Christmas is just around the corner and everyone is already hussling and bussling to get just the right thing for those people on their Christmas list. It’s difficult to figure out what to buy someone for Christmas that has everything. My suggestion is not to get them a physical gift since it will really become a burden to them, rather than a gift.

Here are some gift giving tips from SLS to simplify your holidays, as well as some creative ways you can celebrate the season together instead:

• Gift cards are a huge no-no. It is not uncommon for us to find find anywhere from 1-15 unused gift cards while working with clients in their homes and offices. They go unused because they never needed anything in the first place and so they forget they even have them.
• Make a decision as a group to combine the money you would have spent on each other and:
  – Adopt a needy family
  – Shop for donations for your local food pantry
  – Buy gifts for women and children at an abuse shelter
• Give a gift to a charity, organization, or needy family, in the name of whomever your gift is for.
  – American Cancer Society
  – United Way
  – The Shoeman
• Show appreciation to one another with an action, rather than a gift
  – Shovel Grandma’s snow just because
  – Bake your Uncle’s favorite pie
  – Offer to walk an elderly neighbor’s dog weekly