Research has found that comfortable and familiar things from the past can have a powerfully reassuring effect on us, especially when we might feel left out and crave a sense of belonging.

A scientific study recently published in the US’s Journal of Consumer Research, explains why despondent consumers often reach for nostalgic products or images to lift their spirits, rather than their more contemporary counterparts.

This can come in the form of old TV shows and movies, food, drink and other treats, books, car brands and even commonplace items like shampoo and shower gel. In each case the consumer is searching for an emotional crutch rather than the fulfillment of a more practical requirement.

The study’s authors, Katherine E. Loveland and Naomi Mandel from Arizona State University and Dirk Smeesters from Erasmus University in the Netherlands experimented with different situations that were designed to make some participants feel left out. The excluded participants selected nostalgic products over contemporary products, in surprisingly direct proportions to their feelings of needing to belong.

So when do people feel left out? It depends of course on their basic personality, but typical one gift occasion when people feel a real need to belong are housewarmings, when they’ve moved somewhere new and literally need to feel they’re part of the community. Home-baked cakes and cookies always go down a treat.

For others, it could be Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, particularly if the parent is divorced or widowed. This is not the time to buy them something funky and new, but something reassuringly familiar. Is that why retro kitchen appliances are so popular?

While mothers are busy getting all the baby gifts, some fathers can feel left out when their child is born – as can the older siblings. A fun item that harks back to their golden years can go down very well.

Have you ever sent a gift basket? If you have, who was it for? What was the gift occasion ie a new baby, Christmas, a housewarming, engagement gift or Mother’s Day – or was there some other reason you wanted to celebrate?

If you’ve never sent one, what items would you include? Chocolate? Champagne? Baby items? Flowers? Gift certificates?

Take a minute to fill out a fun gift baskets survey and you’ll receive a $20 gift certificate code to spend towards any astrology report on http://www.itsinthestarsonline.com.

The survey is at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GiftBasketsSurvey. The survey closes 31 July 2010.

One of the most innovative ways to raise capital has been done by luxury UK chocolate retailer Hotel Chocolat. Rather than turning to big banks or angel investors to raise money for so they can expand (the stores – not the customers eating the chocolate),  they’ve come up with a brilliant out-of-the-(chocolate)-box idea.

Customers who buy GBP2,000 worth of Hotel Chocolat Chocolate Bonds receive six free tasting boxes a year of chocolate worth GBP107.70 as their dividend, while those who lash out on GBP4,000 worth of Chocolate Bonds receive a waist-expanding dozen tasting boxes worth GBP233.35 per year.

While money always trumps anything else, chocoholics who also consider themselves sweet on investing can use their tasteful chocolate dividends to thoughtfully dole out as indulgent gifts for themselves, or to receive as a regular emergency supply of gifts to keep on hand for birthdays, hostess, housewarming, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Christmas gifts.

Can’t you just see the Taureans and Librans going mad for this one!

Lindsay Lohan reportedly gave her mother Dina the Mother’s Day gift of a closet makeover (no, her mum is not gay) to sort out her parent’s enormous volcano of clothes waiting to erupt on some unfortunate visitor to her bedroom.

Apparently the celebrity organiser, Linda Koopersmith spent seven DAYS – not hours! – organising Dina’s clothes into some sort of structure, with labelled drawers (bet you could do it much cheaper with a Dymolabel).

Anyway, Dina is a Virgo, who are usually known for being neat and organised. Her birthday on 15 September 1962 reveals that on her 47th birthday in 2009, transiting Saturn (responsibility) in Virgo (precision) opposed Uranus (freedom) in Pisces (escapism). This is a tough aspect which will dog her until September 2010. She has already come under fire for being irresponsible, most notably for letting 16-year-old daughter Ali into clubs, and not insisting Lindsay complete rehab therapy, let alone stop drinking yada yada.

Like mother, like daugher, Lindsay is a famous hoarder herself and she’s pretty used to people pawing through her dirty laundry as well.

Lindsay is a Cancer and they’re well-known for being hugely sentimental, unable to throw anything away, attaching emotional significance to their possessions. Owning things in Cancer Land = security therefore decluttering can mean = insecurity! On top of this she has Moon (needs) in Taurus (money, possessions) which increases her tenacious, hoarding style plus a glamourous, look-at-moi Venus (beauty) in Leo (entertainment) which pressures her to look on-trend for the paparazzi.

One of the strongest aspects in Lindsay’s chart is Sun opposite Neptune. The Sun rules your self and your identity while Neptune rules, among other things, glamour, cinema and photography, but also delusions, illusions, escapism and addictions of all kinds.

Lindsay has has a highly publicised battle with alcohol and drugs and it would also seem, with the mall. Shopping is really an escape for her.

If only someone could help her sort her her own mess…

Mother’s Day doesn’t just fall on the second Sunday in May.

While it did occur on 9 May in more than 70 countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States this year, you might be surprised to discover it is Mother’s Day in at least one country every month for – wait for it, this is hilarious – NINE months of the year.

All stupid jokes aside, this means that you actually have extra opportunities to win browniepoints with your mother for remembering and acknowledging her on Mother’s Day throughout the year. She might be back in the mother country or you might be travelling for work but she will love hearing from you twice (when Mother’s Day falls in the country where you’re living/travelling, and where she’s living/travelling).

For example, are you an expat posted on a two-year contract to beautiful Argentina? Say “Hola!” on the third Sunday in October which this year will be on 18 October 2010.

Are you on a safari in Kenya? Take time out from the hippos and giraffes to call your Mama on Kenya’s Mother’s Day, which falls 27 June 2010.

Or perhaps you have a family reunion happening next year around 21 March? Make her feel extra loved in Lebanon then.

Mother’s Day gifts aren’t really necessary when you make that surprise call - just hearing from you is her favourite present of all anyway.

The US TV show Saturday Night Live has just recorded its highest ratings for the last 18 months thanks to a pre-Mother’s Day show with octogenarian comedienne Betty White.

Millions tuned in to watch the Golden Girl ham it up and show what she’s made of.

Betty is a Capricorn who are known for climbing the career ladder, slowly but surely. They also have the interesting knack of looking younger as they get older! 

What I love about this is that people have finally realised that old people still make great entertainers. Comedians George Burns and Bob Hope performed well into their 90s but until Betty grabbed the attention and affection of enormously influential Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton, no-one else over the age of say, 65, has been in the spotlight.

Betty’s Mother’s Day gift has been to help make the elderly visible and relevant. Imagine – people tuning in to enjoy watching an 88-year-old woman! You can just see the TV executives on their Monday morning meeting, saying, “Right, she was great! Who else is old and funny? The crowd is lapping it up! We better get some more of them.”

With Baby Boomers aged 44-62 and making up the largest slice of the population, ageing is an issue which all companies must face. Older people wield a great deal of wealth and it has been an enormous mistake to present advertising and entertainment centrign mainly on twentysomethings

Pluto which rules power, taboo topics and generational change entered Capricorn which rules old age and the elderly among other things, in November 2008. Pluto takes a looooong time to move through each time but each time, he totally revolutionises it.

Pluto will stay in Capricorn until 2024. By that time, I predict that older people will be represented much more heavily in TV, movies and music (the Rolling Stones are all in their 60s now and will probably still be carrying on in another 15 years).

For ageing mothers everywhere (ever noticed how nearly all the retailers’ ads feature yummy mummies in their 20s or 30s?), Betty’s huge popularity must have been a particularly happy “gift” in time for Mother’s Day.

Receiving something which is totally customised and personalised for you is a huge thrill and when it’s handmade with craftmanship and love, it’s even more treasured.

However, many people don’t realise how far ahead they have to plan to get handmade gifts personalised if they’re ordering them online until they check the delivery information section, at which point they get pretty disappointed they’ve left it too late.

At a bare minimum, you need to allow at least 2 weeks delivery for many handmade personalised items, but there are some which are so painstakingly hand-crafted that you need to order them out at least 16 weeks prior to the anniversary, birthday, christening, Christmas, engagement, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day or wedding that you’re giving them for.

While it of course depends enormously on the online retailer, companies which specialise only in machine-made personalisation of items (you know, the ones that people often use for corporate gift solutions) tend to produce these much faster. Clue: the fastest suppliers tend to let you see what the finished item looks like in real-time online with your images, copy or letters.

If you see the adjective “handmade” anywhere in the product description, it’s a sure bet it’s going to take longer. Of course, you’ll need to add even extra time if your order is coming from overseas. Plus, if you need it urgently, you may have to pay a premium to receive it in time.

Here’s a rough guide to personalisation methods by hand and how long they can take (depending on the sophistication and product turnover of the online retailer) from the quickest to the longest.

Handframed, personalised prints/certificates – 1-8 weeks
Handcrafted personalised jewellery -1-6 weeks
Handknitted personalised baby clothing and accessories - 2-6 weeks
Handpainted personalised furniture - 2-8 weeks
Handbuilt custom-made furniture - 4-10 weeks
Handsewn personalised quilts  – 6-12 weeks
Handcarved stoneworks – 8-12 weeks
Hand-embroidered blankets - 10-16 weeks

According to personalisation company Zazzle (yep, this is gonna amaze ya!), in a survey of their customers, a whopping 95% of mothers want a personalised gift from their children or husband, even if it has no monetary value.

Luckily, 63% of males surveyed said they were more likely to buy or create a personalised gift this year as it was less expensive than other gifts(!) and a much wiser 68% said they thought their wives would prefer a personalised gift over traditional gifts of flowers or perfume (ie where no thought was involved).

A third of men admitted they had forgotten about Mother’s Day gift shopping until it was too late to buy or order a personalised gift. Arghhh – how can they miss those endless Mother’s Day ads on TV and in the newspaper liftouts?!

Only 47% of husbands said they’d spend up to $50, and another 27% said they’d spend up to $100 on a personalised gift.

Since 40% of women were unhappy with their gifts for Mother’s Day, there could be a few men who need to pull their Father’s Day gift socks up…

Men who want to rekindle the spark in their relationship should treat their wife as a lover, and “ignore” the kids this Mother’s Day.

While it’s adorable to receive handmade gifts, and burnt toast and watery coffee as breakfast in bed from the kids, what wives really want is recognition of their relationship from their husbands.

Women crave special attention from their husbands to keep the romance alive in their relationships.

Ironically, making Mother’s Day an event that is all about her mothering, does not make her feel passionate about her husband.

If a woman gets pigeonholed too much as a mother, she gets locked into her Moon sign, while rules mothering and nurturing.

This is where she can easily become ‘his’ mother, cossetting and nagging him, but rarely desiring him.

Men crave passion in their wives and the best way to do this is to tap back into her Venus sign, turning her back into his lover.

Venus is the planet of love and beauty and being cherised as a lover makes a woman desire her man (Mars).

The perfect way to do this is to give your wife gifts which have nothing to do with the children, or with mothering. It needs to be all about you two as a couple.

This means you don’t give her flowers, department store perfume gift sets, chocolates, champagne or anything generic but something which represents your relationship.

Women LOVE talking about the relationship and how to make each other happy.

One unique Mother’s Day gift idea is to give her a boxed gift certificate for a beautifully designed, 30-35 page hardcover LoveStars report.

This means you can maintain the surprise because you don’t have to ask her for her birth details and it gives her something to look forward after Mother’s Day when she redeems it.

Treat your wife as a lover this Mother’s Day and hey, she might just put the kids early to bed that night!

After profiling eWrapz in my post of 20 March 2010 about eco-friendly gift wrapping, the very lovely Erin has contacted me with an exclusive offer for Gifts By The Stars readers!

Just in time for Mother’s Day (though of course you could be a clever cookie and stock up for the year for upcoming baby, birthday, christening, Christmas, Father’s Day, housewarming, wedding gifts etc!), you can save 40% off the cost of individual eWrapz until Mother’s Day (Sunday 9 May 2010).

Enter the promotional code GBTS1 at checkout to knock 40% off your purchase. Erin said customers can purchase as many individual eWrapz within the one transaction but please note there is a limit of one transaction per IP address.

Not a problemo! Do all your gift wrapping shopping in one go (it’s a bit of a hassle having to hunt for internet cafes, anyway)!

If you read my post on how to work out whether you’re saving on that special offer, you’ll know you save big time on a percentage discount, especially if you spend over $100, doing as many purchases as posssible in one transaction. 

Thanks Erin!