As December approaches, I find myself gearing up for another busy holiday season.
First, there’s my partner’s birthday on December 13, closely followed by my mom’s on December 18 and then of course Christmas is on December 25. My partner and I’s anniversary is January 1, then comes my birthday on January 7.
With a whole month of non-stop celebrations, can you imagine how stressful it would be to try and find the perfect gift for each one?!
Fortunately, my family and I have fine-tuned our approach to gift-giving so that the holiday season is as joyful as it can be.
Whether you have a similar whirlwind of celebrations coming up or just one, here are 10 tips for stress-free holiday gift giving.
1. Stick to a Theme
A survey of 2,000 Americans revealed that 62% agree that the most stressful part of the holidays is finding the right gifts for their loved ones.
To ease the pressure of gift-giving, my family chooses a theme for the season. It could be anything from “something green” to “health and fitness.”
Not only does having a silly theme make holiday gift-giving more fun, but it can actually make it easier to come up with a gift idea!
Having a theme when gift-giving is akin to having a prompt when writing an essay. It gives you some parameters to work within which can actually make you more creative! This is because embracing constraints boosts creativity. Here’s a fascinating study to back me up.
2. Consider Their Love Language
Everyone has their own unique way of expressing and receiving love.
This is the concept of love languages. The five love languages are:
- Words of affirmation
- Quality time
- Receiving gifts
- Acts of service
- Physical touch
Knowing your loved one’s love language is like having a guide to what will genuinely resonate with them.
For instance, let’s say your mom’s love language is words of affirmation. While a fancy necklace will surely make her smile, a heartfelt handwritten letter has the power to make her feel truly loved and appreciated.
If your partner’s love language is quality time, skip the material gifts. Instead, gift them an experience that the two of you can enjoy together, like a night at a bed and breakfast or a concert ticket to see their favorite band.
Not sure what your loved ones love languages are? Sonsider taking The Love Language Quiz together as a family!
3. Opt for Something Handmade
Money is a huge source of stress for many people, especially during the holiday season.
Research states that 13% of Americans reported overspending during the holidays in 2022 and 7 out of 10 Americans say they typically go over budget on the holidays.
Fortunately, there’s a remedy for this holiday spending stress – making something instead of buying something new. Whether it’s a DIY ornament, a hand-knit scarf, or a homemade batch of cookies, these gifts will show your appreciation without breaking the bank.
Now I get it – going the handmade route can be a bit daunting. It’s easy to second-guess whether what you create will measure up. But trust me, you don’t need to be a master crafter to make something that your loved one will cherish.
Take, for instance, one of my all-time favorite gifts – a coupon book my partner made for me. Now, he’s not exactly an artistic prodigy, but that didn’t matter one bit. The amount of time and effort he poured into creating a collection of thoughtful acts of service, like giving a massage or tackling the dishes, was what made it so special. Knowing he invested time and stepped out of his comfort zone to create it turned a simple coupon book into an incredibly precious gift for me.
4. Just Ask
Another common source of holiday gift-giving stress? The uncertainty of what to get someone. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a mind reader – just ask!
Now I get it, surprises are super fun, and there’s nothing quite like the joy in giving your friend or family member an unexpected gift that they love. However, this element of surprise shouldn’t come at the expense of your stress or theirs.
A fascinating article by the New York Times called, The Perfect Gift? It’s the One They Asked For reveals that where many gift givers go wrong is getting caught up in the drama of the big reveal. Why? Because the gift receiver doesn’t care about the excitement of the exchange. They care about whether the gift will actually be useful to them in the long run.
This article is supported by plenty of other studies where psychologists have found that people are happier receiving items listed in their gift registry than surprise, unsolicited gifts.
So, why not let the person you’re gifting do the heavy lifting? They know what they want better than you do. If they’ve dropped hints or straight-up asked for something, just buy that for them. It’ll save you so much stress in the long run!
5. Set a Budget
There’s nothing worse than buying your loved one a modest $20 gift when they’ve spent hundreds on you.
By setting a holiday budget, you can avoid this awkward situation and skip the guessing game. Plus, if you stick to the same budget every year, you can set this money aside ahead of time so you’re not scrambling when the holiday season rolls around.
Now you may be thinking, how much should I spend on holiday gifts?
Setting a budget is incredibly personal so there’s no universal, right amount. Factors such as your income and family expectations will effect your budget.
With this being said, according to Mint, a reputable financial resource, a basic rule of thumb is to spend between $50 and $100 on a gift for a family member and between $20 and $50 for a friend. Buying a gift for a coworker, like an assistant or a boss, usually runs between $20 and $50.
But, take these numbers with a grain of salt! You may choose to spend more or less depending on your unique financial situation. Just talk to your loved ones about expectations and set a budget ahead of time.
6. Keep a List
To ease the stress of holiday gift-giving, take a page from Santa’s book and start keeping a list!
For years, I’ve maintained an ongoing gift ideas list in the notepad app on my phone. Whenever a friend or family member casually drops a hint about something they really want, I make a quick note of it. This way, I avoid the panic of wracking my brain two weeks before Christmas, desperately trying to conjure up last-minute gift ideas.
7. Focus on Experiences and Consumables
As a self-proclaimed minimalist, I try to be super intentional with the things that I bring into my home. Why? Because clutter stresses me the heck out! And I’m not the only one.
A recent study found that women who perceived their homes as cluttered had heightened levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
For a moment, let’s think about all of the clutter that comes with the holiday season. Consider all of the wrapping paper that we feel too guilty to throw away so we store it in a drawer for next year. Or the gifts we receive that we would never buy for ourselves but we feel bad about getting rid of so we hold onto them instead.
One way to cut back on the stress (and clutter) is to ask for experiences and consumable gifts. Examples of experience gifts can be a massage, tickets to a concert or a dinner. Consumable gifts are things like soap, candles (if you actually use them frequently) and refills of products you already use.
So, to cut back on your holiday stress, cut back on the clutter.
8. Skip the Expensive and “Gag Gifts”
You know what’s stressful? Putting too much pressure on a gift. Wanting it to be the funniest or the most expensive, when in reality, most people don’t care about either.
According to a poll of 2,000 Americans, the majority (60%) deemed the “perfect gift” as one that is meaningful, with usefulness (44%) and uniqueness (34%) following closely behind. Only 8% of Americans described the perfect gift as funny or expensive.
So skip the useless but funny “gag gifts” or the budget breaking expensive gifts. Instead, think about what your gift receiver would find useful or simply just ask them.
9. Donate to a Cause
This holiday season, consider choosing a charity that you truly believe in and asking your loved ones to donate to it instead of buying you gifts. It’s a powerful way to make a meaningful impact and avoid the stress, clutter and gift-giving mayhem that distracts us from what the holiday season is really about.
10. Agree to Skip the Gifts
And lastly, you can agree to skip the gifts altogether.
I know, this may sound like sacrilege in a world where holiday cheer often comes with a shiny, red bow. But it’s not about being a Grinch or giving up on the holiday spirit. It’s about reclaiming the season for what really matters – spending quality time with your loved ones.
Plus, in the spirit of quality time, you can also take the money you would’ve spent on gifts and invest it into something that will bring everyone together, like a family vacation.
It’s all about setting expectations ahead of time and embracing the idea that the best holiday memories aren’t found under a tree but in the shared moments with the people you love.
Let’s Wrap it Up (Pun Intended)
So there you have it, 10 tips for stress-free holiday gift giving.
By adopting these 10 tips, you’ll embrace the true spirit of the holiday season. After all, the holiday season isn’t about running laps around the mall in a stress induced gift giving fury, it’s about spending time with the people that you love and spreading generosity, gratitude, and kindness.
I wish you all a happy, joyful and relaxing holiday season!
Natalia says
Love Barefoot Minimalists! Awesome article! Thank you for the ideas!!
Happy Holidays!
barefootminimalists says
Happy holidays! Thank you for reading 🙂