Keeping the Holidays Simple: 25 Gift Ideas for the Minimalist

Was anyone else completely blown away this year that Christmas started the day after Halloween? Where did that come from? I’m completely stumped. Like, is this a thing now? I have to say that as a self proclaimed (comfy) minimalist I’m a little nervous. I’ve trained really hard for this lifestyle of living simply. Living with less. It works for me, beautifully. I could yammer on all day about how much easier life is now that I have less on my plate to tend to. Trust me, I would love to tell you.

I won’t go into the reasons why I think it’s outrageous how people strap themselves to the Americanized version of what Christmas (or holidays, if you prefer) should be. What everyone else is doing. Keeping up with the Clause’s. I love the holidays for the same reasons as everyone else. The smell of Christmas cookies, warm hugs from our loved ones, the laughter that always radiates from my grandparents home as all the uncles tell their tall tales. I love the shrieks of excitement from my children as the first snowflake falls; finally fulfilling their hearts greatest desire, a white Christmas. Whether you start the Christmas hustle and bustle the day after Halloween or if you wait until the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers have been reheated, it’s up to you. It’s you’re business. I’m not here to tell you what to do.

But, here’s where I get my Christmas stockings in a twist. When I start to feel pressured to answer questions of, “what do yo want? What do they want? No really, there must be something.” When my visions of dancing sugarplums becomes visions of a rigid schedule that I am expected to follow so as to avoid hurt feelings. “But, you were at their house for 15 minutes longer than ours!?” really sours my eggnog. Can eggnog be sour? I really have no basis of understanding. Looking at my comfy, but decluttered, house and trying to imagine where on Santa’s North Pole, I’m going to fit all the new stuff. Racking my brain for gift ideas for the person who already has everything. By the time December arrives, I’m so over it and there is no amount of tap dancing Danny Kaye can do to change my mind.

What I can do is offer my suggestions for appeasing the Grinchiest, or just a begging-to-stay-sane minimalist, family member on your gift list. There are all kinds of suggestions for kids gift ideas. A lot of sensible people follow the mantra: Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. Because really, is there anything else that is necessary? Many people beg for experiences. That’s all good and fine too. I love the idea of experiences. Our kids have received a surprise box (from varying subscriptions) over the past couple years as a Christmas present. One a month is the gift that keeps on giving. Each box contains an activity to follow that once put together can either be tossed out or put with the rest of the said collection. No waste. No dust. Adults, however can be a little trickier, but none the less here are 25 gift ideas for the minimalist. Gift ideas for the person who has everything. Gift ideas for the person who says, “nothing’’ when asked what they would like someone to spend their hard earned money on.

1. Food Subscription Service- We are all about food boxes in this house. We are currently doing Hello Fresh and man, oh, man it makes life so much easier. The meals are fresh, kid friendly, easy to make (most of the time in 30 minutes), and delicious. You can get $40 off your first box by clicking here.

2. Movie Tickets- buy two or buy ten. It really doesn’t matter and you can bet they will get used. Our family loves going to the movies and every time an animated movie is on, where there! Let the treat be on you!

3. Concert Tickets- I love concerts. My husband; he’s coming around. I can promise you that you’d bring a smile to a music lovers face if you surprised them with tickets to see one of their favorite bands. I tried to get one of my husbands favorite bands to come play for his 40th birthday and they wouldn’t do it. Talk about a great gift idea though.

4. Netflix- do you have a friend that keeps missing out on your favorite show? Do you swear they would love Ozark or The Crown, but they never get to watch because they don’t have Netflix? Well you just found the perfect gift, my friend.

5. Audible- maybe your sister isn’t into tv and movies; she prefers to read the book first. I used to love to read, but I get so busy sometimes it can take me an eternity to finish a book. That’s what I love about Audible. I listen to the books and work at the same time.

6. Ring Video Doorbell- I can’t love or suggest the Ring Video Doorbell more. It has been a huge asset to our recent home renovations. Connect to WiFi and I get an alert on my phone each time motion is detected in front of my doorbell. The Ring company also just expanded their product line to a home alarm system that I cannot wait to add to my home.

7. Sporting Event- Don’t forget your sports fans.

8. Grove Collaborative- It may seem crazy to buy cleaning supplies for someone you love, but I can assure you that any minimalist or mom would be thrilled with a Grove Collaborative subscription. From Mrs. Meyers to Seventh Generation and from household to pets to kids Grove Co offers an array of chemical free home and pet friendly products. And they smell good too. Right now you can use my link to get a 5 piece gift set of your choice.

9. House Plants or Trees- One Christmas, for a lack of any other ideas, the husband bought me a dozen roses. I’ve never been one to scoff at a gift, but this one was soooo not for me. I would have been happier with a box of chocolates or a wooden spoon. I was soo bummed about recieving a gift that litterally died within days. Talk about being wasteful. So, like all of the gift suggestions, evaluate your market. Don’t buy flowers for someone who could care less about them and don’t buy someone houseplants unless they love house plants. I have grown into my own and though I could still careless about roses, I love houseplants. Fiddle Fig Trees, succulents, and Aloe Vera to name a few. Recently, I ordered a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree from Amazon and it surprisingly was the most darling little tree. If someone in your family loves trees how about a gift card to a nursery where they can pick out their very own tree to plant come spring (or fall).

10. Cleaning/Organization Service- I’m sure you know someone who has demonstrated desperation for getting their home in order. No matter where you live, there are always cleaning services and if you look you might even be lucky enough to find a Professional Organizer. As someone who has done her own overhauling on the things she keeps this is very near and dear to my heart and I have launched my own Organizing, Decluttering, and Staging service called Tidy + Style. I even offer virtual services.

11. Massage- like the flowers, this may not be for everyone, but it should always be considered because a lot of people would love the chance to do a little self care, but they put themselves so far down on the priority list that booking a massage for themselves would otherwise never happen.

12. Kindle- Some people crave the smell of books, but if you’re shopping for a minimalist, they likely have gone through and really scaled back the number of books on their shelves. One or two more books won’t hurt anything, but there is always the Kindle where they could download as many digital pages as they’d like and never have to worry about accumulating too many books.

13. Car Detail Service- When I was in high school, I cleaned the inside and outside of my car every Saturday after cross country practice. I’d give it a full detail and even use a toothbrush on the hard to clean spots. Now that I’m a mom, you’d never know that about me. I’m sure I’m not alone on this.

14. Lessons- Know someone who has always wanted to learn guitar? Never learned to swim? Fix that for them. It could save a life.

15. State Park Parking Pass- We recently visited the Grand Canyon with my husbands family and my mother in law used her State Park Parking pass for a discount. I never even knew these existed. Perfect idea for your adventurers.

16. Family Pictures Session- In an Instagram world we love to have beautiful photos. You can never have too many family photo sessions. Memories!!

17. Family Passes to an Amusement Park or Museum- The options are endless. A zoo, aquarium, theme park. It’s all about the experiences made together. Those gifts last a lifetime.

18. Wine- no explanation needed. Make it contingent that they share during the family get together.

19. Sirius XM radio, Pandora Prime, or Spotify- Very thoughtful for those on the road.

20. In home Chef- We have a wonderful local chef and he recently mentioned to me that he does in home cooking. Tell me one good reason someone would hate this as a gift. Just one. I dare you.

21. Weekend Getaway- parents don’t often get time without the kids. Whether you splurge for the cost of the whole weekend or offer to do the babysitting, some adult alone time is incredibly generous.

22. Plane tickets- Bring home a loved one for the holidays or send them away. Wait is that an option?

23. Extreme experience- This past weekend my husband participated in the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Kansas City Speedway. We’re not NASCAR fans in the die hard sense, but it was a gift from an associate. You know what? He had a blast. Pay for someone to go skydiving, scuba diving, or NASCAR driving.

24. Themed basket- here’s for all you DIY junkies. You can get really creative with these and there’s a basket for just about any need. Movie themed with popcorn, jammies, soda pop, and a movie, Wine and cheese, A road trip basket with snacks and a gas card. The list could go on.

25. 23 and Me Ancestry DNA Test- Use with caution. A lot of people have had really neat experiences with 23 and me, but it has also allowed police to track down fugitives. Know your family history before you send in that cheek swab. Finding out that grandpa has been running from the law for the last 60 years would be one way to put an end to Christmas’s to come. Or maybe it would at least make for a great story. It all depends on if you are a cup half full or half empty kind of person.

Of course if there is something you are CERTAIN the family member or friend would love to have, by all means give it a whirl. But, if you have a family member or friend who insists they don’t want anything every single year during the holidays perhaps something on this list would strike their fancy. Anything on this list that might be a remedy for the conundrum of what to get them? Do you have any other ideas?

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