Free Gifts

There have been many holidays when my budget simply did not stretch to buy gifts for everyone in my life, especially when I was young. I would try to make something by hand, but I didn't always have the materials or time for that, either. So here are some ideas for gifts you can give that cost nothing but a little (or no) effort:

Babysitting: Family or friends who have kids are usually always in need of a babysitter, especially when they need to holiday shop. Offer to babysit for free for them as your gift to the parents. If you're looking for something to do with kids as entertainment, make easy/kid-safe Christmas ornaments while they're with you.

Drive: My guy and I celebrated Christmas last year by going out for a drive with no destination in mind; we just wandered. We ended up hiking in a beautiful park we found along the way. If you've got a car and a little gas, you can do the same with your recipient (also, offering to drive them around to run errands is another helpful gift.)

E-book: Projecy Gutenberg has over 70K e-books online that are free to download. Get an extra memory stick you have on hand and download one or more than you think your recipient would enjoy. You can actually build a little library for them like this. Then gift the stick. :)

Handwritten Poem: If you like composing verse, write a poem for your recipient. It can be sincere, funny, or something really creative (like an acrostic poem using the letters of their name or a particular phrase.) Hand write or print this out on pretty paper. If you have an old or unused frame, use that to frame it.

Hike: If the weather allows, invite your recipient to go on a nature hike with you at a location near your homes. You can also offer to mall walk with them if it's too cold or snowy for a hike.

House Clean: One thing every person loves is a cleaner, so why not lend yourself as one for a day? You don't have to restrict your gift to cleaning a house, you can offer to straighten up a garage, clean out an attic or do yardwork.

House Guesting: Invite your recipient to spend a weekend at your home as a guest. Cook for them, watch movies with them, and do holiday things together. I hope I can give this gift to our nephew this year; we love having him visit.

Lights Tour: Last year my guy and I toured the holiday light displays in every town around us and it was a lot of fun. If weather permits, invite your recipient to do the same. Make a thermos of coffee, tea or hot chocolate to take with you for a hot drink.

Regift: I don't really recommend doing this too often, but let's face it: we all have gifts we didn't want (for me, every year, candy), can't use (beard trimmer for my guy, who can't grow a beard) or simply have no interest in (gift card to a laser tag place. Me? Laser tag? I'd probably break something.) So careful and cautious regifting can be a way to recycle them.

Some upfront warnings about regifting: make sure your recipient isn't the one who gave you that gift in the first place. If it's a gift card, make sure it's still valid and check the balance. Don't give an awful gift you hate to someone you care about, either. A semi-obscene erotic sculpture that a family member gave us as a wedding gift is one of these. It was so explicit I always kept locked in a closet until it tragically fell and smashed to pieces one year. Such a shame . . . .

Your Time in Other Ways: You really need to think about your recipient and how you can best use your time and talents to help or entertain them. Time examples: if they have to work on Black Friday, offer to be their personal shopper for the special bargains they want. If they don't have time to grocery shop, take their list and their cash and do it for them. Pick up their family members coming in for the holidays at the airport or train station. Talent examples: if you can groom a pet, fix a computer or detail a car, offer your services to them. If you're a whiz at baking, decorating and packaging, head over on their holiday baking day and be their assistant. If you're a great cook, offer to be their personal chef for an evening.

It's really about them, too, so think about their holiday needs. When she was visiting I used to drive my very religious mom to Bible study at a local church during the holidays, and I also took the class with her. One of my neighbors played in a band; I baked cookies for them but I also offered to put up mini posters about their latest concert around town. I worked as an assistant one day to a friend who ran a clothing boutique, and helped her inventory her stock and entered the numbers into her computer. I went with a group of writers to another author's appearance at our local library, and discussed the business of being a writer with them.

The bottom line is to put some thought into the sort of gift that you don't have to purchase, because it can still be quite valuable to your recipient. Be inventive, think outside the box and be generous with your time, and you can find the perfect free gift that your recipient will really love.

Image Credit: background image by Дарья Яковлева from Pixabay