As the holiday season is approaching and our bank accounts are getting emptier and emptier, the idea of overconsumption starts to become overwhelming. Holiday time is supposed to be for spreading cheer with friends and family. As fun as this can be, gift giving comes with excess stress especially when thinking about how to properly gift someone something that they will use and appreciate. Some ways to avoid excess stress this holiday season are to prioritize creating gifts rather than indulging in overconsumption. This practice is both sustainable and practical. Here are my favorite holiday gift giving tips to help you out when navigating the tricky struggles of giving.
- Homemade wrapping
Homemade gift wrapping is so much fun and can be super easy (not to mention a great way to save money too) while also giving the gifts a personal touch. My favorite way to go about doing this it by saving old bags and boxes. Amazon boxes, Trader Joe’s bags or even newspapers make the best repurposed wrapping. When I wrap gifts in newspaper, I always use the cartoon page or find the most interesting article as a fun little touch. The cartoon page is the best for wrapping! As for paper bags and boxes, I love to add a personal touch after wrapping by either writing messages on the paper or drawing pictures with different colored markers. You can even personalize the wrapping to each gift or person. I do this all the time and it makes the gift just that much more fun! It also allows for you to be creative in so many ways.
2. Something edible
Another great idea to avoid the materialistic vibes of the holiday season is to gift someone something edible! Homemade gifts are always so tasty. If you love to bake or cook this is a great gift option! Also, if you do not like to cook there are so many drink packages or food items you can find out at the grocery store or local bakeries. This way, people can eat and enjoy their gift at the same time without having to deal with extra clutter from a physical item. My favorite items to make for people are specialty drinks, edible cookie dough and anything chocolatey. There are tons of fun recipes out there and most stuff can be made with items already in your kitchen. You can even personalize this experience by gifting them their favorite candy, ice cream or even take them out to their favorite restaurant. This can also be a nice gift for someone you may not know personally. Everyone loves eating tasty foods!
3. Experiential gifts
An experience is my favorite gift to both give and receive. There are so many experience gift items out there and they not only give that person a fun day but amazing memories to hold onto forever. Some of my go to experience gifts are concerts, sports games and day trips. Some good ideas for the holiday season would be tubing, gingerbread house making or taking them on a light show hunt. Other options could be tickets to see a play, ice skating or having a movie night. This is a great option for those who love quality time.