The holidays look a little different for a lot of reasons this year. I’ve seen a TON of “Gift Guides” going around, and while that can be really helpful, I thought I’d make a different kind of list…

Maybe you want to give really thoughtful gifts but don’t have a huge budget.
Maybe you want to give in a more sustainable way this year.
Maybe you’re bored of past ways of shopping and want to give meaningful gifts in a different way.
Maybe you don’t have as much accessibility to stores because of precautions being taken this year.

Here’s a little list of some ideas that I’ve come up with for meaningful gifts that are no spend or low spend. I hope they spark your own creativity this season!

1. “A Taste of My Traditions” - A burlap sack full of nostalgic cookies

Supplies: burlap sacks, ingredients for baking, notecard to write a recipe. Optional: jar with milk of choice

Make a batch of your favorite nostalgic holiday cookies and package them in a burlap sack for a beautiful and tasty gift that invites others into your special traditions. There are a lot of recipes on Pinterest for holiday cookies if you need ideas. You can purchase 20 good-sized burlap sacks on Amazon for $20…$1 per item! Include a card with the recipe on it, and maybe even a glass jar full of a milk of choice (soy, almond, or oat milk are my favorites!). Repurpose a mason jar or other jar by filling it with boiling water to fully sanitize, then transfer store bought milk (or a home made nut or oat milk if you’re super fancy) into the jar once it’s cooled.

2. “Notes to Share” - Hand-made stationary

Supplies: blank cards with envelopes, drawing pens/markers or a stamp. Optional: twine and evergreen sprigs

Purchase blank cards, and personalize them with a word or a design, or if you’re not fond of drawing, you can purchase a single stamp with a design you love. Then tie them together with a piece of twine and evergreen from your tree or other dried greenery from outdoors to create a beautiful bundle. This single set of 20 blank cards for $7 could easily become two gifts if you create designs on them and gift them as 2 stacks of 10 stationary pieces.

3. “Breaking Bread Together” - Bread and Jam

Supplies: a loaf of artisan bread from the bakery, butcher paper, jam, twine or ribbon. Optional: glass jar

This is one of my favorite gifts to give because there’s something so homey and traditional about the gift of communion. You do NOT need be a bread maker! Just purchase a beautiful loaf of artisan style bread from the bakery section of any grocery store, wrap it in butcher paper tied with twine, and pair it with a jar of jam. If the jam container is large or less aesthetic, transfer it into a mason jar with a ribbon and tag wrapped around the neck of the jar.

4. “Something I Love for Someone I Love” - A special item you own

Supplies: something special that you own such as a book, clothing, jewelry, decor, shawl, or blanket

A special belonging that you value, that someone else may equally enjoy, can be a really wonderful gift. This is NOT something from your donation pile. A book, a piece of clothing, jewelry, decor, a shawl or blanket - things that may be a little hard to let go of are how you know it’s special. We have SO many things that we hold onto that we don’t necessarily need and sharing them with someone else can be a really meaningful sacrifice.

5. “Moments of Calm” - Lavender epsom salts with a tea light

Supplies: re-purposed glass jar, unscented epsom salt, lavender essential oil, tea light candle

A jar of lavender epsom salts with a tea light is perfect for a pampering bath to create a whole evening of calm for someone. Purchase a large bag of epsom salts at your grocery store or on Amazon, mix the salts with a few drops of lavender essential oil, and then pour the salts into re-purposed jars about 2/3 full. (We save pretty much every glass jar that we get from the grocery store and they make for SO many uses once you remove the labels). Set a tea light candle (unlit ;) on top of the salts, and tie the neck of the jar with a ribbon or twine. These simple materials can fill quite a few jars to become multiple gifts!

I hope these ideas are helpful and spark your own creativity. I’d love to hear in the comments if you have any ideas for low or no spend gifts this year too!

Happy gift giving :)
-Christina