Making Gift-Giving More Personal This Year
On the heels of summer, fall just gets rolling and suddenly the holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving, Halloween, Remembrance Day, and Thanksgiving again.
Once we enter into December, there are a range of holidays to be celebrated.
Advent kicks it off for Christians on November 30. It is always the fourth Sunday before Christmas on December 25th, unless you celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. Advent bookends Lent as a time of reflection and renewal. But Christmas has the added benefit of hope and joyful anticipation.
Hanukkah begins on December 14th this year and lasts eight days. Gifts are often part of the Jewish festival of lights. Kwanzaa too. It is a little later in the month (December 26th – January 1st) but is also a gift-giving holiday.
Of course, I especially love their tradition of giving meaningful (often handmade) gifts.
Pacha Ganapati celebrates new beginnings and wisdom, which fits in nicely with the other celebrations this month. People observing this holiday also extend it with a 5-day festival that includes gifts and family — December 21–25 this year.
There are so many common themes in our traditions — renewal, light, and, of course, gifts.
Personal Gift-Giving Guide
If gift-giving is part of your holiday traditions, perhaps this year can focus on meaningful, personal and handmade gifts.
When we were kids, we got a lot of practical gifts for Christmas. My mom would save all year to have enough to catch up or look ahead to things we may need. While I understand the sentiment, especially as a mom, I really LOVE the personal touch when I give or receive a gift.
The first Christmas I was married, my husband bought me a pen. Albeit a very nice pen, but I thought, “What the…?”
Then, he told me it was for journaling. It had a soft grip and a smooth glide. He had noticed how often I journaled, so the gift was thoughtful, once I understood his thinking. The gift suddenly became incredibly meaningful to me. It set a standard.
We don’t go in big for gifts in my family, so things from the heart help us feel seen and understood.
Think about the person you love and go from there. How well do you know the people you’re buying for? It can be the first step to knowing what to buy.
For example, I’m a writer, a small business owner, a student, and a mom. The entrepreneur in me loves things like organizers, classes for learning something new, and of course, I love books!
Because we often work for ourselves and often at home, something that is specific to the office, like a work mug, would be nice.
One year, my twin sister ordered me a mug that had an illustration of us on the back, sharing a drink. It looks exactly like us! The saying on the front was funny, like she is. I was so touched.
Special gifts make special memories.
Low-buy & No-buy Gifts
This is a very viable option for people, depending on your current situation.
Some years are going to be difficult, and it may be a chance to shift tradition a little.
Instead of focusing on gift-giving, you may just need your people around you. Sharing time together is a great gift. It can be a no-buy gift, like planning an afternoon hike with someone. Or, it can be a low-buy gift like ‘I’ll buy your coffee and you buy mine’, which is two gifts in one.
The focus is on spending time with one another rather than spending that time shopping for the perfect gift.
Books can be a great personal gift as well. Do you have a favourite book that you think someone will love? Wrap it up.
The idea of re-gifting has gotten a bad rap, in my opinion. I love the idea of giving something you have loved well.
Little kids can give coupons of hugs and chores. Extend that idea into adulthood. What would it look like to offer ‘redeem for’ type gifts to people?
Gifts of Celebration
One of my favourite holiday celebrations every year is Winter Solstice on December 21st, the shortest day of the year in our part of the world. It marks a turning point that celebrates the light returning.
To celebrate that, my girlfriends gather for food and wine, and to let go of the things we do not want to bring into the new year with us.
Because I’m a fire-sign, I love to burn things. I find it so cathartic to write down the things I want to let go of and watch the paper burn up in the fireplace. It can be something you do individually (I like to stand outside and watch it burn) or collectively (my sister writes her things down for me to take to the fire).
Another year, a friend hooked together 100 blank cards and asked us to write down our life goals and dreams. It was closer to New Year’s Eve, and the evening was a beautiful blend of silent writing and then sharing. There was lots of laughter too! It is nice to hope and dream with people.
Time is the most precious gift. And, in a world so filled with uncertainty and chaos, the value of time together has become even more apparent. We do not have forever. So, make meaning. Make memories. Love each other well. Take the stress out of the holidays with some creative ways to connect and share.
