Don’t Waste Money on Christmas Gifts that No One Wants

Don’t Waste Money on Christmas Gifts that No One Wants

Have you ever opened a gift and had to try to grin and say thank you when you have no idea what it is?  Or it was so atrocious—like the pink bunny pajamas that Ralphie got from Aunt Clara in A Christmas Story—that you know you will never wear it or use it.

Perhaps you received a gift, like a $30 canister of gourmet popcorn and thought, “I would have rather had the money that was spent on that instead.”  You know, the nice gift that you really didn’t need or want.  The one that may never be used… I think that we’ve all received them, and probably even given them.  So this year, if you aren’t sure about what to buy, give something that is more meaningful… and here are a few ideas:

For new parents or parents of toddlers

Offer babysitting as your gift.  Seriously, any new parent or parent of a toddler knows that free babysitting is pure GOLD.  I guarantee they will love this gift!

For grandparents

Make a keepsake ornament from the kids.  Grandparents love anything that is made by their grandchildren, so whether it’s a handprint ornament, craft, or special card, it will be way more meaningful than a sweatshirt that says “World’s Best Grandpa.”

I’ll let you in on a secret… No one really wants to wear these shirts.  Ever.

For mom and dad

Dad doesn’t need another tie.  Mom doesn’t want kitchen utensils.

They probably just want some extra time with you.

So, instead of spending money on something that they don’t really need, invite your mom out to lunch just because, and make time to go on that hunting trip with dad that you have been too busy to take… they will appreciate this much more…

For your kids

As parents we want to make sure that our kids have a HUGE pile of gifts to open.  Because what is better than the joy on their faces and they run downstairs on Christmas morning to see all the wonderful packages that Santa left?!  But, we all know that joy only lasts as long as there are more gifts to tear open and when the dust settles (or, in this case, the wrapping paper and bows), the kids play with their new loot for about 5 minutes and then life goes back to normal—and all those big bucks you spent to fulfil every Christmas list wish are seemingly wasted.  Talk to your kids about the true meaning of Christmas and find a way to have them learn the joy of giving… that will last for them a lot longer than getting the hottest, most expensive toy of the season…

Make Christmas memories for them.  How do you make a memory?  Give them experiences to remember:

• Bake Christmas Cut-Out Cookies with them
• Make Christmas Ornaments
• Go on a Christmas outing with Grandparents, cousins, or friends— go see a Christmas light display, visit a LIVE nativity, go Christmas caroling, take a train ride with Santa…

Your kids may not remember what they got for Christmas two years ago, but they probably will remember that time that they got to walk through a million twinkling Christmas lights with their cousins…

You probably noticed that these gifts don’t actually cost you any money either.  They only cost a little time and thoughtfulness.

So before you go into debt trying to splurge and buy the perfect Christmas gift, think about what your family and friends would truly want…

Check out one of my posts, 10 Ways to Avoid Overspending This Year for Christmas and find out even more ways to get the perfect gift without overspending and going into debt.