This Year, Give Gifts of The Heart
It’s that time of year again, when the pressure to create the perfect holidays begins to creep in and affect our mindsets. It can be such a stressful time of year. With so much emphasis on physical gifts and sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we often forget that sometimes the most meaningful gift we can give a loved ones are gifts of the heart. We live in such a fast-paced world. This holiday season let’s all make a more concerted effort to slow down and reconnect with those people that make all the hard work worth it. We’ve collected several ideas to help you give gifts of the heart to friends and family – and to yourself, too.
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Make time for family dinners. Reconnect, tell stories, laugh, eat.
Volunteer to drive carpool to spend some time together.
Plan a weekend activity that involves all members of the family. Go for a walk, go ice skating, catch a movie, or treat yourselves to a dinner at a favorite restaurant.
FOR YOUR FRIENDS
Go to brunch one weekend.
Host a board game night and have friends bring over their kids, too.
Run errands together.
Write a letter, email, or make a phone call to a long-distance friend.
Offer to babysit for the new mom or take dinner to a sick friend.
FOR YOUR COMMUNITY
Find a cause you’re passionate about then sign up to volunteer – involve the whole family if possible.
Instead of fighting crowds on Black Friday, shop local. From baked goods to special gifts, you can find it all from a local business owner.
Donate to food banks and good will stores.
FOR YOURSELF
The better you take care of yourself, the more energy you will have to take care of those around you, so it’s important to
Carve out as little as 10 minutes a day for dedicated Me Time. Make this time a priority as you would a doctor’s appointment and stick to it, even when life gets hectic.
Read, do something crafty, exercise, bake, watch a movie no one else likes but you love, take a bath, build something in the garage, or do nothing at all. Whatever makes you feel whole and happy.
Do something you’ve always wanted to do to improve yourself – take a class, travel solo, volunteer at the hospital.
TANGIBLE GIFTS OF THE HEART WITHOUT THE CLUTTER
Searching for gift ideas that are thoughtful but clutter-free is one of the biggest challenges we all have each holiday season. If you love giving gifts but want to make sure that you’re not giving gifts that will sit around collecting dust or create clutter for your recipients. focus on giving people experiences and when that’s not possible, give practical gifts that also show how much you care.
IDEAS FOR CLUTTER-FREE EXPERIENCES
Giving a clutter-free experience gift can be one of the best ways to give gifts of the heart. There are so many ways you can give experiences. And the great thing about experience gifts is that they can be customized to the person receiving the gift. For example, a movie buff might love a gift certificate to the theater or a cinema subscription. A music lover might love getting tickets for a favorite band that’s coming to town. Season tickets to the local theater can keep giving a lot longer than something you get on sale at a department store.
When all else fails, give the gift of a helping hand. Babysitting services for new parents so that they can get out on a date is always a welcome gift. A gift certificate for a free oil change and car detailing might be the perfect gift for the business traveler who is always on the road. A weekend away at a hotel is a perfect gift for your spouse.
Try to think of something you can do for your loved one that will make a big impact on their day. It can be anything from getting all of their photos digitized for them to covering car pool duty for a month.
GIFTS OF THE HEART THAT ALWAYS GIVE SMILES
Give the gift of food.
Food is always a great gift. Whether you deliver holiday baskets that you’ve packed yourself with items you know they’ll love or a family dinner that you plan and cater, food is love. In this busy world, planning a family dinner and having the whole family sit down to eat together and talk about life and reconnect can be the best gift of all. If you have kids, have them bake and decorate cookies to send to grandparents along with a special note.
Create custom photo calendars.
A fun and useful gift, photo calendars let the recipient enjoy personalized memories throughout the year and then dispose of it without guilt. If you want a more permanent gift, perhaps because of a special event like a wedding or family reunion, consider a custom canvas print or photo book.
Gift cards.
Some people think that gift cards aren’t personal enough, but if you get the right one they can be. Be thoughtful about which company you’re giving a gift card from. Gift cards are especially appreciated by younger members of your family that are starting to move out on their own and learning just how expensive independent life is.
Books are always gifts of the heart.
Books provide loved ones with hours of enjoyment and can be easily donated to a local library when finished or re-gifted to others. In fact, a special book gift might be to give a favorite book from your own collection to someone who shares the same interests.
Of course, the gift of organization is always welcome, and Organizing Maniacs makes it easy for you to give the gift of professional organizing services to any of your loved ones who would appreciate it.