Three easy steps to a super cheap (FREE + GREEN) thoughtful gift:
- THINK about your friend. Really think about them. What does she need? More time away from the kids? Time to run a great trail? An excuse to try the newest brunch place?
- Write out some fun ideas. Use your markers or different fonts to make it look interesting.
- Pack it up. Pretty envelope. Tin can. Decorative box. Ribbon around a scroll. Glitter on a toilet paper tube. Whatever you have on hand.
This goes along well with our holiday mantra of more fun and less clutter. Ok, I just made that up but it sounds like us.
You can do this for a friend — capture ideas for her to do on her own or things for the two of you to enjoy together.
Or, give this gift to a couple. A few years back, in lieu of holiday gifts, Whitney and her husband and me and my husband exchanged the gift of seven different date concepts. It was funny to see where we overlapped. Having written a book together, we were not surprised to discover that our styles of presentation were very similar.
Alec and I still have two more of the assigned dates to cross off our list (and we won because as far as I know, Whitney and Ryan have done only one!). If we can only squeeze in a date-night at the rock climbing gym on Friday night, then find a day when the kids are in preschool and we have no work, we might just get the daytime cycling date in as well.
We keep our list on our fridge so we never run out of ideas for dates. You can see our scribbles from which ones we crossed off already. This was indeed a gift that lasted all year long.
Related post: Babies should wish for non-material possessions
Great idea just when I was running out of “more fun and less clutter” ideas!!!
Yay! Great post. Linking to this from my blog this weekend (fits into the ‘last-minute holiday prep’ theme for this weekend’s link love).
i love all of your ideas!! i’m constantly inspired by you. =)
[...] him the gift of overnight babysitting. (Applause is appropriate, especially since this is a “less clutter, more fun” gift.) So, Saturday morning Ryan and I head for San Francisco, a 20-minute drive across a [...]
[...] – they are being very creative with Christmas gifts – not for babies, but for parents. They suggest the gift of experience – use Christmas as an excuse to get together with your friends and have fun, that’s the best [...]
The gift of experience is a great idea. We’re doing that with our friends – going cherry-picking with the kids. Thank for this post! I’m linking to it from my latest: http://www.baby-log.com/my-baby-day-by-day/link-love-posts-about-kids-and-parents-that-made-me-think-this-week/
I’m really into this idea. I keep telling everyone this year that I’m boycotting material items as gifts. Instead I’m going to give people experiences. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks like this.
the link: http://www.simplemakes.com/2008/12/last-minute-links-holiday-gifts-foods.html
Thanks for the post
When my husband and I escape we like to hook up with our couple friends! I love the idea of calling it a date with friends and making a list of outings!
Love this idea! I am gifting this to my husband…a list of date night ideas. We have a 2 yo and a 4 mo, so we need to make date nights a priority in the next year. I am excited about thinking up ideas & sticking the list in his stocking!
[...] him the gift of overnight babysitting. (Applause is appropriate, especially since this is a “less clutter, more fun” gift.) So, Saturday morning Ryan and I head for San Francisco, a 20-minute drive across a [...]
[...] Create personal and customized goals for a new year of stuff you want to do together (perfect for list-makers like us). Sporty girls can sign up for a [...]