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Christmas gifts to help you give more & Spend Less
Give the gift of time together. Plan a special trip or outing with your loved one. Take a calendar page, circle the date, and write "Going Fishing with Grandpa," "Girls weekend at the cabin", or "Cooking Classes at My House." Place the calendar page in a nice card (also homemade?) and wrap it nicely.
Create a special playlist of favorite songs. Download a collection of songs chosen especially for your loved one. (Make sure you know which device they use to listen to music!) "Grandma's Jams" might include songs that grandma loved as a young woman, or even just songs that remind you of her; "Songs for Sarah" might be a list of songs with the name "Sarah" in them; "For My Dad" could include songs that remind you of the good times you have had with your father. Create a nicely printed list of the songs, frame it, and give it you your loved one along with the music file you have created.
Make a Family Cookbook Collect family recipies, especially those with a special connection to the holidays. If possible, include family pictures and stories to go along with the recipes. Some ideas:- Simply print the recipes and place them in a nice binder. Children can include hand-drawn illustrations along with the recipes.
- Create an online cookbook (using a google doc or other online service) and continue to add to it each year.
- For a more professional-looking book, online services such as Heritage Cookbooks and the Family Cookbook Project will help you publish a professional-looking cookbook for a reasonable cost.
Create a Family Memory Book Set aside some time to interview older members of your family about their lives - where they were born, where they grew up, how they met their spouse, favorite memories, etc. Write down their answers and publish them in a memory book, along with family photos. There are also several websites that will create these books for you, such as StoryWorth or Bokemon.Start a Family Dinner "Club" Give the gift of family dinner! Choose one weekend each month (or every other month, or every six weeks, etc.) to bring a home-cooked meal to the home of an elderly or sick friend or family member. Create and print out a fancy menu with some of your loved one's favorite meals, wrap it, and present it to them when you exchange gifts.
"Upcycle" old t-shirts into fabulous gifts Use old t-shirts to make everything from cozy quilts and pillows to fabulous (no sew) acessories. The bast part? Each creation is one-of-a-kind and made with love. Need inspiration? Start with this article from DIY Projects for Teens: "34 Things to Make from Old T-shirts"
More ideas for relational gifts from Advent Conspiracy
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