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Nathan Moss

Minimalist Gift Ideas

What to buy a minimalist for Christmas is never an easy task. Believe me I get it. Our family has been asking us what we want for Christmas the past couple of weeks. It’s tough explaining to them we don’t need much and what we do need makes for very uninteresting gifts.

Nobody likes to see you open boring and practical gifts. My nephew reminded me of that last Christmas when I bought him clothes.

We also draw names in my family for Christmas each year and this year my brother drew my name. Everyone gave him a hard time about it because nobody wanted my name. Apparently buying for a minimalist is about as easy as wresting pajamas on an active toddler.

I got to thinking about gift ideas for the person who is minimizing their life, downsizing, or maybe just difficult to buy for. We all have someone like that in our life. Here are a few ideas I have to help you shop for “that person” in your life.

Create Experiences

Life is all about creating experiences and memories together. Why not give the gift of family memories? It may sound difficult to do, but maybe start with what the person you are buying for enjoys.

Do they enjoy going to the movies? Eating out? Museums? Whatever activities they enjoy, gifting experiences is always a great idea. If they have children, might I suggest a parents night out and you can even throw in some babysitting. These date nights are hard to come by and very important to a marriage, so I bet this would be very appreciated. Creating memories and experiences is truly a wonderful gift and takes up no space or storage.



Gift Cards

This one is a given, but I personally LOVE gift cards. Both giving and receiving them. They are simple, less stressful, makes it easy to stay on budget, and people are able to pick out what they need and love. I myself am extremely happy with a gift card and I would think most minimalist are as well. They offer flexibility to get only what is NEEDED and you are not forced to keep unwanted items that clutter up your space.

Although I think people are scared of gift cards because they feel impersonal as a gift. I know this to be true, because I mentioned this idea to my family about doing a gift card swap. I thought it was a great idea because then everyone can pick out what they want. My mom claimed “that had no thought to it”. EXACTLY! I just want to spend time with family and not stress over what to buy others for the holidays. To me it is about family time and faith, not the gifts themselves.

Just be aware this is not a gift for everyone like my mom mentioned. Maybe in addition to the gift card,  pick out an activity you can do together and the gift card can pay their way.  It is always a nice gesture treating someone to something they wouldn’t do for themselves or alone such as a movie, dinner, or pedicure.

Give to Charity or Organization

One of my favorite gifts growing up was a handmade book made out of construction paper from a friend. As I unwrapped the book it began to tell a story of a single mom who was struggling to make ends meet. The book showed pictures of her crying and being thankful as she unwrapped the gifts my friend had bought her.

Instead of buying a gift for me, my friend had spent the money on someone in need and showed me how much of an impact that gift meant to the single mom through the picture book.

It was a beautiful gesture and to this day is still one of my favorite gifts.

I think that is what the holidays are all about. Showing love and kindness to others. So don’t be afraid to donate to a charity, organization, or someone in need as a gift to spread holiday cheer.

Sponsor a Child

There is nothing more exciting than Christmas morning as a child. I still remember the excitement and not much compares to that experience growing up. As an adult, I still love Christmas morning, but I love it because I get to spend time with my family and watch all the children (my daughter, nieces, and nephews) open gifts and see them light up with joy.

So in lieu of gifts, why not sponsor a child in need and give them that opportunity to light up on Christmas morning. There are so many opportunities to sponsor a child for Christmas presents and what a joy to contribute to that need.

I hope these thoughts help open doors to new ideas for gift-giving to the minimalists in your life. If you want to hear more on the topic, check out this video and Blog we did last year on Keeping Christmas Simple.  Happy Holidays!




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