Six Creative Gift Ideas that Cost Next to Nothing

The holidays are overwhelming. In the best of ways and, sometimes, in the not so best of ways. Especially for your wallet. We’re bombarded with sales on sale and gift guides on gift guides. I personally fall victim to keep up with the Joneses. However, I need to take a step back a remind myself that I don’t have to keep swiping my cards in order to give something good.

I love thinking of creative gifts to give. But probably even more so, I love GETTING creative gifts. It has an extra impact for me when I know the gift-giver has taken a lot of time to come up with something clever, creative and personalized to me!

Back in 2008/2009 when the US was going through a recession, my dad’s consulting business started losing clients. Everyone was losing their jobs and homes. It was a scary time. I was old enough to understand what was going on, but not exactly the STRESS and IMPACT the recession probably had on my parents. They had two kids, one of which was headed to college soon(ish) and the holidays added to their anxiety with all of the gift-giving expectations.

Our Christmas morning was modest. However, it was one of my most memorable.

I had decided to put together a Christmas scavenger hunt for my family. After drafting 5-8 clues late at night in my purple-walled bedroom, I hid them ALL around our house + property (to include the mailbox). I have a vivid memory of my brother SPRINTING full-force towards the end of our driveway in his tan-colored jacket and tennis shoes to grab the clue.

By the end of the search, we were all red faced from running in the cold and from our excitement.

I can’t even remember what the “prize” was at the end. All I can remember is how much fun we had running around together, searching for clues, and spending time together as a family. It was Christmas! And we were together.

Later that night while watching “It’s a Wonderful Life”, I looked over at my mom. She had tears running down her cheeks. She smiled and said, “I knew this Christmas was going to be small. And I had prayed for something special for our family to celebrate the holiday. Thank you for the scavenger hunt. My prayers were answered.”

As you can image, we both dissolved into a pile of peppermint chocolate-scented tears (all the peppermint bark we probably consumed).

You don’t have to drop $$ on gifts in order to make someone feel special. We all just want to be known and loved. So, I’ve compiled a list of creative gift ideas for you to use! Spread that cheer.

six creative gift ideas

Customized Recipe Booklet: Compile your favorite recipes or family recipes into a beautifully designed booklet, complete with photos and personal anecdotes. George's sister made one of these books as a gift full of family recipes and photos, and we love it!

Mason Jar Mixes: Layer the dry ingredients for cookies, brownies, or hot cocoa in a mason jar. Attach a decorative label with instructions for baking. Dusting off an old classic idea, because we all love an easy and delicious recipe. Take it the extra mile and set aside an afternoon to bake together! Maybe even throw in matching aprons?!

Time Capsule Box: Decorate a small box and invite the recipient to fill it with mementos, notes, or small trinkets that represent the current moment. Seal it, and set a date to open it together in the future.

Personalized Poem or Letter: Write a heartfelt poem tailored to the recipient, highlighting your special memories and moments together. I like the idea of handwriting the poem and framing it. If you're not a poet, everyone loves some happy mail.

Photo Bank: Print out pictures of each other from the past year. Physical photos. But be sure to pick photos that have memorable moments associated with them. Once the photos are printed, hand-write your memorable moment on the back of each photo. It’ll be a cute way to walk down memory lane together and a keepsake for years to come. Wrap it in a cute little bow!

Homemade Christmas Ornament: We used no-bake clay from Michaels to stamp Adelaide's footprint and make an ornament. We're gifting these to the grandparents and keeping ones for ourselves as her 1st Christmas momento!

I hope these ideas inspire you! And I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.