My Advent Calendar- Day Twelve
Christmas shopping. Some people love it; some people hate it. Some people start December 26 and spend the entire year finding the perfect present. Some people spend an hour on Christmas Eve getting everyone gift cards.
Many of us have to shop on a budget. How do we give gifts to all the people we love without spending money we don't have?
I am a huge fan of homemade gifts, which earlier posts mentioned. Not everyone is into DIY, though. So here are just a few suggestions on improving a basic gift.
1. Gift cards --> Gift of Time. Gift cards are easy and practical. I will never say no to a gift card to Starbucks or Barnes & Noble. But what if instead of buying your best friend a gift card to Starbucks, you take her out to Starbucks? Have a best friend date and insist on buying a venti of her favorite drink and her favorite treat. Spend the hour catching up. The same thing can be done with a movie gift card or a restaurant gift card. Take your brother out to dinner, just the two of you (of course, my brother always orders the filet, so I'd probably take him out to lunch). Go to a movie with your mom and discuss it afterward over ice cream. One year for my birthday, my best friend just gave me cash... but she waited until we were at a huge shopping mall (this was when I was visiting her in California) and the card explained that she wanted me to enjoy my shopping spree. An otherwise impersonal gift became incredibly awesome, because we were shopping together.
2. Picture frame --> Photo collage. This is my all-time favorite present to give people, and I think my friends like them. I used to give & receive picture frames as presents, usually in middle school & in high school. I discovered my love of making photo collages for myself in high school, and at Furman this turned into a love of making photo collages for my friends. Depending on how you go about making yours, it can take a lot of time. If you just use photos of you and your loved one, it's pretty straight-forward. Print out several pictures, cut them into fun shapes, put them to paper, and bam! Done. But with a bit more creativity, you can also find pictures of things you and your friends like. Plus use different sheets of colored paper, add ribbon, stickers... It takes more time, but the end result is pretty sweet. At the very least, include a picture in the frame, preferably of the two of you, or your family, or your group of friends.
3. Food/candy --> Themed present. A mug with nice hot chocolate mix and a bag of marshmallows. A mug with a hot tea sampler and a box of sugar cubes. A popcorn bowl with microwave popcorn, Twizzlers, & a DVD. A muffin tin, a wooden spoon, & muffin mix. A fancy sampler of jams and a decorative butter knife. A bottle of wine, a decorative wine stopper, & those little charms for wine glasses.
The point is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to give meaningful presents. For two separate Christmases, I baked a variety of cookies for several friends. One Christmas I made all my girlfriends fleece scarves. For dance team, I decorated gold Christmas ornaments with purple nail polish and glitter (our school colors were purple & gold).
Be creative, have fun, and most of all, whatever you give, give with love.
Many of us have to shop on a budget. How do we give gifts to all the people we love without spending money we don't have?
I am a huge fan of homemade gifts, which earlier posts mentioned. Not everyone is into DIY, though. So here are just a few suggestions on improving a basic gift.
1. Gift cards --> Gift of Time. Gift cards are easy and practical. I will never say no to a gift card to Starbucks or Barnes & Noble. But what if instead of buying your best friend a gift card to Starbucks, you take her out to Starbucks? Have a best friend date and insist on buying a venti of her favorite drink and her favorite treat. Spend the hour catching up. The same thing can be done with a movie gift card or a restaurant gift card. Take your brother out to dinner, just the two of you (of course, my brother always orders the filet, so I'd probably take him out to lunch). Go to a movie with your mom and discuss it afterward over ice cream. One year for my birthday, my best friend just gave me cash... but she waited until we were at a huge shopping mall (this was when I was visiting her in California) and the card explained that she wanted me to enjoy my shopping spree. An otherwise impersonal gift became incredibly awesome, because we were shopping together.
2. Picture frame --> Photo collage. This is my all-time favorite present to give people, and I think my friends like them. I used to give & receive picture frames as presents, usually in middle school & in high school. I discovered my love of making photo collages for myself in high school, and at Furman this turned into a love of making photo collages for my friends. Depending on how you go about making yours, it can take a lot of time. If you just use photos of you and your loved one, it's pretty straight-forward. Print out several pictures, cut them into fun shapes, put them to paper, and bam! Done. But with a bit more creativity, you can also find pictures of things you and your friends like. Plus use different sheets of colored paper, add ribbon, stickers... It takes more time, but the end result is pretty sweet. At the very least, include a picture in the frame, preferably of the two of you, or your family, or your group of friends.
3. Food/candy --> Themed present. A mug with nice hot chocolate mix and a bag of marshmallows. A mug with a hot tea sampler and a box of sugar cubes. A popcorn bowl with microwave popcorn, Twizzlers, & a DVD. A muffin tin, a wooden spoon, & muffin mix. A fancy sampler of jams and a decorative butter knife. A bottle of wine, a decorative wine stopper, & those little charms for wine glasses.
The point is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to give meaningful presents. For two separate Christmases, I baked a variety of cookies for several friends. One Christmas I made all my girlfriends fleece scarves. For dance team, I decorated gold Christmas ornaments with purple nail polish and glitter (our school colors were purple & gold).
Be creative, have fun, and most of all, whatever you give, give with love.