Holidays

The Christmas Gifts we Gave this Year

I wanted to share the Christmas gifts I gave this year because I tried to stick to my minimalist ideals while still giving things that people should enjoy.

christmas gifts we gave

Did you have a good Christmas this week?  Some of you may still have some holiday events planned, but we’re officially all done!  With that being said, I wanted to share some of the Christmas gifts we gave this year because I tried to be as minimalist as possible (while still spreading some holiday cheer!).

A few weeks ago I shared some last-minute gift ideas, and I tried to keep some of my suggestions in mind (even though I had planned for a while!).

Have you heard the Christmas 4-gift saying:

Something you want,
Something you need,
Something to wear,
Something to read?

Well, I didn’t think that necessarily applied to everyone, so I tried to come up with my own cute saying that could be universal.

(Because do you really get your older relatives something to wear and read?)

While trying to be more minimalist, here are my 2 to 4 gift ideas that can apply to everyone:

Something handmade (or something handy)
Something to eat (now or later!)

Christmas Gifts we Gave

In the something handmade category, I did a few batches of homemade candles with three different scents this year.  We also gave some custom monogram ornaments to our friends and those were probably the only gifts that weren’t consumables.

Food-wise, I also made some truffles this year, and handed out a few batches to various friends and family members!  I’ll be sharing the recipes I used soon, so stay tuned for that :)  For those I sent gifts in the mail, or who I saw ahead of time, I made sure to get them some yummy chocolate instead.

I also like to give some “food for later”, and bought a bunch of meals in bags from here.  It’s pretty much a complete meal in a handy little packet, so I like to think it’s a good idea for people to try something different and have something easy to make if they didn’t plan ahead (although the Husband thinks it’s a weird gift to give).

christmas photo of zachary and tootsie

I was actually on the ball this year and took a photo of Zachary and Tootsie in sort of a Christmas theme (that’s our tree skirt they’re sitting on!).  I printed a bunch at the grocery store, then gave them out to family and friends.

For the little man’s godparents, I also donated chickens and fruit trees from World Vision in their name – and to me that was a good minimalist gift, that also helps those in need.

Finally, we did receive a list from my parents and brother, so they each got one thing from their lists (in addition to some of the other gifts I mentioned above!).

christmas gifts we gave this year

I wanted to share the Christmas gifts I gave this year because I think I managed to stick to my minimalist ideals while still giving things that (hopefully) people will enjoy.  And if not, at least they are all mostly consumable, so it won’t be something that sticks around and they’ll feel guilty about :)

Did you give more or fewer gifts this year?  And, why not try the whole “something homemade, something to eat” next year!?

Nicole Q-Schmitz name signoff

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