student,” says grade-five/six teacher Mike Anderson of Fergus, Ont. “I was really impressed that she had remembered I was starting a new garden.” Gourmet goodie. Little chefs love to scoop, pour and measure out the ingredients for this attractive and healthy gift. Buy a 2 cup (500 mL) Mason or screw-top jar. Add ½ cup (100 mL) small pasta, like shells or fusilli. Using a funnel (or a rolled-up cone of paper), pour in ¼ cup (50 mL) each of green split peas, yellow split peas, red lentils and barley — in that order. Let your child pat each layer gently with a gloved hand to flatten. In a small sandwich bag, place two vegetable bouillon cubes, 2 tbsp (30 mL) each of parsley flakes and dried onion flakes, ½ tsp (2 mL) each of thyme and pepper. Screw the lid on the jar and decorate both with stickers and indelible markers. Place in a basket along with the sandwich bag and a 28 oz (793 g) can of diced tomatoes. Write or type instructions on a small card: “In a large soup pot, combine contents of jar (except for pasta), can of diced tomatoes and 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Add contents of spice bag. Continue simmering for about 1 hour and when there’s about a half-hour to go, add pasta. Enjoy!” Punch a hole in the card, thread a ribbon through and tie it around the lid of the jar. Next Page: A way with words Originally published in Today's Parent, June 2005 templatedata\content\article\data\2005\04\20050426_112134_2108 -- NAME: ADDRESS: CITY: PROVINCE: Select a Province Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory POSTAL CODE: (Please omit spaces) EMAIL: Clickhere to view our e-mail policy Please click here for non-Canadian or Giftsubscriptions . templatedata\content\html\data\2004\08\20040831_163337_5860 -- How do you keep your family active in the winter months templatedata\content\html\data\2003\02\20030203_145618_1976 -- Contact Us | Who We Are | Privacy | Press Room | Advertise Info | Advertiser Spotlight | User Survey This site is best viewed with Internet Explorer 5.0+ on a Windows operating system, all other browsers and platforms are not fully supported ©1996-2005

Golf Gift

Aspen Country - Gifts for Golfers, Golf Gifts, Golfer Statues, Golfing Decorations, Golf Motif Office Decor Entrance Contents View Basket Shipping Checkout Contact Us F.A.Q.s About Us end rendering tab -- Welcome to Aspen Country Aspencountry.com specializes in unique, fine quality, yet affordable gifts and novelty items for hard to shop for people and special occasions. Please browse the 1000s of gifts in our store, or check out our golf-theme decorations, golf sculptures, gifts for golfers, Father's Day gifts , gifts for men and thoughtful gift ideas . Enjoy Aspen Country! God Bless America FREE SHIPPING On Orders Over $75 Click for details Search For Unique Gifts: Free Greeting Cards Free personalized online greetings from Aspen Country! Send Free Greeting Cards Add a Message to a Gift Order Browse Our Gift Store Aspen Country Entrance Aspen Country Sampler Men's Home Decor & Gifts Nautical Home Decorations Decor & Gifts for Women Lawn and Garden Decor Home Decor Accessories Antique-Style Decorations Decorative Mirrors Country Clock Shop Feng Shui Oriental Decor Kitchen Decorations Country Candle Shop Angel Sculptures & Decor Religious Gifts & Statues American Old West African Heritage Decor Dolls, Miniatures, Musicals Toys, Chess Sets, Games Mythical Fantasty Theme Animal Wildlife Sculptures Elephant Statues & Decor Bird & Eagle Sculptures Human Statues, Figurines Designer Photo Frames Home Office Accessories Knives, Tool Sets, Totes Fine Jewelry Gifts Christmas Decorations New Knickknacks & Gifts New! Gift Certificates Aspen Country Site Map Shop Aspen Country Online! Shop Aspen Country By Mail Order or Fax! Printable Order Form ©2005 Aspencountry.com All rights reserved. Number of Hits: - Gifts for Golfers - Golf Theme Decorations - Golf Home Decor, Golfer Statues & Golfing Novelties | Golf Motif Desk Accessories, Bookends, Paperweights | | Golf Wall Decor, Golfing Plaques, Golfing Scene Shadow Boxes | | Golfer Stautes and Sculptures | Unique Golf-Theme Clocks | Golfing Desk Accessories / Golf Motif Office Decorations Golf Theme Bookends, Paperweights, Pen Holders, Decor, More Golfing Motif Clock - Golfer Taking a Swing Desk Clock For the avid golfer who never wants to miss a tee time, this golf theme desk clock is just the thing. A sculptured golfer takes his swing in front of a tree on the green. 4 1/2" x 3" x 6" high. Item:31803 (Regularly $24.95) SALE! $19.95 Golf Club with Golf Ball Decorative Bookends The look of wood is captured in these golf-themed, bookends. A perfect gift for someone in love with the links. These decorative golf bookends measure 3 1/8" x 3 3/4" x 4 1/2" high. Item:31870 (Regularly $17.95) SALE! $14.95 Golf Motif Trinket Box with "History of Golf" Lid Makes a fine office gift for the avid golfer! This distinctive desk box illustrates the "History of Golf" with antique balls and clubs inside its hinged shadowbox lid. Wood box; resin golfballs. 11" x 8 3/4" x 3 1/2" high. Item:35175 (Regularly $29.95) SALE! $24.95 Golf Motif Wall Clock - History of Golf Shadowbox Design The "History of Golf" is illustrated with golf balls and clubs in this antique-look shadowbox-style wall clock. Wood; resin golf balls. Battery operated. 8 3/4" x 2 1/4" x 18 1/2" high. Item:35133 (Regularly $34.95) SALE! $27.95 Golf Club & Ball Desk Box / Trinket Box Keep your tees, your cufflinks, your change or your treasures in this golf-themed trinket box. The lid features a sculptured golf ball and club. 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" high. Item:31566 (Regularly $12.95) SALE! $10.95 Golfing Motif Office Decor: Golf Ball & Club Memo Holder 50 sheets of memo paper snuggle inside this faux wood golf-themed, memo holder. A great addition to the desk of the avid player. 3 3/4" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" high. Item:31567 $7.95 Golfer Office Decor - Golf Club & Ball Pen Holder A fun addition to the desk of the golfer in the family. This pen and pencil holder is bedecked with reminders of the ageless game. 2 3/4" x 3" x 3 3/4" high. Item:31568 $9.95 Golfing Plaques, Golf-Theme Photo Frames, Golf Shadow Boxes Golfing Theme Photo Frame - Balls & Clubs Motif The perfect way to frame your favorite golf enthusiast! Crafted in detail, it features golf clubs and balls and holds 4" x 6" photos. 6 1/4" x 8 1/4" high. Item:32040 $11.95 Evolution of Golf Shadow Box - Golfing Wall Decor Here's a great gift for the golfer in the family. A wooden shadowbox displaying the evolution of the iron since the 1700's, and variations of the golf ball from 1830-1930. 22" x 1 3/4" x 12" high. Item:31588 (Regularly $34.95) SALE! $27.95 Fine Art Golf Sculptures, Golfer Figurines, Golfing Statues Golfer Desk Sculpture - Frosted Glass Look Golf Statue What golfer wouldn't love to add this masterpiece sculpture, in stunning "frosted glass" finish, to his collection? The translucence creates a spectacular effect of contrasting light and shadow. 7 1/8" x 4 1/8" x 8 1/2" high. Item:28147 (Regularly $39.95) SALE! $31.95 Golfer Wearing Knickers Bronze Sculpture For the golf aficianado, a classic golf figure to enhance an office or den. This nostalgic figure leans on his club and wears knickers and all the classic golfing apparel of days past. Bronze finish golfer measures 4 5/8" x 3 3/8" x 11 1/2" high. Resin. Item:31146 (Regularly $19.95) SALE! $15.95 Back to the top of this page More Thoughtful Gifts for Men | Unique Father's Day Gifts | Gifts for Fishermen | | Gifts for Hunters | Men's Watches | Nautical Theme Gifts | | Desk Accessories for Men & Masculine Office Decorations | | Patriotic Sculptures and Stars & Stripes Decor | More Unique Distinctive Gift Ideas | Gift Ideas for Men | Gifts for Women | Get Well Gifts | | New Baby Gifts, Baptism Gifts | Unique Gifts for Children | | Gifts for Teenagers & Tweens | Grandparent Gift Ideas | | Gifts for Teachers & Students | Housewarming Gift Ideas | | Anniversary Gifts | Romantic Gifts That Say I Love You | | Gifts Under $10 | Gifts Under $25 | Gifts Under $50 | | Aspen Country Entrance | Aspen Country Sampler | Thank you for shopping at Aspencountry.com! Merchandise is promptly shipped with our 100% satisfaction full money back guarantee. | Privacy Policy | Our Guarantee | Shipping Info | Help | Forgot Your Password? | | Order Form | Contact Us | E-mail: aspencountryinfo@aol.com | Phone 303.221.2010 | ©2005 Aspencountry.com All rights reserved.

Birthday Presents || Special

GDR Souvenirs - Birthday and Anniversary Presents Preface || Introduction || Official Gifts || Gifts to the Party Birthday Presents || Special Items || Site Map Information || Guestbook || Picture galerie Birthday and Anniversary Presents by Andreas Michaelis One might be forgiven for thinking that birthdays, even those that come in round figures, are essentially private or indeed contemplative occasions. Not so, if the birthday boy happens to be the head of a state or Party or is in some other way in the public eye. In that case, a birthday becomes a public event. The guests can no longer be hand-picked, nor the tidal wave of presents averted. Gifts made to GDR leaders, if they were of the right kind, tended to end up in the museum. They included both highly individual pieces and items off the mass production conveyor belts. These souvenirs sometimes commemorated significant social occasions, sometimes insignificant; some were presented by governments, some by ordinary working people; and, while some might be suited to the personality and office of a president, others were given in friendship or comradeship. Along with presents to mark birthdays or other occasions in the lives of the state and Party leaders, there are certain items that were presented by home or foreign givers on particular GDR anniversaries. Most of these, and the oldest too, were left by Wilhelm Pieck at his death. One remarkable for its origins was given to him in Moscow in December 1943: a desktop calendar handcrafted out of wood for the Communist leader by German prisoners of war in the Soviet Union. The red crayon inscription reads: Unity and peace to the German people - Wilhelm Pieck - From antifascist prisoners of war in USSR p.o.w. camp 158. Three presents given to Wilhelm Pieck in Soviet exile in 1936, on his sixtieth birthday, have survived. They were made by Soviet industries, using material from the current production line, and represent a kind of gift that seems to have appeared for the first time in the USSR in the 20s. These presents signalled a deliberate rejection of feudal or bourgeois traditions and a liberation from the material and artistic values of an old societal system then supposed defunct, and their meaning to the recipient lay purely in their symbolic function. Doubtless it would be going too far to suggest that there was an individual artistic style of expression peculiar to socialism as practised in the Communist bloc countries - but it remains true that this kind of characteristic symbolic gift was in evidence in almost every east European country till the late 1980s. The workers at the factory or plant in question would normally be identified as the givers of presents of this sort. Thus Wilhelm Pieck was given a ball-bearing mount by the workforce at the 1st State Ball-Bearing Works, a clock (inevitably) by the workforce at the 2nd State Clock Factory in Moscow and a smoker's set made of cogwheels by the Sergo Orjonikidse Machine Tools Works. In 1954 the workers at Zeulenroda furniture factory took Pieck by surprise when they remembered an anniversary he had probably forgotten himself: in 1894, the President, then an apprentice carpenter, had joined the German Woodworkers' Association, and his fellows in the craft were keen to mark his diamond jubilee as an active member of the trade union movement. On the side of the chest they made to celebrate the occasion is an image of Stalinallee (Stalin Avenue) in East Berlin, which East Germany touted as the premier socialist street in the capital of the GDR. Naturally the Communist bloc had another tradition, first practised in the Soviet Union: the naming of cities, factories, co-operatives, streets and public amenities after prominent Communist personalities, often when they were still alive. A danger was concealed in this kind of honour, however. If a personality fell out of favour, or was downgraded by his successors, the names all had to be changed. Thus cities, works and streets named after Stalin were renamed almost immediately after the 20th congress of the Soviet Communist Party in 1956, and Stalin memorials were toppled. Stalin was dropped from the leadership hall of fame. The boulevard once known as Stalin Avenue became Karl Marx Avenue, which it remains to this day (though the names of other leading Communists have been largely removed following the velvet revolution in eastern Europe). In 1946, for his seventieth birthday, Wilhelm Pieck, then leader of the German Communist Party in the Soviet zone of occupation, was given a number of china figurines and a metal sombrero by the Party's cell in Mexican exile. Rather more useful, no doubt, was a cigarette case embellished with portraits of Lenin and Stalin which he received from Soviet comrades for his seventy-fifth birthday. One motif that recurs insistently in the presents given to him on that birthday and his eightieth is the first of the GDR's five-year plans. It was launched in 1951 and declared over in 1955, ahead of schedule, the targets more than met. Even at that date, the propaganda that accompanied the beginnings of an East German planned economy could be grotesque, and the items that recollect this phase will doubtless tickle many now. It would only be fair, however, to bear in mind that in the first decade of the GDR's history the struggle to fulfil plans was accompanied by a genuine sense of a fresh start, a new and energetic departure - and in this respect it was finally a more honest thing than the ossified, dogmatic planned economy of the 70s and 80s,with its clichés and hot air. Slogans such as Peace - Reconstruction - Prosperity, or the five-year plan emblem together with its motto The key to our success, are eloquent not only of the political vocabulary favoured during the 50s but also of the hopes and longings of the East German people. Among the many activities mounted by the Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth) was the Wilhelm-Pieck-Campaign , intended to prompt greater effort by the country's young people and the working population in general, to mark the President's eightieth birthday. On this occasion, the apprentices at the Bitterfeld electrochemicals combine gave Pieck a stylish folder containing documents and statements concerning their FDJ group. At their deaths, Pieck and Grotewohl left several hundred folders of this kind, with enough material for a hefty tome, or a feature-length satirical programme. Elsewhere, workers in factories set a good example in cost-cutting. If honorific gifts were produced in series, a given item could be made at a fraction of the cost of an individually-crafted piece. The figure of a muscular miner in a combative attitude, an optimistic expression firmly on his face, was far and away the most frequently given present for Pieck's eightieth birthday. He received numerous gifts from comrades in the Federal Republic too. Most of them were little items with some local connection, such as a figure of Roland from Bremen , or one of Hamburg's typical Hummel figures . The GDR leadership's duties routinely included visits to factories. These visits served primarily to demonstrate the closeness of the state and Party leadership to the working classes. In 1953, Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl visited the Ernst Thälmann Polygraphics Works at Saalfeld. He may have been critical of the work being done by the graphic artists and designers there; at all events, for his sixtieth birthday the following year he was presented with an entire collection of draft designs for new product labels. In the 50s, in addition to the obligatory gift, a leader might be honoured by having a work team (at least) named after him. Long before he officially took over the reins of the state and Party, Walter Ulbricht was so popular that labour collectives bore his name as early as 1953. For his sixtieth birthday, one of his work teams presented him with a desktop set praising his endeavours on behalf of peace, unity, democracy and socialism. Ten years later, as chair of the GDR's Council of State, he received for the first time one of the traditional presents from the Soviet armed forces in Germany - generally bombastic and symbolically top-heavy affairs. That first gift was a model of a Soviet cosmonaut memorial. A present from the Soviet armed forces to Otto Grotewohl has survived too, a figure reaching for the stars and thus symbolizing humanity's unceasing striving after higher things - an allegory that recurs frequently in Communist and socialist iconography. The Honecker era, too, in due course provided the Deutsches Historisches Museum with a number of anniversary presents. The desk set given to Erich Honecker, on his sixtieth birthday, by Lieutenant Colonel Kurkotkin, commander in chief of the Soviet armed forces in Germany, and bearing a personal dedication, particularly intrigues all who see it. The martial character of the set was no doubt intended to convey that the SED First Secretary could count on the massed firepower of the Soviet Union behind him, and thus settle in to a quiet period in power. The composition - typical in approach, given its origin - does in fact include a number of useful items, regardless of its military character and offputting design: a radio, a thermometer in the TV mast, a calendar, and four ball-points disguised as missiles. Ten years later a Soviet-German joint-stock company, SDAG Wismut - which was the last company in East Germany to remain under partial Soviet administration and control (till 1990), because of the uranium it was mining - presented a conversation piece inspired by mining. The bismuth workers, honouring an established tradition, selected a particularly fine mineral sample. The musical box they built into the sample seems never to have been used. On the same occasion, Honecker was presented with a pick by the Senftenberg Brown Coal Combine. It was not to be the last he received in his lengthy career as head of state and Party. It was not only the leaders of state and Party that were given these heavily symbolic presents; the tradition was observed at every level of the state and Party hierarchy. Stasi boss Erich Mielke kept a trophy room, as it were, at his headquarters in Normannenstrasse. Numerous honorifics are now on display there, gifts to Mielke or the ministry on a variety of occasions. Some were passed on to the Stasi ministry's information centre, whence they were made over to the Museum für Deutsche Geschichte in 1990. There are the usual plaques and tapestries, but one of the Stasi ministers birthday presents was a rather unusual model of an electric oven. In the GDR, 7 October was a national holiday, an annual celebration of the establishment of the first German workers' and peasants' state, and the date was marked with a grand parade, a government ceremony, and countless local festivities around the country. And every five years, on jubilee occasions, the state and Party leadership celebrated in lavish style. Leaders from friendly countries, and representatives from around the world, would pay their respects to the GDR. Again, it is the presents made by the Soviet armed forces that are especially striking. The model of the Soviet memorial in Treptow Park, which symbolizes the liberation of Germany from fascism and stresses the role played by the Red Army, was a gift to mark the GDR's silverjubilee in 1974. The outsized helm presented to Honecker on the 35th anniversary by the Schwerin SED regional leaders alluded to the well-worn image of Erich Honecker as the great helmsman of state. The accompanying letter is a gem, sparkling with all the routine phrases that had become de rigueur among the Party leadership echelons. The regional first secretary thanks our dear comrade Erich Honecker for his outstanding personal contribution to the conception and realisation of policies designed to assure the happiness of the people and the safeguarding of peace, and asserts that the people of our region are paying tribute to these fine socialist politics by making greater endeavours than ever before, in every field of society. By the time of the 40th anniversary celebrations, however, a gloomy knowledge of imminent upheaval darkened the leaders' festivities - though surely none of them could suspect at the time that it was to be the GDR's very last birthday.