Gift Ideas - Just a Token

Ho, ho, ho! The holiday season is simultaneously one of the most joyful and stressful times of the year. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, we can help.
To make this as efficient as possible, we’ve divided our users into one of three categories:
- Those searching for a gift for one specific person
- Those wondering how to check a bunch of people off their shopping list without feeling overwhelmed
- Those procrastinators that left everything until the last minute. We can relate, this is the category we usually fall into.
Check out some suggestions below…

Gift Ideas – I’m searching for a gift for one specific person…but it’s gotta be good.

Obviously, the options will vary broadly depending on who you’re buying for.
First off, have a look at their wishlist (if they’ve created one). If there’s something that you’d like to give, search it under our gift ideas to see how you might spruce it up and personalize the gift.
Secondly, give some thought to their hobbies and interests. Our theme pages could provide you with more direction.
- Some of the hobby related theme pages include Adrenaline Junkie, Automotive, Book Worm, Coffee Lover, Crafty, Dance, Foodie, Gardening, Geek, Horses, Music Lover, Outdoorsy, Puzzler, Recycler, Sporty, Tech Lover, Travel Bug, Yoga Lover...
If possible, we encourage activities over material gifts as spending time with your family member or friend is much more likely to create great memories. Here are a few ideas to get you started…
- Take them out for dinner. Have a look at our list of ideas based on dining options.
- Take them out to an event (music, theatre, sports).
- Take a trip somewhere. Have a look at our list of ideas based on travel destinations.
- Just spend the day with your giftee. Head to the beach, hike in the woods or simply sit by a campfire in your backyard.
On a budget? Your time is one of the best gifts you can give. Offer to help with a project they’re working on or look after their kids for a night. Try designing your own gift certificate to represent the tasks.
Is your giftee your significant other? To celebrate the new year, use your imagination and come up with a unique date every month for your partner. The gift itself simply involves 12 sealed envelopes with each month of the year written on the outside. Keep it a surprise and reveal the activity just before the date. This doesn’t have to be expensive. Consider things like a walk in the woods, making a fancy dinner at home or curling up with a movie. Make some of the activities specific to the season/month they will get that date (eg: tobogganing).
Stuck for ideas? Donate to a charity that’s close to your giftee’s heart. Better yet, volunteer with your giftee. Spend a day at the food bank or cuddling with cats that need a good home at your local Humane Society.
Have a suggestion we haven’t covered here? Let us know and we’ll try to add it onto the list

Gift Ideas – Help! I have a bunch of people on my shopping list

- We have 3 general suggestions here:
- First, a very popular option is to make a calendar with family pictures from the last year and give it to basically everyone on your list. Who doesn’t need a calendar? There are a bunch of professional options online, but you can always make one on your own as well. Try branching out and making a similar gift but put the picture(s) on a mug, a puzzle, a postage stamp, a magnet or a T-shirt.
- Second, if possible, go with a secret Santa gift exchange.
  - In our family, we’ve added an extra twist to the secret Santa concept. Each year we vote on an overlying theme to inspire the gifts. Once the theme is chosen and everyone has drawn a name, each participant is free to take that theme and run with it in whatever way they choose. The idea is to incorporate a present your giftee wants while adding in some gag gifts and personality. We suggest figuring out the main gift before you decide where to take it with the theme. There’s really no wrong way to incorporate the theme and, honestly, seeing the different interpretations is often the most entertaining part of the gift exchange. Here are a few real-life examples from past Christmases:
    1. Theme: fairy tales. Once you’ve picked a fairy tale, refreshing your memory on the story will open up lots of gift ideas.
      - Goldilocks and the Three Bears: porridge, gummy bears, Grumpy Bear beer, a chair, a pillow/bed…
      - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: ski hill tickets, a box of Kleenex (Sneezy), first aid kit items (Doc), bedding (Sleepy), watch an MMA fight (Bashful), apples, white rum…
      - Little Red Riding Hood: a red hoodie/jacket, a walk in the woods, a picnic basket, a trip to the zoo (to see wolves), Wolf Blass wine…
    2. Theme: classic movies. As with fairy tales, check out your movie’s Wikipedia page to get more ideas from the plot.
      - Psycho: a shower curtain/shower supplies, knives, a night in a hotel, a wig…
      - The Wizard of Oz: red shoes (ruby slippers), emerald jewelry, a tin of soup (Tin Man), visit the lions and monkeys at the zoo, watch a Kansas City Chiefs or Royals game, a hot air balloon ride…
      - The Breakfast Club: breakfast items (eggs, bacon, egg poacher, etc), go out for breakfast, a trip to the library, break down the different stereotypes (athlete – watch/participate in a sports event, brain – something intellectual like a crossword puzzle, basket case – picnic basket, princess – something indulgent like a spa treatment, criminal – gag handcuffs)…
    3. Theme: famous bands. We suggest choosing a band that your giftee likes. The possibilities are endless if you think about it. You can use just about anything as inspiration: band name, song titles, lyrics, band members, etc.
      - Pink Floyd: Learning to Fly (book a trip somewhere), “How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat yer meat?” (gift certificate to a restaurant), buy your giftee something pink…
      - U2: London Pride beer, “It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away” (go on a hike or a trip to the beach), “You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been. A place that has to be believed to be seen” (luggage or go on vacation)…
      - Eagles: Take it Easy (massage), “Then she lit up a candle, and she showed me the way” (candle), watch a Philadelphia Eagles game…
- Your third option is to pick a general theme and use it for all/most of the people on your shopping list. This may feel like a cop-out but we think you’ll be surprised at how well it works. All you have to do after you’ve picked the theme is 1. Choose some gifts that work with it. 2. Wrap them. 3. Print out a card. The best way to explain how it works is to show you a couple options…
  - Theme: Occupations.
    1. Gift options (many of these can be purchased for very little at a dollar store). Eg:
      - Artist – paint brushes, paint, crayons…
      - Barista – coffee, gift card, mug…
      - Chef – cookbook, restaurant gift card, grocery gift card…
      - Chocolatier – sweets of any kind work here.
      - Dental – toothpaste, toothbrush…
      - Detective – puzzle, magnifying glass, binoculars, crossword puzzle…
      - Education/teacher – pen, paper, clips…
      - Geologist – a rock (this could be literally a rock from outside your house or something fancier like a gemstone)
      - Medical – bandages, ibuprofen, antibiotic ointment…
      - You can cater each one specifically to the recipient if you want (eg: give a calculator to an accountant) or you can keep the gifts all the same.
    2. Wrap each gift up separately with a little picture of the occupation it represents on the outside.
    3. Open up our Occupations card builder and add a few personal touches like “Merry Christmas Sarah!” on the front page and on the inside you could write something like “Your gift this year is based on occupations” and “Here’s to all the little jobs you do! Treat yourself this Christmas”.
    4. On a budget? Try a $10 coffee card (barista), paper and pens at the dollar store (teacher), a few bandages (medical), a travel size toothpaste (dental) and make some cookies (baker). You could easily keep your costs to under $20 per person here.
  - Theme: Elements
    1. Gift options. Check out the full page for more ideas
      - Air/wind – balloons, a personal fan, air popped popcorn…
      - Earth – anything potted (plants, poinsettias, etc), any pottery or stoneware (eg: mug) or even a mud mask…
      - Fire – candle, gift card for a restaurant with a grill or BBQ, any alcohol that could be flammable (eg: vodka, rum, tequila, whiskey)…
      - Water – anything fluid could work here: coffee card, tea, beer, wine, mini bottles of alcohol, bottle of water…
    2. Wrapping. You can wrap each separately with a picture of each element, or simply leave them unwrapped and let your giftee figure out which gift represents each element.
    3. Card. Open up this card builder and personalize it however you wish. You could say something like: “May your holidays contain all the elements of a great Christmas!”
    4. On a budget? Pick up a single-use mud mask (earth) from your local drug store, a scented candle (fire) and a mini bottle of Bailey’s (water). Tie off the gift with a ribbon and a balloon (air).

Gift Ideas – I may or may not have left all my shopping to the last minute

Is it Christmas eve? Are you panicking? Don’t worry, we’ve been there too.
On the plus side, malls seem to clear out on Christmas eve because most people are done their shopping. On top of that, some businesses actually have boxing day prices posted on the 24th so you could find some awesome deals.
Check out our last minute options page for some specific suggestions.
Keep in mind you don’t have to go to the mall. There are tonnes of options that don’t involve you leaving your neighborhood including:
- Purchasing concert, sport or other event tickets
- Arranging for flowers to be delivered (although that may not be an option for Christmas day)
- Gift cards for just about anything:
  - iTunes, Google Play
  - Gas
  - Groceries
  - Restaurants
  - Coffee shops
  - Arrange for a monthly gift mailout for your giftee. The list of options is broad (books, coffee, tea, beer, wine, toys, geek paraphernalia, even underwear).
- If you can’t think of a gift card that works? Simply make a reservation at your giftee’s favourite restaurant, book a weekend away at a great hotel or schedule them a massage at a local spa.
- Donate to a charity close to your giftee’s heart or have an organization plant a tree in their name.
- Name a star after someone
- Still not sure what to do? Make something. It doesn’t have to be that labour intensive. Try making a batch of your signature lasagna or baking some cookies or brownies.

Wrapping

Tie a small Christmas related item into the ribbon around the gift (eg: candy cane, mistletoe, handmade snowflake, ornament, Christmas lightbulb, a bell, pine cone, a fallen branch from an evergreen tree…).
For smaller gifts, add a unique touch by making your own box.
Try wrapping your gift with plain paper and applying Christmas-y pictures/greetings onto the gift, or draw them on yourself.
Got kids? Hand them some crayons and have them go to town on plain paper. You can tell your giftees they have an original work of art from your 5-year-old.
Try using a brown paper lunch bag and decorate as above.
Print off some sheet music for your favourite holiday tune and use it as wrapping. For extra credit, attach some bells to the ribbon.
When possible, try using part of the gift as wrapping (eg: use a scarf as a ribbon).
If you want something fancy, you can design your own personalized wrapping paper with some companies online.
Red and green. Anything wrapped in red and green looks like Christmas.

Presentation

Play Christmas music and/or wear a Santa hat when presenting your gift
Use quotes or phrases that relate to your theme when you present the gifts or in your card. An online search will give you literally thousands of options, but here’s a few to get you started:
- Three phrases that sum up Christmas are: Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men and Batteries not Included.
- There’s snowbody like you!
- Hope your stocking is stuffed full of joy this year.
- I hope the holidays find you in good spirits! And by spirits, I do mean alcohol.
- With a little bit of luck, the right present can make some forget the past.
- If you don’t find Christmas in your heart, you’re never going to find it under the tree.
- Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s presents with next year’s money.