VistaPrint Review

Among my richly varied collection of neighbors is a woman who has been a wonderful friend to me over the years but who is difficult to buy for.  Officially, she and I do not exchange Christmas gifts nor does she expect one but she has done so much for me over the years by way of driving me places or assisting me in upgrading my home that it just wouldn't be Christmas for me if I didn't get Maryann something.   Alas, she is not an easy person to buy for -- being possessed of definite tastes about some things coupled with enough money to shop for anything she wants -- and of course discretion dictates that I be careful not to spend more than would be appropriate for this "unofficial" gift so as to avoid having her think that I was trying to get a Christmas exchange going between us.

She loves tee-shirts or sweatshirts and in the past, these were the options I usually settled for.  Last holiday season, I waited until just two weeks before Christmas to start looking for Maryann's gift.  Through website after website I trolled (I must have hit ten at least) and looked at all their tee-shirts and sweatshirts.  Surprisingly, the sweatshirt stock was extremely limited and not all that appealing.  Tee-shirts were also a disappointment -- there were lots of them but they all seemed to be decked with either seasonal frills or baby-doll styling, ruffles, sequins, and stuff like that.  None of these were things I could close my eyes and imagine seeing Maryann wearing.  Her taste in tee-shirts were classic and simple, preferably white or light-colored, PERIOD. 

Alas, Christmas was closing in rapidly and as a desperate, last-ditch effort, I turned to VistaPrint, a custom printer whose great stationery products had delighted my friends and me so much in the past.  I had noticed that they also made tee-shirts but I had made the mistake common in our cynical age of thinking that no shirt that cheap could possibly be any good.  Well, I was wrong.

The tee-shirt I got for Maryann (white with a touch of bright rose in the design) was a great item of apparel.  She loved it and also treasured the personalized pet-related message which I had selected for the front of the shirt.  Truly, it was just what she wanted -- and it cost me only $9.95 and earned me 300 MyPoints! 

In closing, I can only hope that Maryann will enjoy just as much the other VistaPrint tee-shirt I already have bought her for NEXT Christmas from VistaPrint.  This time, I'm taking no chances!