13 "Out of the Box" Holiday Gift Ideas That Won't Add To The Clutter

Gifts can be overwhelming, can’t they? Most of us already have what we need, and physical presents can sometimes feel like “Where do I put this??” (This is honestly something Grace and I struggle with/that gives us that tight feeling of anxiety…so this blog post is as much for ourselves as it is for you!)

There are ways to give people things that won’t require additional storage.

1. Compile a slideshow of photos and videos of when you were together with someone. Or, compile a slideshow of photos of your kids for their grandparents.
    
2. Write a heartfelt, good old-fashioned letter. Giving the gift of your time and reflection can mean a lot since most of us are constantly busy. (It can also be a gift to yourself to let yourself slow down for long enough to write. You can always break up a letter into a few different parts too.) 
    
3. Create a playlist for someone. (Remember  back in the day when we used to burn CDs for people as an act of love??) 
    
4. Take someone out for dinner.
    
5. Send someone groceries, especially if they are busy and stressed.
    
6. Offer to clean for someone. This works particularly well if you are close to someone.
    
7. Take someone out for coffee or, better yet, have them over for tea and bake something delicious. Maybe even take it to their house, reducing even more friction for them. 
    
8. Print out a few photos of you together. You can slip them inside a meaningful card. This might seem like a “physical gift” but I think this feels a bit more like a service because we don’t often print out photos… but don’t give a frame. Let them store the photos as they wish.
    
9. Do yard work for someone or clean someone's car. (Especially kind to do for someone with a physical disability, like your's truly!)
    
10. Offer to watch someone’s kids so they can go on a date (give them a day and time, so it's more likely to happen), or if you don’t live near them, send some cash for a babysitter so they can take a break. 
     
11. Make a meal for someone and bring it to them. (Maybe a casserole that could be frozen. Bonus points for dishes that can be recycled instead of needing to be returned.)
     

12. Be on the lookout for ways that you can be of service to someone. Try to give them a gift in their own love language. Have they been hinting at something or requesting you fix something for them?

    
    
13. Give a gorgeous bouquet of flowers along with a card. Even though this is technically a physical gift, it has a shelf life and the flowers aren’t taking up space forever. This is a gift that Grace and I always swoon over.
     

And we’ve said it before and will say it again: tucking some heartfelt words of love into a nice card can go a long way. That can be a gift in and of itself, no other gift needed.