Five of our brightest gift ideas for Christmas
Give the granting of a wish.
Maybe you already know exactly what someone (or everyone!) wants. Though few of us have the means to treat the family to that dream trip to Disney World, we can all listen carefully or just plain ask, and choose to grant one wish for each of our dear ones.
Be careful with this one; it takes some good organizational work. There's nothing more discouraging than having to say "Thank you" for an Xbox when they really wanted a PlayStation—or vice versa. And make sure you know not only what the gift is, but who asked for it. My mother gave my number-one choice to my sister instead of me three Christmases in a row! Also, coordinate with other members of the family so you and Aunt Fran don't both give Nephew Ted the same much-wanted Star Wars bathrobe.
To avoid the many practical pitfalls involved in trying to decipher exactly what everyone wants:
Give an experience.
A hot air balloon ride. A day trip to another city to hear a favorite band or orchestra. A first-night movie complete with giant popcorn. Permission to have ALL the cousins over for a New Year's Eve sleepover. A tailgate party and game tickets for his favorite team.
There are infinite possibilities in doing something fun with someone you care about, or making it possible for them to do something fun on their own. If Grandma really doesn't want to hear Katy Perry, she can suggest that her granddaughter invite a best friend or boyfriend to use the pair of tickets. If a wife is not fascinated by sports, she can encourage her husband's buddies to grill the brats with him.
Between spouses, there is an extra-special variation of this gift: join in something your partner loves, but you don't. Break down and go to the opera with him. Root for the Steelers with her one Sunday, instead of the Browns you love. Be generous with your attention as well as your wallet.
Especially for the senior members of your family, attention and affection are precious. Elders probably don't need or want many more material things, but the chance to have all their family together will be remembered with joy—especially if you arrange to record the occasion in a professional photo or video.
Give a family treasure.
Loved ones who are in their mid-teens on up can appreciate the value of an item laden with family history., particularly when they have memories of it associated with their own childhoods. If Great-grandma was famous for her custard, the baker of the family might be thrilled to open a box and find her set of china custard cups. Have Poppa's war photos cleaned and reframed, and give one of them to the grandson who just finished basic training. A daughter who is enjoying professional success would be proud to receive the ring Mom's own mother gave her to celebrate when she got her first job.
Write a note explaining the story of the photo, the china, or the ring, and include it in the box. Your gift will start a whole new chapter. This is also a wonderful way to welcome someone who has joined the family since last Christmas.
Give the work of your hands.
Does everyone beg you to do projects for them? Do they laugh over the silly little jingles you write for birthdays? Are you mobbed each year by people eating up your homemade jam or cookies before they are even cool?
If you have the talent to make something beautiful, useful or delicious, share it with others. Don't think it's less valuable than something bought in a store. Your talent seems small to you because you've always had it, but to people who don't possess it, such an ability is remarkable. The care and attention you lavish on the things you make will be appreciated by the lucky people who receive the products of your skill.
Give to others.
Many well-organized efforts allow shoppers to do good in another's name. For example, Heifer International provides destitute families with animals to begin building a self-sufficient farm business. The Southwest Indian Foundation has a number of projects, large and small, including the provision of safe heat stoves to traditional-living Navajos facing cold winters. These organizations and others like them offer catalogs to select gifts in any price range. Children as young as grade school age can understand the beauty of giving to those who have less. And if thumbing through those catalogs awakens your family's compassion, perhaps you can locate someone closer to home whose life you can brighten at Christmas.
And finally, a bonus idea. For that person who truly has everything:
Shelves!