“Take care of yourself, be healthy, and always believe you can be successful in anything you truly want.” Alessandra Ambrosio
With summer and Christmas simultaneously approaching, the desire to be out and about is bound to have you wanting to ensure that you have the appropriate shoes for the various events that you’ll have to attend. Numerous office parties, Christmas parties and even New Year’s events will have you assessing your entire outfit, and identifying any points of weakness. Many people do purchase new shoes seasonally, and additionally gift shoes to the people that they love. Whether you’re gifting sandals, sneakers, boots, or soft shoes, there are some factors that you can consider when you’re giving yourself or your loved ones shoes as gifts.
Christmas is approaching in a few weeks, and organizing to purchase the perfect, yet comfortable and safe shoes will be critical to your planning process. From an orthopaedic perspective, there are various mistakes that shoppers make when purchasing shoes including:
Incorrectly sizing shoes
Purchasing shoes that affect the gait of the body, and don’t support it properly
Purchasing for style instead of comfort
With the fact that there are a myriad of options, and even access to online stores with a multitude of products that you can skim through, you will be able to find items for your yourself and your family that fit all the critical orthopaedic criteria for good footwear. Remember to always ensure that your size, heel support, and comfort are taken care of, to prevent orthopaedic problems such as hammertoes a few years from now. With all the critical details taken care of...let’s get shopping!!
Gifting shoes is an ideal way to purchase gifts for your family and friends. We all live busy lives, and sometimes we just want a gift that is hassle free and easy to wrap and deliver. Shoes are ideal in that respect. Regardless of age, people always need more shoes! If you can...assess their current collection, find the missing gaps and then decide how it is you want to fill the gap. For instance, if you’re a wife and shopping for your husband, you may notice that he may need more dress shoes, winter boots or simply shoes that he can be cosy at home with.
Knowing the need, will then lead you to be able to initiate your gift search. Once you have identified that gap, you can purchase the shoes in a myriad of options:
Instore Visit
Online Store Purchase
Provide a Gift Voucher to your recipient to the store of interest as their Christmas present. You can also tell them to choose their own shoes, or recommend that you intended for them to purchase shoes of a particular style in order to suit their identified gap in their wardrobe.
Knowing Their Style
If you’re shopping for your special someone, it is always a good idea for you to identify their style. If the individual is close to you, it will be easy to detect what they will or will not like. Check their shoe closet, and you’ll be able to see that they have certain patterns or preferences when it comes to shoe shopping that will guide you in your own shopping decisions. If you notice that they love heels, you can either purchase more heels for that individual, but add an orthopaedic twist to their purchase. Knowing that heels can damage the feet, you can purchase for them a pair of espadrilles, or wedges, that will provide the desired elevation, yet still provide the comfort that is desired.
Look at their lifestyle, and determine if they also love to be at home, and purchase them a pair of shoes that will suit their downtime. Comfortable shoes like slippers or soft sole shoes are always a good idea. You can incorporate them into your gift giving ideas, and purchase one for each person in the family for gifting on Christmas Eve. Gifting soft shoes is a nice touch, and will actually encourage bonding and anticipation for the upcoming holiday. They are the perfect way to include shoes as gifts in your holiday traditions.
Additional gift ideas include coupling the soft shoes with matching pygamas for the recipients, and you’re good to go!!
Shopping For Party Shoes
Knowing that we will all more than likely be out out and about at Christmas time, it is always a good idea to treat the special people in your life to party shoes. For ladies, sandals with a slight heel are always welcome. These will definitely provide the elevation and comfort, without placing too much pressure on the feet. For gentlemen, there is a nice assortment of dress shoes that will fit your desired budget. Boots also are good for this type of occasion, and depending on the weather in your area, you will be able to find a style that is both comfortable and beautiful.
Couple purchases like boots, with the critical peripheries that the individual will need such as socks, and shoe polish and you’ll be good to go!
Create A Pamper Kit
At the end of the day, it will always be important to pamper your feet. As one of the most ignored parts of our bodies, they actually serve a purpose that is only missed once they start to malfunction. As a start, you can consult with your orthopaedic surgeon to identify what items will be beneficial to your at home pamper kit. This is a great option to consider, if you’re gifting a diabetic,who needs to attend to r feet regularly. If you are healthy, foot care is a great preventative tool. Instead of self-care feeling like a chore, it will feel like a luxury and you’ll want to do it. If you can, indulge in the following:
A Foot Spa: With a wide range of options from the super affordable to the super luxe, it is possible to purchase for yourself an at home foot massager. With this massager, you can facilitate the massaging of your feet, and improve the circulation through your entire feet and ankles. The soothing warm water will relax both your feet and your mind. Interestingly, if you really want to go low budget, you can add some dish washing liquid to your water. The agent is antimicrobial and moisturizing. Additionally, you can purchase foot soaks from your local pharmacy or beauty supply store. Jazz up the experience with a little lavender soak, and you’ll be healing and relaxing at the same time.
Epsom Salts: The versatility of Epsom Salts cannot be stated enough. From an internal perspective, it is the perfect body detox for your liver. If you ever feel your energy levels on a low, it may be that your body is toxic. Toxicity is induced by the ingestion of preservatives with time. You can either detox via internal ingestion of the salts, or you can detox via the osmosis process. In your foot spa, or a basin, you can create a salt solution. Fill the bath just about half way, and add half a cup of Epsom salts. If you have any blisters, they will heal with time. Additionally, via osmosis, with a concentrated salt solution, you can detox as the salts in the water, will pull toxins from your body through the pores in the soles of your feet. The soles of your feet are actually very sensitive and porus.
Foot Scrub: After you have soaked your feet, you can facilitate exfoliation by using a foot scrub to massage the feet. You can create your own scrub via a mixture of coffee (after you’ve percolated it and have the ground coffee left over), coconut oil and brown sugar. Apply gently, and let the scrub nourish your feet.
Foot Cream: With aromatherapy becoming more mainstream, you can actually determine what scents to apply to your feet in order to give yourself a boost. If you’re heading to sleep you can apply a lavender lotion. These are very inexpensive and you can find them in your local pharmacy, near to lotions and candles. If you want to energize your body, you can actually apply an invigorating scent like a mint or citrus scent that will energize the senses once they are stimulated.
With all the above tips, you’ll be well on your way to being organized for the holiday season! Gifting shoes is always a great idea! Think health, but incorporate health into your life experiences. Happy Shopping!!
Article Reference:
A Guide To Gifting Shoes At Christmas: https://www.shoezone.com/Blog/gifting-shoes-at-christmas-your-complete-guide
