10 Unconventional Gift Ideas for 2023
Alternatives to endless shopping lists and the busyness of the holiday season
42 Days Until Christmas!
When you are young, Christmas holds so much magic. As we get older, we begin to take on some of the responsibilities of giving gifts, cooking family dinners, decorating the house, and making sure no one gets left off the Christmas card list, and if we aren’t careful, Christmas becomes stressful and exhausting.
However, I refuse to accept an anxious and frantic attitude towards the Christmas season. I want this time of year to be filled with Michael Bublé Christmas music, filling meals with family, twinkly lights, hot chocolate, Hallmark movies, and all the other joy-filled elements of Christmas that feel more special because they are more scarce.
In order to achieve the dream of a Christmas season saturated with coziness, quality time, and no stress, here are a few of my favorite unconventional & alternative gifts ideas!
Stockings - I personally love stockings, and I think buying only gifts that fit in everyone’s stocking is such a fun idea. It also encourages everyone to be creative because all of your gifts have to be physically small. You could combine this idea with Secret Santa and have everyone makes one stocking, or everyone could buy one thing for each person’s stocking. Either way, some of the best gifts come in small packages.
Want, Need, Wear, Read - I heard about this gifting idea a few years ago, and I have always loved the idea ever since. Essentially, you buy a person four gifts - something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. Each of these categories provides a good mix of structure but also room to be creative and flexible. I think this is a great option if you have children and are still wanting to do gifts but with limitations.
Gift an Experience - Experiences come in all different shapes and sizes. It could look like tickets to a concert or sporting event that you will go to together in the upcoming year, or it could look like going to a cooking class or Christmas market together. It could even looking like hosting an event at home for friends and family. Time is our most valuable and non-renewable resource, so it makes a very heartfelt gift.
Gift a Game - Board games, card games, and puzzles make great gifts in general, but the most important aspect of this gift is that you have time to play them together! This idea would also pair really well with the game White Elephant or even Secret Santa.
Handwritten Christmas Cards - Everyone loves a good Christmas card to put on the fridge; however, nothing beats a handwritten note. Taking the time to write out thoughtful cards to all of your loved ones could make the perfect gift for Christmas this year. For friends and family you hardly ever see, this can be a great time to catch up, reminisce on past memories, and share your hopes for the upcoming year.
Gift a Book - Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I have always loved to read; therefore, I always find at least one book on my Christmas wishlist. I love the idea of buying everyone on your shopping list a book for Christmas. Especially as the calendar turns over to a new year, people will often have the goal of reading more. What better way to encourage them than by making sure they already have a book to get started!
Make a Donation - Last year for Christmas, my Nana wanted us to make a donation to one of her favorite charities for Christmas. I thought this was such a special gift idea. You could pick a different organization for each of your loved ones, or give one big donation as a family.
Homemade Gifts - As a child, your lack of income and abundant creativity creates the perfect combination for homemade gift giving. Unfortunately, I feel like as we grow up, we think we outgrow homemade gifts. But baking a loaf of bread, mixing together the ingredients for your favorite cookies, or embroidering a name on a pillow all make special gifts.
Consumable Gifts - A lot of people want to avoid clutter, especially around the holidays. Between decorations, gifts, and normal everyday life, things can start to pile up quickly. For this reason, I think any gift that can be “used up” is an excellent choice. Think of things like soap, makeup, food, candles, flowers, journals, diapers, seeds, etc. Audiobooks and subscriptions are also excellent ideas for this category.
No Gifts - Finally, I offer you the ultimate unconventional gift idea, and that is to not buy any gifts. I would want to discuss this with my family and make this decision together before just not buying anyone anything for Christmas, but I think this is a very valid option. Here are some ideas to make no gifts not quite so scary. First, you could do no gifts and take a trip during the Christmas season as a family instead. It could be as elaborate as going overseas or as simple as getting an Airbnb close to home. Second, you could stay home and use the time you would normally be planning, shopping for, and wrapping Christmas gifts to do fun, festive things with family and friends. Think of things like going to look at Christmas lights, making homemade cookies, watching Christmas movies, decorating, making hot chocolate, having a fire, doing a puzzle, going ice skating, etc. Like I said before, time is truly our most valuable resource.
And that is the end of my list!
I know there are a million ways to approach gift giving during Christmas. Whatever you do, I hope you set your sights on what truly matters and find joy & peace there.
For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called Wonderful Adviser, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Take care,
Caroline