1. Your Time - Time is precious and you can gift some time to your family and kids to spend together doing fun holiday things. Start new traditions or follow some older ones. Decorate for the holidays or make a meal together.
2. Write - Sit down and write someone a beautiful poem or message of peace and joy this holiday.
3. Up-Cycle a Gift - Search out Free items online, Flea Markets, Antique Shops or Second Hand Stores for that perfect item. There are plenty of items you can give life back to. Re-paint or refinish an old piece of furniture for a beautiful new piece of art. Make a coffee table from old pennies that have your families birthdates and special meaning for each year.
4. Knit - Make a colorful hat or scarf. Learn a new skill if you don't know how to knit and make a nice gift. You can find some new and cheap yarn at a second hand store or get some free from friends or family. Just ask around. It's a fun and relaxing project. I make hats for Christmas every year. You can even make extras to hand out to the less fortunate and elderly.
5. Music - Make your own mix of music or holiday music to share with loved ones. Reminds me of those mixed tales we used to make as teenagers.
6. Paint a Picture - Follow along with all the Paint Parties and make your own piece of art to share with a loved one. Look online for ideas and trace the picture. Then add a little paint to it. If you are not an artist then go for something more abstract. Have fun!
7. Create a Game - Kids love to play games and 1/2 the time they don't even follow the rules and make up their own. Find an old game and update it a bit to make it more fun and interesting. Print your own game board or cards online. Just search it how to make your own board game.
8. Nature Art - Create a piece of art from the outdoors. I recently made these beautiful Fairy Trees from bark, branches and glue. They are magical and amazing and two special people in my family have already asked me for one. I feel like they appreciate my art.
9. Tea Cup or Container Plants - Find some succulent bushes and snip off a few pieces. Use tea cups or any containers to replant the succulents. They will regrow back within a short time. Enjoy watching your plant grow.
10. Up-Lift and Re-Gift - Re-gift and item you don't need. It sounds terrible but if you have a new item that you never found use for then why let it go to waste. White Elephants allow for re-gifted items. Gift cards are great for re-gifting if you couldn't use them. Don't let them go to waste. Kids love gift cards in their stockings.
11. Magazine Subscriptions - Give the gift of knowledge. Every year my mother in law gets us a subscription to National Geographic's. It costs less then you think. Especially if you subscribe online. It's $12 for 12 issues. You can usually ask for a free magazine to check it out.
12. Turn Old Mementos Into Treasures - Frame old pictures in a nice new frame and gift them to family and friends. The Dollar store has great frames for $1. Make copies of photos if you need to keep a copy. Photos are to be treasured and the memories are to be enjoyed for a lifetime.
13. Shadow Boxes - Gather your photos and mementos. Secure with pins, double sided tape and hot glue. Try making a box with the babies first baby shoes, report cart, high school diploma and many more items. Find a shadow box at your local craft store or look around for a new one at a second hand store.
14. Redeem your Credit Card Points - You may choose to pick from gift cards to other items being sold online.
15. Baking - Bake some cookies, a cake or make some spiced nuts. You can even make jars with the cookie or cake mix and gift them that way. It's easy and fun and delicious. It's the thought, time and energy you spent that counts in a gift and not the amount of money you spend.
16. Chocolate Treats- Make some chocolate Ganache or some chocolate covered nuts or fruit. My mom would always make use Ganache balls covered in coco powder or powdered sugar. We didn't have much but we had these delicious sweets to share for the holidays. Delicious, easy and fun to make. There are free tutorials online.
17. Make Candles - If you are brave enough to try something new or have done this before, then you can make candles. You can melt down old candles and make new ones. You can even reuse the wick if it's still good or purchase new ones. See online tutorials and be careful with hot wax.
18. Handmade Gifts - Make something at home that only you can make. Sew a table cloth or some napkins from a piece of left over fabric. Re-purpose a new vase, pick or buy some flowers. Arrange them in a beautiful festive way. Pick up an inexpensive mug and add some chocolates or coffee. Make a holiday gift basket with spaghetti, jar of sauce and a wooden spoons. Instant gifts are great and easy. They are also very fun to make.
19. Volunteer - We gift our family time to others in need. Every year around the holidays there are hungry people. My kids and I make sandwich packs with a piece of fruit, granola bar and water. We hand them out at the Library, local park or drop them off at the Health Mobile. You can also make personal product packs to hand out when someone asks you for a donation.
20. Love - The next gift you can give this holiday is your love. Give friends and family your undivided attention. Give them hugs and kisses. These are all free. What matters around the holidays is that you spread some cheer. Happy Holidays!
*Written by Ingrid Beesley.
