Consumerism and materialism blur the essential part of holiday gift-giving. The Christian tradition’s wise men, who brought gifts to the newborn Savior, show us how it is to be a satisfied giver. Their joyful hearts that brought gifts worthy for a king might be the holiday gift-giving guide that we need today. It points us to peace of mind and intentionality in gift-giving.
Setting the Budget and Having Peace of Mind
Wouldn’t you want to be debt-free after going on a holiday spree to buy gifts? If yes, specify your gift-giving budget. Setting the budget is the starting point before jotting down names, listing gifts, and ticking them off. Setting and sticking to a holiday gift-giving budget guarantees that you wouldn’t drown into credit bills.When you set and stick to a holiday gift-giving budget, resourcefulness, and wise consumer behavior are awakened.
Staying debt-free, being resourceful, and embracing a wise consumer behavior is a sure formula for peace of mind even after the holiday gift-giving.
Being an Intentional Giver
Relevant gifts are those that match the recipient’s preference. Wouldn’t you want your recipient’s response to be any of these – “Just what I needed. This is what I have been looking for. I never thought there was something like this in the stores. I have never received something like this before.” When you become intentional in your gift choices, you give value to people and value for money.
You wouldn’t just buy any item for the sake of handing over a gift. Instead, you take on, “ If I were in his shoes, I would prefer to receive (insert possible gift preferences) for the value of(insert your budget allocation per head)” stance. Thinking from your recipients’ perspective can lead you to creative and resourceful gift-giving ideas.
Old folks might prefer personalized gifts like socks and scarfs with embroidered embellishments wrapped with a musical Christmas card. Mothers would be thrilled to receive stylish, reusable, and collapsible shopping bags, or a handwritten Christmas letter with a “claim your free snow shoveling services and laundry services for a day” from a close friend. One-year subscription to a streaming service or a favorite magazine publication might make a friend giddy all over. Gift bundles might save you some bucks. If you have an artsy couple friend, prepaid art classes for two can be a unique gift. How about arranging a pre-set meal dinner for your friend’s family of five? A family board game with excellent reviews can be the perfect match for your sister’s teenage sons. Give the gift of shopping freedom by opting for gift certificates. Doing so doesn’t just ensure that you stick to your gift budget per head. It also encourages your recipient to take on wise consumer behavior while having to buy what they like.
Being an intentional giver while giving value to money ensures that there is love in your gift-giving while securing your peace of mind during and after the holiday season. Doing so will make your holiday gift-giving experience one for the books every year.
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