December holidays are a time to concentrate on gathering with family and friends and sharing gifts. Some people are easy to buy or make things for, while others are harder, but no matter if it is a friend at work or your grandparents, why not consider gifts for feet to bring a little pleasure to someone you care about?

Feet and ankles are complex systems of bones, connectors, muscles and nerves that are subject to a lot of stress. They help you balance and stay upright, move you where you want to go, and enable you to run and jump while playing sports or dancing, and through it all they can take a lot of abuse. You can use this season to show them a little love and care with the following gift ideas:

• Thermal socks help keep feet warm when circulation is impaired, as with aging or diabetes.
• Lamb’s wool or gel insoles cushion against the pressure of standing on your feet all day.
• Inflatable or plastic foot trays set you up for therapeutic or comforting foot soaks.
• Add some medicinal or fragrant crystals or oils to make foot baths even more enjoyable.
• A pedicure set can provide clean tools so you don’t risk infection at a salon.
• A pumice stone can help treat dry calluses to smooth your feet.
• With dry winter weather, foot creams and lotions are always welcome to keep skin soft.
• Find pretty, natural polishes that don’t expose you to toxins.
• How about a pair of memory foam slippers?
• There’s always a relaxing foot massage—at a therapist or you could learn to do one yourself!

We don’t think feet should be ignored during the holidays. These ideas are just a start. Once you begin thinking about your feet, we’re sure you’ll come up with many more ways to show them a little love!

If your feet or ankles are causing pain, a great gift to yourself is an appointment at Parker Foot & Ankle in Houston to find out what’s wrong and get treatment. Just call (281) 497-2850 and we’ll be glad to make your holidays a little brighter by making your feet comfortable again.