Minimalism: Gifts

In all honesty, I really don’t buy things for myself that often. I only buy clothes when I’m with my mom and she tells me my boots are falling apart. I only buy makeup and hair stuff when I run out of something. I don’t really give in to advertisements or browse Amazon for the latest stuff. Occasionally I’ll treat myself with something, but it’s usually intentional. My issue with acquiring more things is gifts.

Gifts can be amazing and it’s how a lot of people show their love to others. They have come to be expected at birthdays and Christmas and anniversaries and graduations and weddings and the list goes on. The past few years I’ve really struggled with the question: what do you want for [insert holiday here]? There’s nothing I really need and very few things I want. Plus I don’t want my family and friends to go out of their way and spend a bunch of money on me. But some of them will anyway and you might end up with a gift you might not use.

I just don’t want to get too focused on the gifts. I don’t want the real meaning of Christmas to get overshadowed by the biggest bargains and the latest technology and the opening of gift after gift after gift. I don’t want people to feel obligated to spend their money on me just because it’s my birthday (which is dangerously close to Christmas anyway). I don’t want to raise my kids to look forward to Christmas so they can get new stuff. I want to be centered on Christ and His sacrifice for us. His ultimate gift for the entire world. That’s why we celebrate, and that’s why we give, yes, but don’t let that takeover the entire holiday,

Luckily, a few years ago my family switched to Secret Santa. We kept adding new family members and it was getting ridiculous, so now we each only get one present from one person. We even moved Colton’s family to Secret Santa this year as well. It’s amazing because you get to be more intentional about the gift you buy. You are only thinking of one person, you are only spending on one gift, and it is typically a more meaningful present. Then, in return, you only receive one present, an intentional and meaningful gift someone got specifically for you, and you don’t come home bogged down with excess socks and candy and lotion.

So if you’re wanting to be a little more intentional with the gifts you give and receive around the holidays, just be honest with the people in your life. A few years ago my brother started asking for the name of a charity in lieu of gifts and then he would make donations at the end of the year. This year, my friend and I exchanged stories we wrote for each other. That was way more personal and way easier on the wallet than normal gifts. Or maybe tell your family that you’d rather be gifted in experiences or time with them, like tickets to a concert or your favorite home cooked meal. Time is our most valuable resource because we only have so much and we can’t get it back. Spend it with the people you love. Those who care about you should understand and respect your request for fewer meaningless gifts and more meaningful experiences.