When the holidays finally arrive, it’s nearly impossible not to feel the overwhelming joy of gathered loved ones ― but the long weeks leading up to the holidays are almost always dominated by stress. Though gift-giving should be an effortless endeavor to show your love, the struggle to find the perfect gift on a short deadline is painfully real.
Worse, when those you appreciate most are middle-aged or older, they usually have everything they need and can buy anything they want, making impactful gift-giving even more difficult.
Fortunately, there are a few meaningful gifts that people rarely buy for themselves. To get you in the giving spirit ― and alleviate some of your pre-holiday stress ― here are some simple and satisfying gifts that show you care.
Monograms
There are things almost everyone could use more of: bath towels, tote bags, scarves, etc. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel particularly personal to hand over a set of plain, white handkerchiefs to the person you love. Instead, you can get your gift monogrammed with your recipient’s first or last initial, so that person knows you did a little extra to show you care. Almost anything can be monogrammed, either by embroidery or by etching, so you can give your loved one any practical gift with a personal twist.
Collector’s Items
Most people collect something ― whether they admit it or not. If you remember something your loved one collects, you can purchase a new addition to his or her collection, which will surely surprise and delight. There are sites all over the web specializing in different types of collector’s items, so you won’t need to dig deep to find collection-ready gift ideas. Some of the best ideas are silver dollar coins. Everyone loves having a little piece of history, and coins can be both part of our national history and part of your personal history.
If your gift recipient already has coins, you might covertly sift through the collection first to ensure you don’t buy a copy of something he or she already has. If he or she hasn’t started collecting coins yet, start their collection by choosing coins with years that have significant personal relevance, like their birth year, anniversary, or other important life event. The personal connection will show them that you truly care.
Cherished Pictures
Few people look forward to the holidays merely as an opportunity to receive gifts; rather, most love the season because it means spending time with friends and family. Pictures capture such moments of joy forever, so giving your loved one an album of shared memories is a thoughtful and caring. However, you can surprise your recipient with novel and fun frames, like a digital picture frame, which allows your loved one to switch the pictures without expensive printing ― or even display an entire album as a constant digital slideshow.
Locket Jewelry
Jewelry is an extremely personal gift, which is why sweethearts often exchange watches and earrings on romantic holidays. Giving jewelry requires a familiarity with a person’s style, and locket jewelry is no different ― except that it affords you the opportunity to personalize it even more with small tokens of your love. Inside the locket, you can place small photos of you and your loved one or other mementos of your time together, such as a hand-written note or a small gemstone.
Memory Quilt
Quilts have a long and fascinating history, particularly in America where they served the dual function of keeping settlers warm and conserving family histories. Because elaborate designs and scenes became stitched into the blankets throughout the years, quilts became precious family heirlooms. You can start this tradition in your family by making or buying a memory quilt of your own. You can have pictures printed onto fabric, or you can learn to quilt to stich care directly into your loved one’s blanket.
An Interesting Class
Because the world is so full of mysteries, there is undoubtedly a subject your loved one wishes to learn more about. Dance lessons, foreign language classes, cooking school ― the educational opportunities abound, so you can undoubtedly find something to pique your recipient’s interest. An even better gift might be signing both of you up for the same course, so you can remain accountable and learn as much as you possibly can.
A Gift Card
Gift cards may seem impersonal, but when given properly, they effectively demonstrate that you pay attention to your recipient’s likes. For a gift card to show you care, you must know for certain that it will be spent eagerly on something your loved one truly wants ― like clothes from a favorite store or craft supplies for a favorite hobby. You might even take a trip to the gift card’s destination, so you can make suggestions for how your recipient should spend the money.