No offense to Applebee’s but if you opened a Christmas gift to find a gift card for $50 to Applebee’s you could be excused for thinking the person simply forgot to buy you something and in a panic got a gift card en route when they stopped off for gas.

But, my point isn’t to denegrate America’s Favorite Restaurant (technically, it’s never been officially confirmed at the voting booth). It actually has decent food and that $50 would make for a nice night out. It’s just not a unique gift unless the person is an Applebee’s fanatic (as my Grandpa and his wife Margery used to be) and I’d avoid giving it to a Smart or a Fun in your life, but everyone else would find a way to appreciate it. My long-winded point is if you’re going the gift certificate route then go local and put a little thought into it, then it becomes an awesome gift.

Every town has amazing local joints and with almost everyone online now, you can find these spots for relatives everywhere. For example, now when we visit our Grandpa in a small town in western Ohio (Findlay), we head to a local restaurant called Revolver, which he loves and is the same quality & ambiance as any top NYC restaurant — Bingo, there’s my gift for Grandpa (and if you’re reading this today, Pop … Merry Christmas in advance!) If you don’t know their favorite spots or don’t have the time to ask around, then do a little digging at Urbanspoon. This is a great website that has up to the minute reviews on restaurants from members of Urbanspoon who have recently patronized and they also include reviews from real critics.

All types appreciate the thought put into a gift and yummy meals. How they use it will be different. My well-to-do Smart best friend gave me a gift certificate last January for my birthday to Jean-Georges (Google™ it, it’s a NICE gift) and I haven’t used it yet because I’m saving it for something important. Hopefully there’s not an expiration date on it, which brings me to Organic and Smart Freedoms and Funs. If you do give them a gift certificate, make sure there isn’t an expiration date on it and if there is one, put it on your To-Do list to remind them before they lose out.

Best for Everyone.