“Merryyyy Christmas, and happyyyy holidaysssss” (sung in N*Sync’s sweet, sweet harmonies). But really, IT’S THE HOLIDAYS!! AKA my favorite time of the year! As it is the season of giving, I thought this blog post about great holiday gift ideas would be quite fitting. And fun. And a reason to be on Pinterest for hours and hours and not feel toooo guilty about it ;).
Us twenty-something’s are really finding our place in this world. Going out and finding our passion, buying homes, starting families, finishing (or starting) school, I mean the list goes on and on. Although super exciting, embracing your twenties can also be expensive. Like, stuck paying back student loans for the rest of your life expensive. And although the pressure of the holidays approaching and your bank account slowly (or quickly) decreasing can be extremely stressful, there are ways to work around this and find that it isn’t about the price of the gift that matters most, but the heart and thought you put into it.
So, cue the Holiday music, get yourself a mug of hot chocolate (with extra whip, I mean, it’s the holidays), and enjoy these ideas that can not only save your hard-earned money ($50 or less), but also make your loved ones very, very happy! Which is what this season is all about, after all.
1 – Scrapbook
– In a generation of high-tech camera phones and social media, picture accessibility is at an all-time high! And although the items bought cost $, the gift itself is priceless. For a holiday gift, you can use this scrapbook to put together a collection of pictures from the past year. There can be pages of your favorite moments, favorite vacation, and favorite memories. And in addition to the pictures, add your favorite quotes, song lyrics, or personalized notes on the pages. Have fun being imaginative! After giving the completed scrapbook to your loved one, spend time sitting down with them and going through all of the pages of pictures. It will be a time to reflect and reminisce about all the wonderful memories. It is a nostalgic and meaningful present that your loved one will be able to cherish forever!
Approx. Pricing: $50
2 – Gifts in a Jar
-Whoever came up with this idea is brilliant! Talk about a wide-range of options – You can literally put anything in a jar and make it a useful and creative present. Okay well not anything, but there’s a lot of options and because I am really excited about this one, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT! Specifically for this post, I will list the instructions for my favorite gift-in-a-jar – HOT COCO!
Hot Chocolate in a Jar
Is it just me or does hot coco taste so much better when you are cuddled up on the couch and it’s raining outside? 😉
Items needed:
– Mason Jar (16 or 32 oz)
-Measuring Cup/Spoon
-Vanilla Sugar (4 TB)
-Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (1/4 cup)
-Powder Milk (1/4 cup)
-Chocolate Chips
-For your 21 and over friends, a small Bailey’s bottle (They sell mini ones @ BevMo!)
-Marshmallows (I prefer the small ones!)
-Ribbon
Instructions:
- Start by adding the sugar to the bottom of the jar
- Next, pour in the cocoa powder
- Follow that with the milk powder
- My favorite step – Top it off with the chocolate chips and marshmallows
- Eat the extras (duh.)
To finish it off, personalize it! Wrap the ribbon around the top, and tie on a tag to this ribbon. So many templates online for personalized tags that you can easily print out. And lastly, if your loved one is of legel drinking age, tie in the mini Bailey’s bottle with the ribbon. Yum!
Easy, right?! And yummy – Your loved ones will thank you when they are curled up on the couch, watching A Christmas Story, and craving something warm and tasty. You. Are. Welcome!
Approx. Pricing: $20
3 – Ani and Alex Bangles
For all of my sisters out there, (sisters meaning girls, cause ya know, it’s just Rach and I), this is such an amazing gift for your best friends! I currently have two bracelets from this collection, and you will not see me without them on! These bracelets are intended to *Enlighten, Enchant, and Empower* one another. You can make this gift personal as they have so many different themes and meanings to choose from, and on top of that, some bracelet choices will give the proceeds to a specific charity. Um, AMAZING, RIGHT?! Not only will this be a meaningful gift for your loved one, but this gift also gives back to those in need. I love that so much I wish I could buy the whole collection! But, I’m twenty-something, and broke, so a few at a time for my loved ones will do 😉
Website: http://www.alexandani.com/
Approx. Pricing: $28
4 – Books
-For your loved ones that love books (Me! Me!), finding a book that is well thought out is such an amazing gift. If you know the person you want to get a book for well, this gift idea can be extremely meaningful and much appreciated. And what I mean by knowing the person well, is knowing what they are interested in the moment, or what in their life they are going through. Barnes and Noble makes this really, really easy for the shopper. They have shelves filled with books that range from romance novels to self-help to autobiographies, and so on. For example, is your book-loving friend going through a rough breakup? A great book to purchase for them is “The Breakup Bible” by Melissa Kantor. Or, is your book-loving friend yearning to read a book and just get completely drawn in by the story? As well as laugh and cry and have all sorts of feels going on? Purchase any type of Nicholas Sparks book. Seriously, they will thank you later. Or, maybe you have a book-loving friend that wants to start a book series with an action-filled story line, purchase, “The Hunger Game Trilogy.”
To top off this gift idea, you can also get even more creative and make your own, personalized book mark! My favorite book marks have an inspirational quote on them, and creating one that you know your loved one will enjoy makes it extra special.
Approx. Pricing: $15-$35
The holidays are such a magical time of the year. Truly. You get to reflect back and think of all the things in life you are thankful for, you get to spend time with friends and family you might not see as much as you would like to, and you get to make new memories that will last a lifetime! The song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is very accurate in my opinion ;).
So, instead of stressing about pricey gifts, spend time, (and less money), creating gifts that are meaningful and creative. I have found as I get older (quarter-life crisis older), my Christmas list that was once filled with material items and over a page long, has now just become me wishing for happiness and quality time with loved ones. When we look back on our lives, memories like these are ones we cherish. And although that new Michael Kors purse I saw staring at me in the mall would make me quite happy, it is nothing compared to the happiness I feel when I receive a handmade or well-thought out meaningful gift from someone I love.
Happy holidays to my fellow twenty-somethings and to your families. I hope you all join me and embrace the most wonderful time of the year!!
XOXO Kelsey
This Week with kelsey sleek 