Have you read the Love Languages book? Gifts definitely aren’t one of my things. I don’t mind receiving gifts; it’s always nice to be thought of. I also like the feeling of giving a great gift. But in the gift-giving season, I become overwhelmed, wondering what someone would need or like. I have trouble thinking of gift ideas, even for those nearest and dearest to me. Truth be told, I get gift ideas during the year, but that doesn’t jive with my ingrained habit of waiting until December 15 to start thinking about it. Maybe I need to change my tune and buy gifts during the year (but then I would have to remember I bought them and where I put them).
If you’re like me and still want to get gifts for Christmas, here’s a list of high-impact Christmas gifts you still have time to do – even with only a day or two left.
✅ A Christmas Letter
Each year, I try to write a Christmas letter to my wife and kids. I’ve done this every year for a long time. It’s not a long letter – just a snapshot of the year with words of love and encouragement.
✅ Home Improvement Project Certificate
One Christmas, I took a picture of our bathroom and changed the color of the bathroom walls on the computer (if only painting were that easy in real life). I looked through my calendar to pick a date in the near future and created a certificate (with the picture) that said, “Saturday, January 6th, I will paint the bathroom.” And I did actually paint the bathroom on January 6.
✅ A “Date” Certificate
Pick another day on your calendar – sometime in January – and plan out your date. Make the certificate official with times, places, and preparations for the date (such as a babysitter in place). I have done three of these in the past: one for my wife and one for each of my daughters.
✅ Plan an Experience
Take a morning or afternoon off work to create experiences with your family while school is out. Make breakfast or dinner together. Volunteer together. Spend time with extended family. I’ve heard of lots of people trying to reduce the number of “things” around Christmas and instead create experiences.
✅ Re-Gift Something
This is a popular trend that takes many different forms. For example, when I bring home a gift given to me by someone at work or church, my whole family experiences the gift. Everyone enjoys it. You can do this is lots of ways.
One of my favorite email lists – Mikeysfunnies.com shared his thoughts for great Christmas Gift Suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
We all know the best gifts don’t cost much money. Praying you have a Merry Christmas!
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