An additional benefit a gift might have is its longevity. By this I don’t necessarily mean that the gift itself lasts a long time... though certainly there are many that do, and that can be a valuable asset in the eyes of the receiver. There are many ways to aim for gifts that keep on giving...

A book, of course, might be re-read, or used as a reference, many times. Music will certainly be listened to over and over again if it hits the spot. A magazine subscription lasts the whole year. A food dryer might be used hundreds of times to great effect! ...Clothes worn. ...Potholders held. ...Rosebush blooms beheld and smelled. A family portrait added to the wall. ...Beautiful crystals gazed on. ...And so on.

Are you the holder of old family photos that others would enjoy? - have copies made and give them to all the family members. Or translate the family letters to/from the Old Country for those in the new generation to enjoy. Perhaps you could fictionalize the story of that earlier generation's emigration. Or write a story about a child/grandchild/niece/nephew visiting the Old Country - or about succeeding at something that interests her/him.

Here's a creative idea that you can spread to a whole group of people - family, friends, maybe even those in a workplace:  Make up a cookbook of favorite recipes with stories to go with them - stories about ancestors who passed the recipes down?, about your own cooking flops and successes?, about events associated with the foods?  Author Suzanne Beecher has set up an online application that allows you to do this, adding photos if you like:  http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/cookbooks/all?page=95.  You can print it out and/or send it to an on-demand publisher to have it printed and bound (in 8.5x11" format).

What about consumables - tough luck? Not necessarily...

A gift of food might come with a recipe that lasts forever! (What about a batch of Grandma’s favorite cookies plus her recipe/s, for all your grown siblings?) Or it might be such a new and marvelous taste treat to the receiver that it gives her great ideas for menus or gifts she plans to make. A gift of an herbal salve might provide lasting relief from a troubling skin problem. A bottle of whole-leaf gingko biloba might perk up an aging brain.

Then, the meaning of a gift to the receiver might last on into the future...

A phone call to a lonely relative in lieu of a gift might lift his spirits for months where a bottle of his favorite aftershave would have minimal effect. Being able to look forward to an event promised in your gift certificate heightens the pleasure of the gift. A gift that reminds the receiver of a special time you had together is treasured for more than its intrinsic worth. Enabling someone to do something she’s absolutely longed to do and thought would never come about - that will never be forgotten. That someone would spend the time to carve a beautiful bird for a far-off friend, to remind her that love has wings - that will last the rest of her life, even if the carving is lost.

...Look for the layers!