Christmas is rolling around soon and we all acknowledge that it probably won’t be the same this year. As a result of the pandemic, people have lost their jobs or are not as financially as secure as they once were, and this can cause a lot of stress.
We understand that gift-giving is usually expected, but we wanted to give people some gift ideas that cost little to no money. We hope that this is helpful for those who are stressed about Christmas gifts this year. AND remember, it is the thought that counts, ALWAYS.
We know that this sort of blog post is a bit of left field for us, but we are aware of the effect financial stress has on mental health, so where we can help, we can.
Anyway, we have done a lengthy search on the internet, so you do not have to, and we have narrowed it down to 6 of the best.
- A jar with experiences you will do with this person. You should tailor the experience based on what the person likes. For example, if they love walking, one could be ‘1 nature walk with me’ or if they love shopping, ‘one shopping trip with me’. You don’t even have to buy the jar – you can use a glass jar that once contained your pasta sauce or even a Tupperware box. Also, the experiences do not need to cost you any moneyThe thought certainly counts on this one since it would be difficult to think of the experiences.
- A ‘Freedom from’ gift card. This is a really cool idea! If there is something that you do this person dislikes, or you have children, or there is something they have to do that they dislike, you can give them this card that they can use if they want a free-pass. For example, if you have children, they can use this card to have a night undisturbed, or if you are a gamer, they can decide a night that you can’t game, or if they hate doing the dishes, you do it. Beware, you have to honour the free-pass when used (!).
- A personalised playlist or Netflix movie recommendations. By creating a playlist or ‘movies to watch’ list shows the person how much you know about them. It is really hard work, so they have to appreciate it. If you want to take it even further, add the movies to their list and schedule dates and times you will watch it together.
- Bake something or cook something. There are inexpensive recipe ideas all over the internet and it really is a lovely idea (especially if you don’t cook normally).
- Create a slideshow of your most beautiful family moments. You can even load it on a digital photo frame (these are not super expensive, and can be great as a gift to a whole family).
- If you have some money to spend, sign up to a monthly subscription that sends out boxes of alcohol or beauty products (or anything really). You can sometimes get the first month free or a discount on the first month and, provided it is a rolling contract, you can then cancel it. This is a great idea and it is usually a collection of lovely items nicely boxed. Be sure to make sure you are not tied in to a contract with a minimum term time, it should be rolling.