Christmas and holiday gift giving is getting both harder and easier to do each year. I remember having to stretch my dollars to buy gifts for people that I hardly new: the person I see at the office coffee machine in the morning, kids of acquaintances, and a bevy of college friends.
These days, things are a bit easier in the sense that most of us have agreed to stop the present giving madness. We are toning down the excess, which is always a good thing. Instead, we chose things for our immediate family, parents and very close friends. It has also gotten harder the sense that we are striving to give more environmentally friendly gifts and eschew the toys that come wrapped in several layers of packaging, the gifts that will get tossed in a few months, the wrapping paper that is used once and then discarded.
Here are some of the ideas that we will be using this year.
Colorful boxes
A few years ago, we purchased colorful and sturdy Christmas boxes in various sizes. Each year, we enclose the gifts in the boxes. There is no paper, tape or bows. The boxes are decorated enough already.
Gift bags
If we don’t have enough boxes, or if we are giving gifts outside of our immediate family, we make our own gift bags using cloth gathered with a pretty ribbon. We try to match the bag to the gift and make it usable, such as a towel, a monogrammed handkerchief, a baby blanket, etc.
Experience gifts
Rather than a material item, why not give an experience gift? A membership to the zoo or museum, an afternoon at the spa, tickets to a concert, or even a camping outing are some ideas of experience gifts. An experience gift is especially nice for children. Take them on their own adventure for the day to the movies, to a playground they have never visited, etc.
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