The holiday season is right at our fingertips. My favorite thing about the season is that it allows us to reflect on ourselves from throughout the year and to set our New Year’s Resolution goals. The holiday season enables communities to come together to share their appreciation and love. We all especially need to show our love and kindness to our friends and family because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In recent years, the holiday season has become more and more commercial, and we are moving farther and farther from the essence of what makes it important. As more individuals use social media, it is almost impossible to miss a holiday advertisement from Target or Macy’s because businesses use this as a method to maximize their sales. Now that the pandemic has hit us at full speed, more people are shifting to a cybershop approach, and so a lot of us midssed the entire Black Friday experience. We must keep sight of what the holiday season means to us, and with that, find unique gifts that represent our appreciation and love for our friends and family.
I compiled some tips that will be useful for your shopping process this year. I have enjoyed seeing others give some of these gift ideas in prior seasons and receiving them from “Friendsmas” and family holiday gatherings.
Homemade Cards
Something about writing a note from scratch is the most authentic and original work of art a person can create for someone else. Written letters are more personal and beat any store-bought card, regardless of whether the card has glitter and a fancy font style or plays music when you open it. You do not have to write a novel, either. As simple as writing a few sentences, it can impact them and even bring a tear to their eye.
Customizable Gifts
Uncommon Goods is a unique online retail store that sells authentic gifts for a wide variety of people. Ranging from friends to close family, to extended family, to your significant other, they sell unique and fun games that you would not be able to find in a traditional store. Uncommon goods have a popular feature where you can customize the items you add to your cart, adding text to t-shirts or selecting colors for fuzzy socks or designs for masks. This option beats any gift card or 20-dollar bill you stick in a Christmas card. Although this is much more work, it is more personal. This is also a perfect website now that most people will be utilizing e-commerce more than in-person shopping during the pandemic.
Fragrances and Lotion
I love these options because both men and women appreciate a pleasant fragrance and lotion. I can confidently say that the vast majority of people would like to smell good, and so these options are unisex. The Body Shop, Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works, and Macy’s sell lovely perfume, cologne, and lotion gift sets during the holiday season.
FOOD
I love a Godiva gift; dark chocolate truffles with raspberry filling inside warms my heart. Other recommendations are coffee and tea kits, hot chocolate, or coffee and tea mugs. One year, I gave a friend a customized tea mug because she was a tea fanatic, and her face lit up when she opened it.
Self-Care Products
During these trying times, there is a high demand for self-care products because people spend more time at home and are not going out as often. Sephora and Ulta sell several face masks, lip balms, nail polishes, and exfoliating kits, in addition to the annual makeup kits they sell for the holidays. Lush also has awesome bath bombs and relaxing bath salts to be used as gifts.