Giftspiration

Blog Content:  Michelle Blan

The days get shorter, schedules get busier, and stress becomes as common as cheer. Yep - it is safe to say that the winter months - and the holiday season - are here. We get to spend time shopping and baking -- which sets us up nicely for giving and indulging. Some of us may get to travel, others will get visitors they haven’t seen in quite some time.

Truth is, no matter how you spend the winter season, there is always a bit of nostalgia included. Maybe it is a particular song. Maybe it is a certain scent. Or, maybe it is the embrace of your grandma or your favorite Uncle Joe. Whatever makes your heart warm and fuzzy this cold, wintry season - embrace it. After all, if we’ve learned anything recently, it is that life is much too short.

Winter Retreats

At first glance, a winter retreat may seem like a two-week stay at a ski lodge or on a tropical island somewhere. But, what if we treat those we love to a retreat at home, reconnecting with old hobbies? Taking time to slow down and appreciate the right here, right now doesn’t need to include running off to another destination.

You can show others that relaxation can happen anywhere. And spending time doing the things we love? Well… let’s just say it can make our souls happy and content. What is more relaxing and rejuvenating than that?

Putting together spa gift boxes to include things like journals, bath oils and bath salts, tasty tea and a mug, a warm fuzzy blanket, and so on can help one to slow down and get lost in the moment.

Or, how about a whole gift box for the Yoga lover who has been too busy to remember how much she loves Yoga?

Then there is a baking gift box to inspire the baker who hasn’t baked in a while.

The list can keep going. With so many to choose from, show someone how winter retreats without ever leaving home can be the most rewarding.

Treasured Trinkets

Think back to when you were a kid and you’d go visit your grandpa or your great aunt. Did you ever notice the little trinkets that were around the house? Maybe it was a collection of Christmas houses around this time of year. Or, perhaps it was small music boxes, or beautiful teacups, or even jewelry holders. Maybe there were incredible vases of all shapes and sizes and colors throughout the home.

Whatever the treasured trinket was, there is a good chance you had a favorite, right? Your grandma may have even said something like, “When I die, your favorite vase is all yours…”

Even though they are just objects, we hold these trinkets close to us, linking them to someone or something special. For example, giving a trinket as a gift automatically leads to a small story: This is the music box that so-and-so gave me for my 54th wedding anniversary. A simple gift with a lot of meaning.

A gift.
A memory.
A connection.
A lifelong, treasured trinket.

Holiday Hosting Mystery Boxes

Finally, what would the holiday season be like if it didn’t include some type of secret gift-giving extravaganza? This year, how about mystery boxes instead of a White Elephant gift exchange?

See, White Elephant gifts are designed to be entertaining. They may be something that everyone can laugh or joke around about for a moment. Maybe it’s a silly disputebee reviews game, a scalp scratcher, or a toilet light. It is intended to be something that’ll make you laugh -- and, most often, be completely useless.

Instead of focusing on all the laughter of gag gifts, why not create a mystery box exchange - and make it something useful? For instance, an ice cream gift box, a cocktail gift box, a cozy soup night gift box, or a coffee gift box. Depending on the crowd and common interests, get creative and create your own!

As adults, we tend to focus on kids during holiday gift-giving without getting a gift of our own. So, when it comes to a gift exchange, why shouldn’t we make it something that we can truly enjoy? We deserve it.


This winter, let your gift-giving warm those around you. “One kind word can warm three winter months.” ~ Japanese Proverb

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