Have you read the Love Languages book? Gifts definitely are not one of mine. I don’t mind gifts, it’s always nice, I’m always grateful. And I enjoy giving gifts here and there. But somehow, in the gift giving season, I become overwhelmed wondering what someone would need or like. Even for those nearest and dearest to me I have trouble thinking of gift ideas. Truth be told, I guess I get some gift ideas during the year but it doesn’t jive with my mantra of waiting until December 15 to start thinking about it. Maybe I just 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 a couple more 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 days left!
- A Christmas Letter – Each year I write my wife and kids a Christmas letter. I’ve done this every year for a long time. It’s not a long letter, but just a little snapshot of the year and words of love and encouragement.
- Certificate for a Home Improvement Project – One Christmas, I took a picture of the bathroom and then changed the color of the bathroom walls on the computer (if only painting were that easy in real life). Then, I looked through my calendar to pick a date in the near future and created a certificate (with the picture) that said on “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 actually plan out the date and make the certificate official, with times, places and preparations (such as babysitter in place) for the date. I do three of these – one for my wife and one for each of my daughters.
- Plan an Experience – Take off work for a morning or afternoon to create experiences with your family while school is out. Make breakfast or dinner together. Go volunteer to help with something. Spend time with extended family. I’ve heard lots of people who are trying to lessen the amount of “things” around Christmas and instead try to create experiences.
- Re-Gift Something – I know this is a popular trend that takes many different forms. But one thing I have learned is that a gift given to me by someone (at work or church) is brought home and the giving is experienced again by the whole family. Everyone enjoys it.
This morning I read something from one of my favorite email lists – Mikeysfunnies.com. Here was his thought for 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. Merry Christmas!
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