When I was with my family on winter vacation as a teen, my mom had us all take the 5 Love Languages quiz to help pass the time as we drove. My love language was gift-giving, and my parents joked that I’d end up being an expensive girlfriend. This misconception followed me into any time I told someone my love language.
After one too many deep dives on the internet researching each love language, I concluded there’s more to each love language than people realize. So, if you’re like me and struggle to find gifts to give to your friends, all you need to know is their love language, and suddenly you’ll be a gift-giving machine.
- pHYSICAL TOUCH
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Do you have a friend who can’t say hello, goodbye, or do anything without hugging you? What about a partner that loves to snuggle at every opportunity? Their love language might be physical touch. If your wallets have been hurting during this holiday season, a cute DIY gift to make your partner is a coupon book filled with different things they can redeem, like a hug, kiss, cuddle session, or anything else you and your partner do together that they enjoy.
For friends, you could do something similar and change the coupons to things like a trip to the nail salon together, spa night, and other activities. If you have more money to spare, you can buy your friends or partner a new comfy blanket, some comfy socks, or make cute baskets. I’ve seen someone put together a “hand-holding kit” filled with a favorite lotion, a nail care kit with polish, and a card offering either a spa night, mani-pedi session, or a hand massage.
- Acts of Service
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Don’t be scared by the name. Friends whose love language is acts of service don’t want a personal assistant for Christmas (at least, I don’t think). For friends or a partner who values acts of service, you can utilize those coupon books again, with offers to do things like help with laundry, go on a coffee run, cook dinner, and other simple tasks that will make a huge difference. If you have some extra cash, consider getting storage bins to help them organize better and offer to help.
For your partner, you can prepare a meal kit of their favorite food, offer to clean the house or help with other chores, or even surprise your partner with a home-cooked meal (or their favorite fast food, if you can’t cook). If you’re a busy person who can’t always help, try making your friend a kit you know will help them, like an errand kit! You can fill this kit with reusable bags, their favorite snack, store gift cards, and some comfy on-the-go shoes that they can keep in their car. Making one of these kits for any aspect of life will show your friend or partner you took the time to help them. If you can, use the kit with them! They’ll really appreciate your effort.
- Words of Affirmation
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There are so many fun DIY projects you can give friends or your partner whose love language is words of affirmation. Some cute ideas I’ve done in the past include an affirmation jar filled with compliments, things I like about the person, inside jokes, and motivational messages. If you’ve ever seen Spotify playlists where the title of each song makes a sentence, you could make one for your friends or partner with a unique message you want to share with them.
If you have extra cash, consider personalized jewelry with a phrase, a calendar with daily affirmations, or some other personalized item specifically for them. Anything you do to let your friends or partner know they’re loved and cared for will be plenty.
- Quality Time
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Spending time with friends or your partner is always important, but no one wants to sit around doing nothing! These gifts should be focused on all the things you can do with them to create that quality time. One of my favorite DIY ideas is to make a playlist for your friend or partner to listen to at different times. Long road trip? You made a playlist for that. Getting ready to go out? You made a playlist for that. If you’re a Spotify girl like me, make those playlists collaborative! Then, your friend or partner can add any songs you might’ve missed. You can also make DIY board games, card decks, or Jenga pieces filled with favorite memories, inside jokes, or fun tasks to complete during the game.
If you’re not great at making things, a simple bucket list of things you want to do with someone, along with items related to the bucket list, could be just as fun and creative. If you have the money for it, buy the concert tickets on that bucket list or buy that game your friends or partner have been wanting to play with you (if you need ideas for games, JackBox is always a hit). If you show that you want to spend time with your people, they’ll appreciate any gift you give them.
- Gift Giving
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I saved my love language for last, as I think it’s the most misunderstood. Gift givers don’t need expensive gifts or so many that there’s no space under the tree. People with this love language usually love giving gifts more than they love receiving. More likely than not, they want their gifts to be thoughtful, not expensive. If you have a friend with this love language, think long and hard about the things they like, if they’ve mentioned any new hobbies or interests, and anything they’ve been dying to do.
If your friend or partner is super into art, you can get them a paintbrush holder, canvases, and a sketchbook, or ask them if they need anything. If you can’t spend any extra money, create a scrapbook with all your favorite memories, a candle with a scent specific to you and your person, or even just a little basket full of their favorite goodies. The gifts don’t have to be grand or expensive, we just want them to mean something and show you listen and care.
Now you have a better understanding of what to gift your friends, whether you have money or need to get a little more crafty. Devyn Wensley is a great resource for tons of cute and creative DIY projects for your partner or friend, and you should have something for every occasion. So, get out there and start giving those gifts!
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