Christmas Gift Giving: Think Meaningful and Practical

by Malena A. Jackson
Nov 28, 2014
3 min read

The countdown to Christmas is in full swing at my house. I love this time of year! Everything seems to slow down with a focus on family, joy and giving. I like that. As the years go by, I’m learning to not stress so much over my kids’ wishlists. Planning way in advance has helped me stave off the pressure and temptation to overspend on last minute gift buying.

In today’s blog, I want to explore different ways to keep your gift giving meaningful and practical. Whether you’ve got Christmas lists from the kids or you’re looking for gift ideas for those at the office, today’s insight will help.

The Golden Rule First, I have a rule: Never give unto others what you wouldn’t want them to give unto you. This rule is golden in my book. Every gift that I buy someone, whether it’s for a friend’s birthday or the kids’ holiday, I make sure that it is something that I would want for myself. Start Early I have four kids to shop for. In the beginning, it was a cinch. They were all too young to express what they really wanted for Christmas so I would just get whatever I thought they should have. Now, things have changed. I learned the hard way that it is silly to wait until December to shop for four kids. Now, I have the kids write up a Christmas list in September just so I can see where their minds are and to help prep me for my shopping. If you don’t have kids to shop for but want to buy for family members, start early. I suggest that you begin making a list of those, who you want to buy for. This forethought gives you an advantage. If you have an aunt, who loves a great pair of pajamas and you just happen to see a nice pair in Macys during their Labor Day sale, buy them. Ahh, there is something to say about the relief of shopping when you’re not actually shopping. It’s the best way! Use the Programs there’s this little secret among many stores like Toys R’ Us and Wal-Mart, they have layaway plans all year long. I used to think that you had to wait until October to begin your layaway. No. October and November are just the months that they invest their advertising dollars to spread the word through commercials. Depending on my list of items, I like to start my layaway at Toys R’Us in October. Not only does this give me time to plan and make payments on the big list items, it also gives me the opportunity to shop, in advance and actually have a place to store my goods until right before Christmas.

Keep It Practical but Meaningful Big isn’t always better, in this case. Although my kids submit their Christmas lists in September, then sometimes offer up a second version in November, I prune through the items that they are asking for. My question is always, is this practical? For instance, both of my little girls asked for Barbie electrical cars, that’s not going to happen. Where will we store those things?

Honestly, my kids are usually really excited about their stocking stuffers, like gift cards, lip gloss, pocket games. Each year, I’m reminded how the practical gifts get the most airplay. I’ll never forget the year that my kids received the Candyland game for Christmas. They had a ton of other toys, but that Candyland game got the most play that day. It made me smile and realize that keeping it simple and practical has more meaning.

Whatever you decide to give this holiday season, just remember to give what you would want to receive and have a plan.

How do you stay sane during holiday shopping? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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