You Don't Need Another Holiday Gift Guide đ
Consider this instead
Itâs that time of year again - the time of year when everyone on the Internet wants to tell you exactly what you NEED to buy your loved ones for the holidays.
(If youâd rather listen to todayâs post, click here. Otherwise, keep scrolling).
Iâm guilty of it too. Iâve written a gift guide (or something gifting related) every year since I started Tiny Ambitions, albeit with a minimalist slant.
But when I sat down to write this yearâs version, I kept getting frustrated and hereâs why.
You Donât Need Another Gift Guide
You just donât. You know your friends and family better than some random person or brand on the Internet. You just have to trust yourself a little bit more.
The allure of a gift guide is hard to resist. Itâs full of bright and sparkly things that a clever writer has convinced you will make for the absolute perfect gift. And maybe it will. But maybe it wonât.
What gift guides really are are thinly veiled attempts to make affiliate income by selling you something that your loved one probably doesnât actually need or want.
If you genuinely donât know what to get someone in your life, I would encourage you to ask them. I know that seems like it spoils the fun of gift-giving, and while it does ruin the mystery/surprise element, I would much rather get a gift that Iâve specifically said I would like than one that I didnât - regardless of the intention behind it.
Can We Skip Gift-Giving Already?
I know I sound like a holiday Scrooge, but I am really struggling to see the point of gift-giving anymore.
My partner and I donât do gifts. For anything. Ever. And itâs glorious.
At this point, I limit my gifts to one gift for my mom that I know sheâll love (or make her cry, Iâm not too picky which). And thatâs it.
Last year, because of the pandemic, my sister-in-law recommended we skip gifts and it was a hallelujah moment.
No one in my family needs a gift. So whatâs the point?
I personally find gift-giving incredibly stressful. I also donât enjoy receiving gifts. It all comes down to the pressure. The pressure to find the âperfect giftâ and the pressure to like what someone has bought me (which lets be honest, is rare).
If youâre not into gift-giving this year, you have my 100% percent support to let your family know (gently) that youâd like to take a pass this year (read this post if you need some help with this).
How are you dealing with gifts this year? Iâd love to know!
Until next time, keep living that tiny life.
-Britt
P.S. if you enjoy Tiny Ambitions, help me keep it ad-free.
Image Credit: Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Hallelujah! My husband's family decided no extended family gifts or adult gift exchange this year. After a few years of hemming and hawing on this, it's incredible! We only do a photo calendar of our kids for their grandparents - it's all they want and it's sentimental and useful. Hubs and I do no gifts or just small ones if it's something the person needs but won't buy for themselves. We pool the money we would have spent and sponsor a couple kids in need in our community to help them have a very Merry Christmas. 10 years in, I think we nailed it and it feels good to not have gifts be the center of the season!