Gift giving is such an opportunity to express love and create something wonderful. However, at the most basic level, gift giving amounts to nothing more than, "I'm expected to give a gift to _____ in ____ price range."
I try to be sensitive about needless "stuff collecting" for myself as well as for people I'm gifting to. I really like DIY gifts, and think they're probably the best, but sometimes I don't have ideas for what homemade gift someone would want.
- Remember to pay attention. We (thankfully) have a few months before Christmas. If someone makes a comment about what they'd really like to have, write it down!
- Is there something I can give that would help support her/him in a hobby or creative pursuit?
- What does this person need?
- What is this person's love language? (Hint: The way they express love to you is probably the way they like to receive love.)
- Words of Affirmation--This is my husband's love language. Considering this helped me think of his Valentine's Day gift this last year. I cut out 365 colorful strips of paper, and wrote something I loved about him on every piece and rolled it into a tight scroll, so he could read one a day for the rest of the year.
- Quality Time--A special outing or date with this person would help them feel loved. A good Christmas gift might be something that you can use together. I think that this is my love language, so I love it when my husband takes me on a date, or buys me something that we can use together, like camping gear. It seems like doing a project that took a lot of time might also fit into this category, even though the the time wasn't spent with them, it was spent for them. I'm not sure about that, though.
- Receiving Gifts- My dad loves to give gifts and gives them often, so I believe this is his love language. Give him a well-thought out, quality piece of gear, and he'd really be feelin' the love.
- Acts of Service--Coupons to do all the yucky jobs, or preparing a special meal might do the trick.
- Physical Touch--With a spouse this is easier than with someone else--but can work with children too.
- Bibs that tie in the back (my babies pull the velcro ones right off)
- Lotion or pampering products for a new mama
- For a kiddie birthday party, consider having your child make the gift, or help making the gift for a friend. My son decorated a plain white hat with fabric paint for his friend's birthday last year.
- Picnic Set for newly weds
- Personalized stationery
- Homemade preserves (or anything edible I think makes a great gift)
I still have a long way to go to be a good gift giver, so I'd love lots of feedback here.
- What have been some of your favorite gifts to give or receive?
- Do you have some websites or books that have good gift ideas?
- Any good DIY ideas?
- What's your love language and how does that translate to gift giving?
Lovely post, Ariel! I confess, gift giving has never been one of my love languages and so I OFTEN forget to give them... I've found myself to be more of an experiences person, than a things person.
ReplyDeleteI am re-finding the gift-giver in me, though, as it is definitely one of Joe's love languages. (He gets soooooo excited about giving gifts!) I prefer a genuinely heartfelt gift to a bunch of stuff that has no real meaning. Great ideas!
I remember my first Christmas dating Cameron... he gave me 8 or 9 really nice, very personal, thoughtful gifts. I was horrified, as I gave him 1 middle-of-the-line thoughtful gift! I'm with Melissa in the gift-giver category, often forgetting about giving them altogether. But I am getting a little better!
ReplyDeleteI loved Abraham's birthday present to Samuel. It was so sweet that he gave Sammy a toy from his own collection and pennies he had saved himself. That is such a good way to teach littl'uns about true gift giving --- much better than going to ToysRUs and having them pick something out for you to purchase!
Cam and I like giving framed photographs that we have taken, especially of places that have meaning to the recipient.
Giving is the best. I loved this post. Thanks for getting me thinking about this. (If I relied on the weather to let me know Christmas was getting closer, I'd probably miss it! It's HOT here.)
ReplyDeleteKeenan is also words (mainly). Any affectionate written words I give him, whether in a letter or on a post-it, are kept forever. (Great Valentine idea, Ariel!) I'm mostly a time person, but I have a fair amount of service in there too, I think. One Valentines Day when we were dating in college (I was living with a friend and her parents), I was gone all day and wouldn't get home until very late. Keenan spent all day cleaning and organizing my much neglected room. He also left a few little gifts, had music playing, a candle burning, and a heart on the door for when I got home (though he wasn't there). I will never forget that.
One of my favorite gifts I've given him was our second married Christmas together. He'd been hoarding a few old classical records that he loved, despite not having a record player! So I did some research and invested in a relatively cheap turntable (and a few more records) for him that Christmas. I knew he was going to be thrilled, so it was very exciting to give.
For a lot of really great ideas that could work for gifts, check out the archives of progressivepioneer.com's Friday Make and Dos. With each idea, she posted a link to a tutorial of some sort. I love browsing through them. (Thanks, Amy, if you happen to see this!)
Your mention of lotion reminded me of a great, easy (and safe!) recipe I saw recently (I've used her similar recipes for aftershave for Keenan and diaper cream for Daniel). If you're interested, check out: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/09/homemade-natural-diaper-cream-lotion.html
Let's keep sharing these ideas!
Thanks for posting. You've helped me to start thinking about creative and meaningful ways to give to show others how much I love them. It actually makes the Holiday season much more exciting to look forward to.
ReplyDelete