It’s that time of year again when we rack our brains trying to come up with the perfect gift for everyone on our list. Some years I’m all in and really searching for that perfect item, and some years I get too stressed out and decide to go generic. In either case, I worry about what the receiver will think. All of the pressure and stress we put on ourselves brings us further and further away from the true meaning of Christmas gifts.

To me, the true meaning of Christmas is to honor the birth of Jesus, who was born from God to teach us that we are all disciples of God and we all have the power to create a beautiful world filled with love.

 

“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” ― Peg Bracken

 

If everyone thought in those terms, gifts would be easy because they would be an expression of our love for others, and we would accept gifts with appreciation and thanks.

It is easier said than done with the expectations we have all brought upon us when it comes to gift-giving. We think we have to buy something for everyone and go into debt to do it.

Christmas should be more about the time we share with our friends and family and doing our best to make sure we spread love and peace to as many as we can.

That being said, while I am not going to change Christmas gift-giving with this one post, I decided I could maybe make it a little easier by giving you a few ideas.

But before I begin, here are a few tips:

• Giving experiences instead of things has become very popular. Ideally, those experiences would be things you could do together.
• Try not to contribute to the clutter in someone else’s house.

A few ideas I found at Woman’s Day:

• If you haven’t seen someone for a year and you didn’t buy them a birthday gift, cross them off the list and send a card.
• Resist the urge to match spending with someone who likes to spend a lot.
• Always provide the gift receipt.
• Consider doubling your tips during December for your hairstylist, housekeeper, dog walker, delivery people, etc.

Disclaimer: The links below may be affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission should you click through to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. This in no way impacts my recommendation of said products or services. 

Experiences as gifts

• Tickets to a sports game
• Meal Prep kits – Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, Freshly, Sun Basket, Home Chef
• Movie tickets
• Audiobook Membership or a monthly book club membership (Book of the Month Club)
• Winter vacation
• A day of your help around the house
• Put together a book of your favorite recipes
• Memberships to museums or the zoo
• Lessons for cooking, dancing, fitness, etc.
• Memberships to Amazon Prime, Costco, or Sam’s Club
• Subscription to Netflix, Hulu, or Disney Plus
• Magazine subscription
• Membership in a local gym or fitness club
• Spa services

I asked my children who are 22, 26, and 28 to give me some ideas to share with you. Here is what they said.

• Socks, lots of socks.
• Essential oil diffuser
• Cookbooks
• Kindle
• Watch
• Clothes
• Movies
• Yeti koozie
• “Just get something that person will use a lot, something that relates to something they are passionate about.”
• “Most people my age want money or gift cards because we are mostly all broke.”

More True Meaning of Christmas Gifts

• Journals and pens
• Desk calendars to inspire and motivate
• Games – New favorites are Code Names and Drunk Confidence
• Luggage
• Books
• Portable Charger
• Airpods or headphones
• LED manicure light
• Wine or Liquor
• The Martha Manual – How to Do Almost Everything 
• A Self Development Book or Devotional

Every year I get asked what I want from my husband and kids and I usually say something like, “Oh, I don’t need anything, whatever you get me is fine.” Which it is, but if you want to tell them something, here are a few ideas of things you can ask for.

 

 

Gifts We Can Ask For

• New oven mitts, kitchen towels, bath towels, sheets, or kitchen appliances. (Things we got for our wedding and haven’t bought new for years!)
• What I Love About Mom, By Me book 
• Flower club – A subscription for fresh flowers every month
• Books with family pictures from the past year
• New rugs
• Essential Oil Diffuser with essential oils.
• Massage balls or foam rollers
• Hair products (let someone else buy them for you)
• Subscription Box – FabFitFun or Cratejoy
• Gift Certificate to your salon
• A weekend together
• Here’s a list of Gifts for Women Over 50

Finally, in the spirit of giving and kindness, here are some great service projects you can do together over the holiday break.

Service projects

A few ideas from Queenoffree.net:

• Laundry Mat Care Packages
• Caroling at Nursing Homes
• Emergency Waiting Room Kits
• Write letters to Deployed Soldiers

Sponsor a family

Help at a Soup Kitchen

Make blankets for the homeless

Buy a toy for Toys for Tots

Volunteer to help your local service organizations with their projects

I hope these gift ideas are helpful in making gift-giving a little less stressful this year.

My son reminded me that we don’t always remember exactly what we get for Christmas from year to year, but we remember being together and the act of exchanging gifts.

As you start your shopping, keep the idea of bringing love and happiness to others as the main goal of gift giving. Take some pressure off of yourself.

Let’s do what we can to instill the true meaning of Christmas into our gifts!

Do you have more ideas to add?

“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” Mother Theresa

“Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.”
Janice Maeditere

“Love the giver more than the gift.” Brigham Young

 

If you are interested in any of my offerings, reach out, and I will help you out!