A greeting card accompanied by flowers, a meal and a gift certificate are the most popular gifts that will be given this Mothers Day.

According to the US National Retail Federation, this year’s Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey shows Americans will spend about $US124 per person, compared to last year’s $US139 average – which is STILL A LOT! (Like it’s about $AUD170… Arghhh – I don’t spend that much on my mum – maybe a third of that? – so I’ll have to hide this article.)

From those (outrageous!) figures, I guessed that this Mothers Day, people are actually giving their mothers a number of gifts + brunch/lunch/dinner/burnt cheese on toast.

The most popular gift for 67% of Americans is – you guessed it – flowers (for mums who don’t get hayfever at least) at an average spend of $US25. These would be accompanied by a greeting card (85% for $US7).

Then 54% plan to take their mothers out for a meal but the average cost is $US44 which is more like a Chinese takeaway for six, or maybe a posh brunch for two somewhere.

Then about 37% will give her a gift certificate for her favourite store or website for about $US36 (Mum, don’t read this but you’ll be getting a Historic Houses membership).

I wouldn’t have predicted this, but the next in line as a gift is clothing – probably in a vain attempt to stop them wearing their jeans hoiked up to their armpits ($US35, by 31%).

Jewellery will be bought by 28% of gift-givers for an average of $US72 which makes it the second-most expensive item given (and remember, mothers love carats). Books and CDs are given by 24% for an average of $US18 (then again, books do cost less in the US).

Then we get onto my personal favourite of personal services (a spa, massage or facial) of which 16% are indulging their mums for an average of $US55. Housewares and gardening tools ,which frankly I would have placed a little higher in the gift-giving stakes, will be given by 15% for about $US34 per person.

Drum roll please… The most expensive item being given by 10% to their mums, step-mums, grandmothers and other women are….consumer electronics for an average of $US76 so I imagine there will be a lot of groovy mothers with iPods this Mothers Day.

And if you’re getting something made up specially for your mum, let us know in our survey…

Have you ever bought a gift for someone with their name, birthdate or photo? It may have been their birthday, for a new baby or for someone’s wedding gift? Perhaps you bought it at a boutique, a bazaar or online? Let us know in our personalized gifts survey and you could win one of 5 x 30-minute phone astrology consultations worth $59 each!

When it came to gift-giving, I always used to scoff at the old adage, “it’s the thought that counts”, noticing that the people who blithely announce it after presentng a particularly rubbish gift to someone else, have usually put no thought into it at all.

But research shows that being grateful for what you’re given actually gives you happiness – which for many is the most out-of-stock gift item there is.

It’s not so much what the person spends, but the gratitude, the emotion of thankfulness and joy in response to receiving their gift, which are some of the essential ingredients for living a good life.

Curiously, men feel obliged and burdened when someone else – especially another man – gives them a gift. Women on the other hand, tend to be much more grateful and delighted.

But I was only teasing before – please don’t give your Mum soap-on-a-rope this Mothers Day on 10 May, especially if she’s a Leo!!! Arghh….!

If you enjoy spending at least some of your weekend shopping for gifts, this weekend is probably not the best for it.

It features a New Moon in Taurus, which in itself is OK – Taureans love their possessions – but which is going to get activated by the Mercury square Neptune aspect (in force until Sunday morning), and then be followed up by a crushingly brutal Mars square Pluto combination lasting until early Monday.

So what this points to is a “need” (the Moon is what you need) around money, finances, posessions etc. You may “need” to go shopping for a birthday gift. 

Mercury (thoughts, communication) squares Neptune (glamour, illusion, escapism) suggests that you could be severely deluded if you think that antique in the market stall is real, the bag on eBay is a genuine Prada, the gizmo actually does what it suggests etc. Lies, fantasies, wishful thinking, confusion are all typical of a Saturday afternoon at the shops – and then of course, there’s this aspect.

Then the real kicker is Mars (aggression, anger, energy, drive) square Pluto (hidden secrets, power, control, taboo). You could be boxed into a very uncomfortable corner, made to agree to something not in your favour or bullied in a thoroughly unpleasant confrontation.

Since shop assistants aren’t allowed to carry on like this, your weekend could go like this: You want to go shopping for something/anything, so you buy something useless, flimsy, or unreliable, and then you get into a big fight about your spending habits which you’ve been trying to avoid or they finally discover your credit card statement. Or something similar.

This might be one weekend not to go shopping…

Have you ever bought someone a personalized gift that’s, you know, all about them? It may have been for their birthday or a wedding, and it may have included their name, photo or birthdate in some way. Personalized gifts are usually pretty popular because everyone’s favourite topic is themselves (followed closely by the people they love).

So we want to know all about it! And of course, if you know a really cool gift-giver we just HAVE to know what their Sun sign is!

Please take the opportunity to tell us about it in the Inaugural Personalized Gifts Survey (it’ll take 3 minutes – and don’t worry, it’s completely anonymous – it won’t hurt a bit!).

Woops! Taurus birthday season has already started. I’ve been as slow as they can be in the morning getting on to this post! Apologies.

Taureans are planners and doers – not in the same crazy, adrenalin-packed way that Aries are – but they patiently roll up their sleeves and get to work. They can’t bear being rushed and if they are, it’ll, well, bring out the bull in the china shop. One of the best things you can give them is (your) time. But not necessarily a clock (old Capricorn Australian PM Paul Keating was famously keen on his French antique ones, from memory).

What they lurrrrve, is time to luxuriate, laze around, smell the daisies, romp in the hay – you get the idea. Anything that touches their five senses in a luxuriously sensual way is bound to be a great hit. They love to smell good, taste good things, listen to good music, touch lovely textures and see beautiful environments, as a Venus-ruled sign would.

So this suggests freshly cut flowers, floral or woody colognes, just-baked biscuits, a slow-roasted rack of lamb, a CD playing something melodic (no Slipknot for them, thank you very much!), cashmere throws, Egyptian cotton sheets, scented candles.

They like stuff they can keep and that doesn’t date so don’t bother with jokey, low-rent gags. We’re talking good taste here!

They are extraordinarily house-proud having Leo ruling the fourth house of home and family so if you’re not sure, check out a copy of Veranda for super-stylish (yet not awkwardly minimalist) accessory ideas. In fact, a subscription to a home and garden-style magazine could be a real winner.

They are sweetly sentimental about their friends and if you don’t have the money to buy them something luxe, make them something – a photo collage, a pinboard, a piece of jewellery or anything else you can craft with your own bare hands.

Taureans are also the moneymakers of the zodiac and with Gemini ruling their second house of income, they do like learning about money and how to make it and keep most of it. Think & Grow Rich, Rich Dad Poor Dad and other wealth-related tomes would go over well.

Tomorrow night (Tuesday 21st April) is a smokin’ night for romance, thanks to a gorgeous Venus conjunct Mars in Pisces aspect.

Venus is the planet of love and beauty, Mars is your sex drive and when they meet in Pisces, it’s just lovely! If you’ve got a special someone, take ‘em out tomorrow night to make the most of this subtle, sensual, soulful evening.

Pisces rules dancing, photography, film and just a little magic. Why not whisk them out for a slow dance somewhere, go see a romantic, cuddle-up movie, have an early evening picnic looking up at the stars, but please don’t waste it - at least do something far more glorious and magical than Thai takeaway in front of the TV. If you’d love to propose, THIS is THE night! Time to kiss, forgive and make-up? It’s great for understanding, compassion and sweetness, too.

Single and looking for love? You might just find it. But swim up to them, sideways, gently. This is a sweet aspect that’s not meant for pushy, aggressive manoeuvres.  Take your time, read the signs. Three looks and smiles = interest.

Since Pisces is also pretty psychic, why not take a chance on that girl/guy who keeps giving you shy glances and ask if they’d like to have a drink with you? If you’re any good at palmistry (or if not, dare I say, fake it?), take their hand in yours and trace their love lines. The feel and touch of another’s hand can be a dead giveaway of chemistry.

Oh, and this is the perfect night to end by giving your partner a lovely massage with essential oils.

I love shopping for gifts but it’s rarely planned – and now I know why I’ve come home with strange purchases occasionally and clicked for things on eBay I don’t really need.

You’ve probably already heard the old empty stomach=groaning shopping trolley routine. I just discovered a study by the University of Minnesota which has found people on a diet are even more prone to indulge impulse shopping (even online shopping) than if they weren’t tucking into mung beans. Apparently there’s only so much self-control we can take, and if we deny ourselves of say, that tempting little can of Pringles, we’ll choose all sort of extra stuff we don’t need AND we spend more too.

What’s worse, retailers  luuuuurve impulse shoppers because they’re so much easier to sway into parting with their fantastic plastic. In a University of New Hampshire study, retailers could identify who was an impulse or non-impulse shopper in under a minute.

Impulse shoppers score highly in flexibility – the ability to revise plans in the face of obstacles, setbacks, new information, or mistakes – and are highly adaptable to changing conditions. They also – which makes us sound like toddlers – score poorly in self-restraint as they cannot think before they act nor resist the urge to say or do something.

The study found impulse shoppers love to browse, and tend to walk around the store. Not loyal to any one brand, they are open to suggestions to purchase the generic, less-costly version of the item or worse(!) to trade up. If they can’t find what they want to purchase, they tend to purchase something similar. They also appear distracted or scattered, picking up items without a pattern. Sometimes they will pick up an item, put it back, then go back and get it for purchase. They may as well stick a red siren on their head.

And just in case the retailers still aren’t paying attention, impulse shoppers often marvel “oohh” aloud when something catches their eye.

Highly self-restrained customers aren’t enticed by sales OR salespeople. They may browse extensively and comparison shop, but will leave the store empty handed if they don’t find exactly what they want. Yeah well, they’re not on a diet.

Inflexible customers are salespeoples’ worst nightmare as they can be openly difficult and stubborn. “On a mission”, they know what they want and walk directly to the department of the store with the item. If it’s not available, they will turn around and walk out. Hmmm, these would be called men.

Who makes you feel like it was all worth it when you give them a gift? It’s not every Sun sign!

As you may have realised from the previous post, some people are just not that great at accepting (let alone selecting) gifts. Again, there are some planetary signs, houses and aspects that will make some people the chosen gift-givers in your family, circle of friends and at work.

Those who should be made Master/Mistress of Gift Ceremonies are typically those with a strong Venus conjunct/sextile/trine/oppose Ascendant aspect. Venus rules love, beauty and ornaments (ie gifts) while the Ascendant is your public persona. With a lovely planetary combination like this, it is very important to this bunch that they choose something that would delight you when it’s their turn, but equally, that they show grace, charm and tact when accepting your gift (even if it’s soap-on-a-rope).

In a similar vein, those with Moon (feelings, perceptions, intuition) conjunct/sextile/trine Venus and/or Neptune makes them highly sensitive (in a good way) to your feelings. They wouldn’t want you to feel bad byseeming ungrateful – even if you gave them a tasteless, cheap, inappropriate present. YOUR feelings are actually more important. This is also true of those with Moon or Venus in the seventh house of relationships. They just want a general atmosphere of loveliness.

Those with a fun-loving Jupiter in the second or fifth house, and/or Taurus or Leo, and/or in good aspect (conjunct/sextile/trine ) to Venus, are very generous – in spirit and wallet – whether they are the gift-giver or recipient. They usually look forward to spending money and spoiling those they love. Your joy is their “payment”. They equally know how to laugh off (nicely) ridiculous items, turning it into a little joke after the event.

You might not know whether a Scorpio really likes the gift you gave him – their poker faces give nothing away. However, if you’re stumped what to get someone else, your Scorpio will be able to put you on the right track. They listen, listen, listen (in a different way from the Librans) and notice everything. Something that was mentioned years ago will mysteriously be presented on the Big Day.

Cancers, Librans and Pisceans are enormously sentimental and will keep their gifts, cards and wrapping paper as if to keep the gift experience alive. They – more than any other Sun sign – really mean it when they say it’s the thought that counts. If your gift somehow includes them – a photo, a meal etc – or something that they can keep forever to remind them of you, they’ll be utterly touched.

When a friend or family member’s birthday is coming up, how do you feel about presenting them with the gift? While the ads on TV will have you believe that everyone beams with joy upon a receiving a gift, nay, it isn’t so.

Why? There are some planetary signs, houses and aspects that will make some people grunt their thanks (at best!) while others light up like a Christmas tree when they receive something.

Everyone knows the type of gift recipient who will attempt to smile and nod when they receive something (and that’s their best efforts at enthusiasm). These ingrates are often shy about openly expressing their appreciation, and just can’t seem to get worked up with the thrill that makes it feel worthwhile making an effort to give them a gift.

Many of them are ”cursed” with a Moon and/or Mercury conjunct/square/oppose Saturn aspect. Any of these combinations makes them awfully self-conscious, pessimistic, and disbelieving of their worthiness. If you get them a good present, they feel embarrassed, obligated, or even suspicious of your motives, ie “what do you really want from me?”. If you get them a (quite honestly) bad gift, they feel that they don’t deserve any better and will then moan no-one cares. Yes, it’s not too fun giving them something.

Others tough gift nuts to crack are those with Saturn in the second house. Saturn rules what makes you feel uncomfortable, insecure, unworthy, shy – you get the drift – and the second house rules money, values, possessions and other material goodies. If you don’t buy them a super-good, thoughtful present that’s the best you can afford, they feel you don’t care. These guys are quite often the type to judge their relationship with you by the quality of the gifts you give.

A related gift-giver is one with a heavy Virgo or Capricorn focus in their chart (and Taurus to a lesser degree). They can be surprisingly mean and have no compunction about re-gifting, or just giving you a “token” present eg a jar of jam, a small book etc – even for a milestone birthday. They just don’t like spending money. The gifts they prefer to give tend to be actual services ie they will happily help you move, repair something or offer advice that you’d normally pay for.

Geminis, Sagittarians and Aquarians can often get a kick out of giving someone a gift that strays dangerously close to being wildly inappropriate, just to get a rise out of them. These are the whoopee cushions and other silly gags (especially appealing to Sagittarians), books that send a message ie How to Win Friends and Influence People (Geminis are most guilty of this) and those are so left-field no-one can believe they bought them – take a bow, Aquarius.

Those with a heavy Aries, Mars or first house focus in their charts are hopeless at thinking about others. And you won’t be in any doubt how they feel about your prezzie! They either love it and start using it/playing it straightaway (at which point you heave a sigh of relief) or will say, “No, there’s a much newer/better/trendier/cooler X that I want” or something charmingly similar, making you furious you bothered. If they haven’t abdicated their gift-buying responsibilities to someone else, they tend to buy exactly what THEY like as that is what interests them. So ask these guys to give you a gift card to a store you like. You get what you want, it takes them mere seconds if they do it online with an electronic gift certificate AND you can let them know what you bought thanks to them. This’ll then encourage them to do it again as they love praise…

Next post – who’s great at receiving gifts…