Simple but Important gifts

Even among the victims of the downturn, we are still determined to celebrate. In order to
give during this season, some are cutting out vacations and other extracurricular
expenditures from their budgets, but all seem to be simplifying somehow. Here are a few
ideas to keep it simple this season.

Set monetary limits
Try shopping at thrift stores. I’m not talking about buying a pair of shoes for mom that
come with a predetermined scent, but some of the neatest and most unique antiques come from
sweet finds in the thrift shops. If you’re not into used wares, set a limit for yourself.
When you set an exact price limit, it creates a parameter that incites creativity for your
gifts. Set a mutual price across the board with family and friends. When no one can devote
more than $20, you’ll have to think a little harder about the kind of purchases you make.

Exchange the change

Set up a Secret Santa chain with your friends. Have everyone bring a $20 gift to the party
or the Holiday. There are a slew of gift exchange games that can bring the heat of friendly
competition to the living room. Besides, it’s much better to watch your brother open the
glittering snowman cookie jar that grandma brought to the exchange than see him get another
sweater.

Get crafty

I’m not talking glue guns and felt — unless handcrafted tree skirts are up your alley.
Remember how Mom has always kept the noodle sculpture you made for Mother’s Day in the
second grade? While the $50 magazine subscription you bought Mom last year decorates the
coffee table in the living room, the Rainbow macaroni somehow wins out. Take the time to buy
cardstock and craft your own stationery. Frame a significant photograph. Decorate dishes or
personalize a holiday decoration for the tree. Homemade gifts indicate that you’ve spent
time and thought about the individual. Moreover, gifting such things is more exciting,
because the time you spend making them is embedded in the present.

Time, not money

Ever hear the phrase “time is money?” Well invert it. Offer your time, whether it means
gathering your friends together for an evening together or making homemade popcorn garlands
for your perpetually shedding tree. Offer to clean someone’s house or do the dishes for
three weeks. It’s not about indentured service; it’s about spending time with those who are
important. Even if the popcorn is spilled all over the floor and thrown everywhere, you’re
more likely to remember how much you laughed about it than this year’s trendy wrapping
paper. Actually, you’ll probably never forget it if you’re still finding kernels in the
carpet, come March.

Donate your Christmas

I was told the story of a family who matched themselves with one in need and gave their
Christmas gifts away that year. The three children of the family picked out gifts for the
three children in need — one toy and a few of the essentials: socks, shoes, underwear, etc.
They packed up an entire Christmas dinner and stuffed stockings for the other family,
spending Christmas simply with dinner and one another. Another idea is to request that
instead of gifts, the money that would be spent on them be given to a particular charity or
organization of your choice. Surpassing yourself in the giving brings a more spirited
season.

SOURCE: www.mndaily.com