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f \ ation/World SECTION 2 • PAGE 11 - PLAIN DEALER HEK ALU. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 12. IW Doherty Press Internationa] BALTIMORE -- This Christmas season, as you flock to malls and trendy boutiques to shop for ids and loved ones, remember s the gifts yoU give may tell on a Whether you choose to give a rich man's Rolls-Royce or a that old favorite of Scrooges, a lump of coal, it can provide a window on how you feel about yourself and thejrecipient of the gift. "We can determine an awful lot about the person generally from the type of gift they give," sai-' Billie Frazier, a human develop ment specialist with the Universi­ ty of Maryland Cooperative Ex­ tension Service. "Our personality comes out an awfttl lot," said Frazier, who has a doctorate in child psychology clues from Florida State University. "1 don't think people take it too* seriously, but it's kind of fun to think about." One type of gift-giver is ex­ travagant, the person whose pre­ sent goes well beyond the bounds of their budget and is inap­ propriate for the relationship bet­ ween giver and recipient. "Why are these people doing this? Sometimes to impress," she said. "Sometimes because they are insecure in a relationship. They are trying to make themselves feel better by giving extravagant gifts. They are trying to buy self-esteem for themselves. "I think immediately of the Neiman-Marcus gift catalog," she said. "This year they have a (wooden) steer that pulls out into a bar." The steer of inlaid rare woods that opens into a bar sells for a very extravagant $65,000. Christmas specialty shops are growing in popularity nited Press International Christmas stores don't stand out at this time of year, when everything from banks to super­ markets sport wreaths, boughs and bows. But they are multiply­ ing across the country. Entrepreneurs, especially in tourist spots, have discovered that ornaments and nativity scenes sell almost as well in August as December and that, stimulated by carols and lighted fir trees, the holiday gift-buying mood can be evoked year-round. Louis Benjamin, vice president of New York-based Kurt S. Adler Inc., the country's largest im­ porter of Christmas decorations, said the number of Christmas shops has increased drastically during the last decade. "Christmas is- big businesss," he said, "because it's become a very acceptable habit to shop for Christmas in July." Sue Grenough's Christmas Cor­ ner shop in the historic Bqtcher- town neighborhood in iLouisville, Ky., has done so well during the past 13 years that she opened a se­ cond holiday shop this year. "I think Christmas brings'the-' Ti ll: N.CCIt TO CHII.IN6 STCIll SPRUCE-UP BLUE TAG % SALE SAVE 40% ON THIS MERCHANDISE AND GET YOUR HOME READY FOR THE HOLIDAYSI % OFF givers child out in all of us," she said. "There are more year-round shops and I think it's because there are so many Christmas lovers. People touring around see Christmas things and it draws them." Thanks to tourists who stream to the beaches and amusement p a r k s a l o n g L a k e E r i e , Strickfaden's in Sandusky, Ohio, has grown into the largest of a plethora of Christmas stores in that state. . "We devote 20,000 square feet to C h r i s t m a s , " s a i d T o m Strickfaden who plans to add another 10,000 square feet of ar­ tificial trees and ornaments by 1985. Strickfaden's business grew out of the landscaping firm his father founded. They wanted to boost sales in the fall when the growing season was over, so they began making Christmas decorations out of greens and boughs. "That started us in Christmas and we've been increasing every year since." Strickfaden designs ornaments and imports ^ from around the world Christmas wares made of everything from gfasiTto papier-maclife.' At the other end of the gift- giving spectrum, Frazier said, is the person who IS secure in the relationship with the recipient -- and whose gift reflects that fact. "They give a gift that is in perspective with the kind of rela­ tionship that is in existence ... without going overboard, without really going out of their budget," Frazier said. She put the person who gets their Christmas shopping done early in the secure-giver category. Then, there's the hesistant gift- giver. Frazier said these people are self-absorbed and preoccupied, and grudgingly give gifts -- sometimes money -- that require little of their time, creativity or bankroll. » i "Frequently, they just get the first thing that they see. Giving gift&v isn't fun < to them. It's something they have to do. It's another task," said Frazier, ad­ ding tpe hesitant giver may give a present they received, and didn't use, the year before. She said people who put off buy­ ing Christmas gifts until the last minute -- or those who buy the same gifts for everyone -- would likely fall into the hestitant-buyer category." Among the other gitt-giving categories are the: --Recordkeeper: "They feel, compelled to give. This is the kind of person who gives because they realize (another) person will give them something and they don't want to be embarrassed," said Frazier. The recordkeeper usual­ ly tries to match the value and type of the gift they know they're going to get. --Blundering giver: "They are , always giving the wrong kind of gift for whatever reason. CSometimes) they are making a statement to the other person. 'I really didn't like what you gave me/ Sometimes the blundering giver gives a gift to ehd a relation­ ship. It's a negative thing." She said a blundering giver might give a box of candy to a per­ son on a diet or a bottle of wine to a recovering alcoholic. -Strings-attached giver: This person, Frazier said, gives a gift to get something tangible -- maybe another gift or appropriate behavior from a child -- in return. "It you want a small child to go to bed at a certain time," she said, "you may give them a teddy bear or toys to play with in bed." V j' • V. I.D. (DEWEY) HANVELT FAT HAYES CLIFFORD-COLBY CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH is proud to Announce the addition of two lifelong McHenry County residents to their staff. Dewey Hanvelt and Pat Hayes personally invite you to CLIFFORD COLBY for a GREAT DEAL ON '85'sl G R Y.ST A L"L'A K ELi IL L: 61 North Main St. Downtown Crystal lake 815-459-9000 Warm Wonderful ALL STYLES ! Td Continent Cabinetry Mils,* "45 LOCATIONS IN 8 STATES' 1230 DAVIS RD. • BYPASS 14 & 47 WOODSfOCK • 338-1440 v Mon. A Frl. 9. 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