We all have people in our lives who have the means to buy themselves anything they want. This, of course, makes them very hard to buy gifts for! Especially at Christmas when you have a heap of other people to buy for as well.
It’s always a good idea to check in with these people to find out whether they even want a gift at all. (Often, we find ourselves giving and receiving gifts at Christmastime simply because it’s the done thing.)
If they do want a gift, or if you find the gift-giving aspect of Christmas hard to let go of, consider the following ideas:
1. Donation to a charity close to their heart
There are so many charities out there – big and small – and all of them worthy. It can make it really difficult to decide which to donate to. Anyone who’s telling you there’s nothing they really want or need for Christmas might be thrilled to point you towards a charity that is meaningful to them in some way.
2. Something you can do together
One of the greatest gifts you can give another person is your time. You can gift them an experience like tickets to a movie or concert or sporting event that you can attend with them. You can gift them a whole day on a weekend or during the holidays to do ‘any activity of your choice’. Younger children and older parents often value these experiences more than any ‘thing’ you could think of buying them for Christmas.
3. The chance to learn a new skill
My mum had been wanting to learn how to paint for years but never had the time to follow through on the desire. Last Christmas my dad gave her painting lessons as a gift. She loved what she learned so much, she kept going with the lessons and less than a year later has exhibited her first pieces at an art show! While something like painting lessons can be expensive, there are things like barista courses, wine tasting courses and stargazing hikes that are fun to do and give the opportunity to learn something new at a reasonable price.
4. Something that shows how well you know them
Do they have a favourite holiday destination? You could give them a book detailing the history of that place or get a map of the place framed. Do they love puzzles? You could get a puzzle made using a photo of you and them together. Do they have a favourite book? These guys do prints of the words in entire books on a poster! My son loves the show Brooklyn 99 and his favourite gift from his birthday earlier this year was a pair of Brooklyn 99 socks. Meaningful and useful!
5. Something edible or drinkable
When else fails, you can’t go wrong with the gift of food or drink. Who wouldn’t love these brownies in a jar as a present? Or a basket of lollies and sweet treats? Or a picnic basket?
If you want to level things up for an adult friend, you could try making them this beautiful infused vodka gift set or even package up the ingredients for their favourite cocktail.