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Christmas Combos: Spend Less, Give More

October 1, 2020 by Barb Leave a Comment

Want to spend less this Christmas, but give more? “Christmas combos” can help make shopping easier, more creative, and less expensive.

Shopping for kids at Christmas can be daunting. Buying multiple gifts for multiple children can be expensive under the best of circumstances. If you are someone who finds gifts throughout the year, it can be hard to make sure that everyone has an equitable sort of Christmas. But those old Christmas guidelines your parents used can be a helpful way to keep the shopping – and spending – under control.

Christmas gift

What are Christmas Combos?

What are Christmas combos? Remember the adage of “Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read”? This is a what I call a Christmas combo. It does three things that make your holiday shopping easier.

First it sets a limit on the number of gifts that each child will have. Second, it sets categories, which can be flexibly applied, but ensure that each child has an equitable set of gifts. Lastly, if you set a budget for each child or each part of the combo, this plan can help control your spending. Think creatively about filling each category and look for sales throughout the year.

Christmas gifts wrapped with bows

Building your own Christmas Combo

In the past I always thought that four-part Christmas combos we too restrictive. Besides I wanted my kids to open more than four gifts on Christmas morning. But my thinking on that has changed, especially as my kids have grown. I start with those four categories (need, want, wear, and read) to cover the basics. Then I add other gift categories to complete the combo. The process is creative and fun!

Other Categories to Add

Here are some other ideas for gifts to add to your Christmas combo:

  • Something to do: An experience, such as concert tickets, a trip to a museum or gallery, music lessons, an online class, an overnight camping trip, or a hike on a new trail, makes a great gift. The choices are endless and don’t have to cost much or anything at all.
  • Something to eat: A variety of Christmas cookies, homemade jam or chocolate sauce, their favorite dinner with a friend once a month, or gift cards to a favorite snack spot are all easily made or reasonably purchased.
  • Something homemade: A sweater, scarf, blanket, pajamas or doll clothes, if you like to sew, knit or crochet; gift baskets of skin or shaving products, yummy snacks, or art materials – these DIY projects become cherished gifts. And they are fun, creative, and generally inexpensive especially if you start early!
  • Something to learn: Sewing or guitar lessons, a session with a personal trainer, online language courses, computer coding classes, a gift card to Masterclass, Udemy, or Skillshare – now is a great time to give the gift of a new hobby or a familiar passion.

While you can see that each of these categories can overlap, that’s OK because it allows you a little flexibility when tallying all the gifts and making sure each child is receiving something for each part of your combo.

Have fun creating your own Christmas combo, and see how much easier and less expensive your Christmas shopping can be!

Filed Under: DIY, Gift Ideas, Planning Tagged With: Christmas, christmas combos, christmas gift categories, christmas ideas, christmas list, christmas plans, Christmas season, Christmas shopping, early christmas shopping, gift giving strategies, gift ideas, gift list, gift shopping

New Gift Ideas This Christmas Season

May 12, 2020 by Barb Leave a Comment

Are you in a gift-giving rut? Need new gift giving ideas? If you consistently buy one type of gift for someone (clothes or books, for instance), it may be time for a change. Break your predictable Christmas gift-giving habits by developing new gift ideas this Christmas season.

Think Creatively

Time and cost factor always factor into giving gifts. But you can find great gifts by starting now to think creatively and specifically about each person on your list. By keeping your eyes open for the unique and special, you can take find new gift giving ideas everywhere you look.

Think Individually

Time to get a head start on your Christmas shopping. Here are five strategies that can make your gifts stand out this season:

  • Decide on a formula. Last year, I used a Christmas Combo. This is a formula for choosing gifts: something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read, something to do, and something I made. It all added up to six quality gifts to open. While it was a bit tricky to come up with some of the gift ideas, I enjoyed the challenge. More importantly, everyone was delighted to be truly surprised on Christmas morning!
  • Brainstorm for each person. The key to being creative with gifts is taking the time to really think about each person. Consider their interests, likes and dislikes, before deciding on a gift. It is hard to do in November or December when when time becomes an issue. Take a day or two now to really think about each person. List their interests and gift ideas throughout the year. It will make your shopping much easier no matter when you start!

Look for New Sources

  • Experiment with new stores or sites. Part of why gift-giving becomes predictable is we fall back on the same stores or sites such as Amazon, especially if time is an issue. Why not treat yourself to a small business shopping excursion each month? Go to smaller boutiques or specialty shops in a nearby town. Check out curated lists of exceptional but lesser known shopping sites. You can find something that might delight those on your list, while you get a head start on your Christmas shopping, too!
  • Don’t forget handmade gifts. Last year I had grand ideas to make something special for everyone in my immediate family. However, I waited too long to do anything substantial. Not wanting to give up that piece of my formula, though, I made small gift boxes with sweets, cocoa and a cute mug in each. It was not what I originally planned, but it was handmade-ish and still very much appreciated. Start now to think about what you could make yourself, check out Etsy or use the gift basket/box approach to up your creativity game this Christmas.

Try Something Different

  • Consider gifts of time or experience. One way to get creative with Christmas giving is not to give “stuff” at all! I once gave my mother the gift of taking her to lunch at a different restaurant each month for a year. It ended up being a global culinary tour as we tried all types of cuisines, and it was lots of fun for me as well! Consider tickets to a show, a museum pass, an online course or a tour of some unique local feature. Try a service such as cleaning, yard work, babysitting or cooking. The only caveat with a gift like this, though, is to make sure you actually follow through with whatever you promise to do!

Now is the perfect time to start thinking creatively about your Christmas giving. Have fun and happy hunting!

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Planning Tagged With: christmas gifts, christmas list, Christmas shopping, creative, creative gift giving, creative gifts, gift giving, gift giving strategies, gift ideas, handmade gifts

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