Are you guilty of gift card gifting? Do you head to the gift card kiosk in your local retail store and finish your gift buying list in less than 10 minutes? Do you feel satisfaction walking out with a stack of gift cards 2 inches tall and calling your holiday shopping a success? Well, wait just a minute!
Yes, that’s right. This year I am challenging you to skip the gift cards!
Last year, I wrote a post about sticking to a holiday budget. This year, I want to encourage you to get extra creative within your budget!
First of all, there’s nothing wrong with giving gift cards to your loved ones. If that is what they really want or need. However, by simply grabbing a gift card in the denomination you have determined you can afford to spend on each individual you deem gift worthy, you are really selling yourself (and the recipient) short! Where’s the creativity in a $50 gift card to Target? Where is the thoughtfulness?
Have you ever seen anyone gush over how thoughtful and precious a gift card is? The normal reaction to receiving a gift card is rarely an unpleasant one, but it’s not likely to be the jaw drop that something more unique might invoke.
Challenge yourself to find something unique to your loved one within your price range. I know, a gift card is easier and we all have busy busy lives. When you think about the reason behind our gift giving though; we aren’t giving a gift just to make life easier on ourselves! We are giving a gift to let our loved ones know that we care for them and we think about them. Shouldn’t our gift represent that?
You don’t have to knit a sweater or make your own pottery, just challenge yourself to put some real thought into your gift giving this year. If, after you’ve really mulled it over, you still find a gift card to be the best fit, give that gift card knowing that it wasn’t the easy gift. Instead give that gift card knowing it’s the perfect gift.
