“Maybe Christmas (he thought) doesn’t come from a store...

“Maybe Christmas (he thought) doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.” — The Grinch 

The Grinch is one of my favourite Christmas films to watch – in fact it has been a tradition for the last 25 years to watch the original Dr Seuss cartoon version every year with a group of my old school friends.

Not only is it a great film, but also pretty poignant. I love how The Grinch thinks it is the Christmas presents and trimmings that are making the villagers of Whoville happy. He decides to dress as Father Christmas and steal all the presents so as to ruin their Christmas! He soon realises however that the villagers are having a great time even without their presents, because they’re just enjoying being together. 

At a time when we can’t all be together, it could be a time to be more thoughtful with our gifts.  

As we enter the holiday season this year, I have seen lots of lovely ideas about thoughtful, meaningful and clutter-free gifting. 

Most of us are aware that we generally have far too much stuff already, so the thought of even more items entering the home (especially now during Covid lockdowns!) may start to cause us stress and anxiety. Don’t get me wrong, it is always lovely to give and receive a gift, but how much more meaningful would it be if:

a) it doesn’t cause anxiety to either buy it or to receive it and b) it was something that really made a difference to our lives.

I’ve gathered together some examples of thoughtful, and clutter-free (hurrah!) gifting ideas to share with you. The lovely part about this is you can really make sure they are what the recipient would like, plus there are lots that you can share and do together! 

Experiences:

OK this isn’t a new idea – there are lots of excellent gift experience websites where you can drive a racing car, ride in a hot air balloon, tour a vineyard etc. 

The gift of an experience doesn’t always have to cost the earth and can be more tailored to the person you are giving it to, for example:

-       Book a dinner in their favourite restaurant

-       Buy a ticket to a show they’ve been wanting to see (when theatres open up again!)

-       Pay for a course they’ve been wanting to do (the choice of on-line courses out there is incredible and perfectly suited to the current Covid times). You could even do the course together.

Lessons:

Have they always wanted to learn the cello or to try horse riding, or a new sport? Buying them a couple of introductory lessons could be really appreciated. 

Again there are lots of lessons being offered on-line at the moment. 

Have a think if it’s a skill that you have? Are you a crafter? Could you offer a couple of hours teaching a friend how to sew, paint, or make something?

Memberships:

Buying a membership for a couple of weeks, months, years is a lovely idea – obviously make sure it’s something they want membership to! No point buying a theme park membership for someone who is afraid of fast rides.

Look at the on-line (Covid friendly) options such as subscribing to:

 -      Netflix 

-       Disney + 

-       Audible

-       On-line magazines

 Then there are options for when places open up again like cinema vouchers, Merlin passes, Museum memberships etc.

 You could even top up their Oyster card / travel pass for them! (not the most exciting of gifts, but could be a funny surprise next time they travel)

Food and Drink:

 This is always a winner because it’s enjoyable and once you’ve consumed it, it’s gone (leaving no trace of clutter in the home!).

 Next time you see them / chat to them, (if you don’t know already) take note of their favourite, tea, chocolate, wine etc and surprise them with it!*

 (* hint to any of my friends reading this – I like Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Earl Grey. But not at the same time LOL)

Give them some time:

 Whether that’s time with you, time with their family, or time alone.

 -       Offer to babysit / hire a babysitter one night for them so they can go out

-       Get their car washed

-       Cook them a meal – or get someone in to cook for them. There are some lovely local chefs in my area that will cook a bespoke meal or even come into your home and cook for you. E.g. Jules the Foodie

-       Hire a Professional in-home Organiser (like me!) If clutter is getting them down and it’s something they’ve expressed an interest in before.

-       It could be as simple as going over to their house to watch a latest film-release together and eat popcorn!

Money and Donations:

 It could be that the most useful gift for a person is simply money. We are living in tough times right now! It doesn’t have to mean handing over a £20 note, it could be paying a bill for them, buying a weekly shop or they may really appreciate a donation to their favourite charity.

And lastly, let’s talk about Christmas Cards. 

 Many people still like to send and receive paper cards, some people like to send virtual ones. There are some great ones from e.g. Jib Jab and Jacquie Lawson (she does some great virtual Advent Calendars too!)

Some people like to donate the money they would have spent on cards to a charity instead, letting their friends and family know that it has gone to a good cause.

 I always like to think about the recipient – if it means the world to them to receive a paper card, then I send them a paper card, but if they’re not too fussed, then a charity will benefit more from receiving the equivalent monetary donation, and everyone is happy.

Whatever you decide to do this Christmas, I wish you peace, love and joy (and I highly recommend watching the original Grinch)