RELATIONAL GIFT IDEAS

Looking for ideas on how to give more relationally this Christmas?

Spend Time Together
  • Host a dinner party. Have everyone bring a prayer request to share with the group. Spend time encouraging and praying for the people God has put in your life.
  • Create together. Do a puzzle, paint a picture, bake cookies, build a fort, write a song, make jewelry, garden, take photos.
  • Be present. Make it a habit to have one technology-free night. Turn off the distractions and spend quality time together.
  • Buy a devotional for you and a friend. Get together and talk about what you’re learning from God.
  • Do an activity. Go for a hike and look at creation. Go see a concert or play.
  • Read the Advent Conspiracy book with a friend and swap ideas for new Christmas traditions.


Purchase with a Purpose
  • Research Fair Trade companies and purchase Fair Trade certified goods.
  • Shop local. Buy from local boutiques and artisans. Get to know the local business owners in your city.
  • Find companies that give back. (some examples: PuraVida, Love Your Melon, La Canasta, Out of Print, Cuddle+Kind, Sackcloth and Ashes, Forai, Diff Eyeware, Hiptipico, fashionABLE, Conscious Step, FEED, Two Blind Brothers, Land of A Thousand Hills Coffee, Headbands of Hope, SoapBox, Roma, Hand in Hand Soaps, Noonday Collection, Tegu Wooden Blocks)


Serve Someone
  • Partner with a Christian non-profit organization and change a life through your gift. (ex: World Vision, Living Water International, International Justice Mission, Hope International)
  • Make a helping-hands coupon book. Give your family vouchers to babysit, help with yardwork, do the dishes, fold laundry, clean the kitchen, walk the dog.
  • Host a serving day. Have friends and family get together and work on a project or volunteer at a local organization. You’ll be spending time together and serving someone in need.
  • Care for the widows in your church. Take someone out to lunch after a church service and get to know their story.
  • Volunteer at church as a family or small group. Christmas is often a very busy time for churches and their serving teams. Look for ways to help out during this season.
  • Organize and clean out your friend’s pantry.
  • Bake cookies and make a thank you card for someone who regularly serves your community. People like police officers, first responders, post office workers, doctors and nurses.
  • Pay for a date night or babysit for a couple with young kids.


Celebrate Memories
  • Skip the traditional Christmas presents and instead plan a family vacation.
  • Try something new. Cooking classes, music lessons, rock climbing, painting.
  • Make a list of local restaurants, parks, and activities you want to explore. Grab a friend and see how many you can experience together in the next year.
  • Hire a photographer to take family photos for one of your friends.
  • Put together a cookbook of your favorite recipes that you can share with everyone in your family.
  • Make a scrapbook or photo album for your grandparents.
  • Over the next year, write 52 notes and share them with someone special next Christmas.
  • Put together a family night basket. Wrap up some popcorn, candy, gift cards, and board games.


Make it Personal
  • Pray for everyone on your Christmas list before purchasing anything. Remember what a gift they are.
  • Find presents that celebrate the hobbies and passions of someone else.
  • Remember it’s not about the number of gifts you give. It’s about celebrating your relationship and giving thanks to God for that person.


Share Your Talents
  • Celebrate the talents that God has given you and share those with others. Throw a dinner party, take photos, knit a quilt, play music, write a children’s story, plan an adventure, organize and clean, sculpt and paint, etc.