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Holiday Gift Giving does not need to be stressful!
By focusing on love, crafting care, and understanding the love language of gift giving, you’ll be able to make planning your gifts a joyous experience.
Turn your message of “well wishes” into a journey towards wellness.
Also, I’ve listed 20 wellness gift ideas at the end of this post! Share the journey of self love with those you care about!
Holiday Gift Giving Starts With Love
Both gift giving and the holiday season stem from love.
This use of the term “love” encompasses all versions of the word.
From familial to platonic to romantic love, we can relate gift giving and holidays as moments in time when we share happiness with those we care about.
These relationships in which we share happiness is not limited to our relationships with others. We must remember the relationship we have with ourselves.
Whether it be giving gifts to loved ones or ourselves during the holiday season, we can begin our holiday healing.
Understanding the Gift Giving Love Language
Many confuse this love language as one that may focus more on materialism.
While receiving material gifts may be a part of this love language, the sole focus truly is the sentimental value the gift brings.
Material gifts allow us to remember the gifter whenever we look at the item and it invokes a specific feeling we get when thinking about the person.
Non-material gifts, such as a trip somewhere together, increase opportunities to create more memories with one another.
While being on the receiving end includes these benefits, giving gifts allow for a broader range that can increase our happiness levels.
Read more: The Love Language of Gift Giving and Its Effect On Happiness
Wellness and Well Wishes
Focusing on Love
Planning gifts and embracing the holiday season can fill your heart with warmth.
By focusing our energies on love, both activities will allow us to practice mindfulness and lead us towards wellness.
When you’re planning on what to get someone you care about, you begin to reminisce on the special moments you shared with that person.
During the holiday season, you also start to remember delightful events that took place the previous year.
You relive these favorite moments and feel joy from this nostalgia.
Use this time to reflect on your relationships and shift your focus from what you should get them to why you want to give them a gift.
As you reflect on your “why,” think about the following:
- Why do they make you happy?
- What do you cherish about your relationship?
- What about them makes you smile or laugh?
- Do you have anything you want to experience with them in the future?
- What reminds you of them?
Crafting Care
Creating a present yourself will show that person how much effort you put into their gift.
There are many options for you to try, such as painting, drawing, or even scrapbooking.
If you’re not that great at crafting with your hands, you can also create using technology.
Try gathering all your favorite pictures and add them into a video or a photobook.
I recommend Shutterfly as you can easily design the layouts of each page and customize the front and back covers.
Shutterfly also has many other options!
My sister always makes us calendars for the next year with all of our family photos from the year prior.
I’ve also used Shutterfly to make engraved pots for plants and cutting boards for charcuterie.
It’s a pleasure to see everyone’s joyous face after they receive these personalized gifts I’ve created for them.
For this holiday season, I’m gifting you with a FREE Shutterfly Photobook! I hope you enjoy my gift to you!
(If the link isn’t working, contact me and I can send you an updated link!)
The act of creating these gifts also fulfill the Visual Element of Self Care.
All that you create fit an aesthetic that is pleasing to you.
Each step in this process allows you to enjoy the growth of your project.
See: Eight Elements of Self Care
Holiday Gift Giving Ideas to Enhance Self Care
While gift giving can help you focus on your wellness, why not share ways to enhance self love with the people you plan to give gifts this holiday season?
Here are 20 gift ideas that can add wellness into your message of “well wishes.”
1. Self Care Boxes
A great way to have your gift focus on self care is by having a gift box that includes multiple items your loved one can use to enhance wellness.
You can create one and personalize it so that it is tailored to include what the gift receiver may be interested in.
See my post on How to Create a Self Care Emergency Box.
If you’re not sure what to include, there are many options for already-made self care boxes!
The thought that has been put into these boxes will definitely resonate and show that person you care about their wellbeing.
2. Journals
A great way to clear one’s mind is by organizing thoughts on paper.
3. Candles
This gift will please one’s sense of sight and sense of smell.
4. Essential Oils
These oils can provide a pleasant scent and be used in many ways.
5. Moisturizer
The holiday season is typically a cold one. Cold weather means dry skin.
6. Cozy Blankets
Again, it’s cold! Also, soft warm blankets are heavenly!
7. Plushies
Regardless of age, many people can enjoy snuggling with plushies. They are snuggly AND adorable!
8. Books
Inspiring books to read make amazing gifts!
9. Tablets
If they rather have all their books online in one technological library, I recommend gifting a Kindle.
10. Face Masks
Skin Care is Self Care.
11. Bath Bombs
Enhance relaxing baths.
12. Art Supplies
Creating increases mindfulness.
13. Crystals
All are gorgeous and have amazing healing properties.
14. Yoga Mat
Encourage mindfulness through fitness.
15. Fuzzy Slippers
Look how cute these are!
16. Air Pods
Gift a way your loved one can listen to music they love!
17. Cozy Robe
These are amazing to relax in.
18. Camera
Capture moments as you create memories together.
19. Silk Pillow Cases
Ever since I first bought some a few years ago, I notice a big difference in comfort whenever I try sleeping on non silk or satin pillow cases.
20. Tea
These come in various flavors and have many health benefits.
What holiday gift giving ideas do you have in mind? Comment below to share with others in our community!
Crafting is such a lovely and caring gift ! Im focusing on crafts and love homemade boxes of easy gifts this season
I love all these gift ideas especially crafting! Those are always the best gifts you can give & receive.❤️ Thank you for sharing! Great read!
I LOVE self-care boxes. I love giving them to friends and also receiving one haha
I love all these ideas, thank you for sharing thoughtful gift ideas that will last. I forget chocolates, baked goods and unnecessary gifts only last for a short period of time. I’m sure many of us receive them and then regret them after the holidays. 😉