Alternatives to gift-giving this holiday season

The holidays are upon us again! This season can be one of the best times of the year, offering many opportunities to spend time with loved ones and enjoy special traditions. One of these traditions is gift-giving – and while giving and receiving can be a heartfelt expression of love, it can also lead to lots of unnecessary clutter and expense. This year, consider cutting costs, clutter, and consumerism like one of our Practical Solutions organizers; in fact, her family (pictured below) decided to go without gifts altogether! Here's their heartwarming and inspiring story:

A Present-less Christmas

 

Both our girls now live out-of-state and will be coming home for Christmas.

They gave us an early Christmas gift by asking if we could have "A Present-less Christmas" this year. So, instead of stressing out about getting everyone gifts and spending our time in stores shopping, they just wanted to come home and enjoy being in the company of family and friends; they wanted to spend time doing the simple things that make memories, which will far outlast any material gift we could get from the store.

We are very proud parents to just know that they value our time together more than any gift we could buy them. I think we did something right there.

So, "our Christmas presents" this year is "our presence " with each other

If going completely present-less isn't an option this year, you may also consider giving in ways that are centered around experiences, relationships, and contributing to your local community instead. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Swap traditional gifts with:

• A membership to a local science or nature center, museum, historical site, rock-climbing gym, or regular gym

• Season tickets to a favorite sports team, orchestra, theater group, or dance troupe

• Tickets to a concert

• A year-long pass to a national park, forest, or another favorite camping/hiking spot

• A family vacation

• Gift cards to a favorite restaurant

• A fun class or workshop. Some ideas include yoga, art, music, cooking, or language classes.

• Games that everyone in the family can play

• A charity donation

• An experience volunteering together at a local charity

• An outing to the bowling alley or skating rink

• A relaxing massage or facial

• A memory book or scrapbook of a favorite adventure

• Homemade gifts

• Edible gifts

• Herbs or seeds for gardening or cooking

These are just a few alternatives to traditional gift-giving that will get you started! Share more of your own creative ideas on our Facebook page!