Gift Giving Made Easier

Every year I dread the thought of two things: Christmas shopping (actually going to the stores) and breaking my head over what to give. One, because I hate the big crowds of crazy impatient people that not only feel the need to shop until they ‘drop’ but also drive like maniacs. I almost got into 3 accidents this weekend, NOT my fault for reals.

So I made a commitment this year to try to make this whole process easier (for our sake). In doing that, many things (including questions) came to light.

1. Give happily and be grateful for receiving–No Expectations (we are not kids anymore).
2. Giving useful, handmade and/or meaningful gifts.
3. No more wrapping supplies (excluding tape).
4. Using and buying good healthy stuff.
5. Stick to a budget!

1. Why do we feel like we have to give to EVERYONE? We feel awkward about receiving and not giving in return. Why? We should be grateful to receive and happy to give. But we shouldn’t feel bad if we do not receive, weather or not we gave to that person. (I only mention it cause I’ve heard people complain before) This makes people feel bad so we go and buy more presents to give to those who gave us, so we don’t hurt their feelings or WE don’t “look bad”. Let’s get over that, unless we can afford to. But really afford to, not like “let’s charge it to our credit card”. Commitment: To give to to more by giving less by giving per families, rather than per person. Also by giving to those we can honestly afford and NOT feel bad cause someone (close or not) did not give us anything. That would be selfish.

2. Shouldn’t we give things that are USEFUL and even better MEANINGFUL? I think of the things that people buy during Christmas and I wonder how many people will actually use (and like) what they receive. Putting a little more energy on giving things that matter and are needed or useful, is better in the long run than just buying “stuff” to give. Spending money on “stuff” just to make someone feel special isn’t really making someone feel special, is it? Not to me. I believe people enjoy receiving homemade gifts because it shows that we put thought into it. Don’t you like it when someone makes you a card? Or when they make you cookies from scratch? How about receiving something you love? How about something you love to do??? Like dance lessons, maybe movie tickets, how about a massage??? It’s money well spent in my opinion. Commitment: To come up with gifts that we can make and that will be useful (meaning stuff could be put to use often or eaten) to those that will receive them.

3. There is so much more than just buying the presents. There’s figuring out who to give, making lists, driving (gas), figuring out what to give, spending money, spending time, buying supplies (wrapping paper, labels, boxes, bags, tapes, bows, ribbons, scissors, tissue paper)…it’s exhausting just thinking about it. For what??? Why do we do this? So that in the end it goes right back to the trash. I thought about this the other day after reading Dave’s blog (365daysoftrash):

Wrapping paper: How much energy, man power, machine power, chemicals, gas, money, it takes to make and transport a roll of wrapping paper. THEN you go to the store (gas), buy it or two (money), drive back to your house (more gas), and wrap it (more energy and time). For what? So the person who receives it rips it apart in 20 seconds or less and guess where all your money,  energy, time, and gas goes? to the trash. Uh…pointless. Commitment: To not buy wrapping paper ever again. That means reusing what I already have and not buying any more. Ever. Maybe I’ll opt for recycled but even that is pointless. If people care more (or get offended) about the wrapping than what’s inside, then you should give them a roll of wrapping paper instead. Capishe? We can definitely make things look presentable, pretty, cute, interesting, thoughtful, artsy or whatever you choice is with things other than wrapping paper. So I’m not saying to not put any thought on the presentation, I’m just saying to put a different one. Will write on a later post.

4. Although buying eco-friendly, environmentally conscious, organic, etc, etc, could damage the bank account greatly, I believe it’s possible to make it work. Commitment: If we can’t afford to buy those kinds of gifts mentioned, we could just buy less of them. Maybe instead of buying plastic toys, we could buy handmade toys or books, etc. It could be challenging but fun coming up with a new way of doing things and save money. I love the saving money part.

5. Sticking to a budget has always been a challenge for me around Christmas time. The previous years I didn’t plan ahead, I wasn’t ready, everything was bought last minute so I never calculated or planned what I could do to spend only a certain amount of money. Commitment: To pick an affordable number to spend for buying supplies needed to make our (useful) Christmas gifts. We know it will be a whole lot cheaper than buying a gift for each individual person.

So wish me luck and I hope to keep learning more tips on how to make these commitments work. Let me know if you have any ideas! Here are resources and ideas:

• Fish Lips Paper Designs – Recycled wrapping paper.
• Franklin Goose – Super cute all natural toys!
• Give something different - Care2′s article about ideas for giving an “experience”
• 25 Easy Homemade Gifts – Care2′s article of homemade ideas for the holidays.
• Dave’s “Waste Lite Holiday Tips” – A list of tips and ideas for Christmas related stuff.
• SimpleMom.net – 10 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Kids

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