Hold the phone! A gift giving guide on a yoga website… I thought yoga people weren’t about material goods and consumerism.
In fact, I love giving gifts! Most of the time I can’t stand waiting for someone’s birthday or the holidays to give a gift if I think I have found the perfect thing. If you run in spiritual circles you might hear a lot of belly aching around this time of year, but there are many ways to give and receive and there is nothing inherently unyogic about it if you do it right.
That being said when the pressure is on (hey, it’s December and if you hadn’t noticed every advertisement is telling you the pressure is ON) and the idea well is dry, that can be stressful. We end up buying people things they don’t want, don’t need or we acquire things we will never use but feel too guilty to get rid of. Today, I want to give you some of my favourite ideas for gift giving and how to navigate the etiquette of the holidays in yogic style.
Gifting Guidelines
1) Set boundaries
If you are planning to keep your gift giving minimal, start with clear boundaries. I always give gifts to my immediate family, but I don’t usually exchange gifts with friends or extended family. To avoid any confusion I set up a specific “no-gift” dinner or lunch date with my friends around the holidays. The time and money we both save shopping is better used relaxing and enjoying one another’s company.
2) Have a Stealing Santa Re-gift exchange using these rules:
- Anyone who wants to take part brings a wrapped gift they have been given but don't want or need
- Person 1 opens a gift
- Person 2 can either decide to steal the first item from Person 1 or open a new gift from the pile
- If someone steals your gift you get to open a new one from the pile or steal from someone else
- You can’t immediately steal back what was stolen from you and one item can’t be stolen more than 3 times.
I mean this both monetarily (I am a daughter of a banker and a bookkeeper) and philosophically. If you can’t give something because your bank account doesn’t really allow it or you are giving just to get something in return, pause and course correct. Giving beyond your capacity may feel good in the moment but that instant gratification comes at a price. If you are giving gifts the conventional way (i.e. buying from a store or online) here are my suggestions:
- Work out a budget: decide before hand what is reasonable for you to spend and don’t spend more
- Pay with cash or your debit card: Don’t use imaginary money (i.e. credit cards) or go into overdraft on your bank account.
- Buy early: waiting until the last minute is stressful, less thoughtful and usually means you won’t get what you wanted or will end up spending more due to sheer panic. Avoid the heart palpitations and road rage over a parking space and get it done soon.
- Be creative: Gifts don’t have to be lavish. There are amazing things you can buy from small, local retailers that will support your cities economy and be far more unique than anything you can find in a big box store.
These are gift ideas for the Yogi, the non-materialist, the person who has too much stuff:
1) DIY gifts: If you make a mean cupcake, why not bake some goodies to give. If you took an "Intro to Massage" class, share that skill with a stressed loved one. Love music? Themed mix tapes or play lists.
Do-it-yourself gifts are sweet, personal and need not break the bank. I have a blanket a friend of mine made in high school. It has gone everywhere with me and always will. Another creative classic DIY gift was from a friend who loved to write. He wrote a hilarious murder mystery (96 pages long) that had everyone I knew involved. SPOILER ALERT: My 75 year-old Nana was the killer.
2) Gifts of Time or Experiences: If more stuff from the mall isn't going to resonate with the person you are buying for, why not consider a gift of time. Maybe it's a weekend stay-cation where you do all the prep work or a week away somewhere you both have been dying to go. Maybe the gift is tickets to a concert, skydiving lessons or attending a spa or retreat together (then everybody wins). There is a wide range of things that may fit your budget, but don't underestimate the gift of your time and a cool experience.
3) Gifts for those who want to be healthy: For the old school yogi or the aspiring new one, I have a few ideas, but while we are on the subject, first I want to to the people who fall into this catagory who may be the recipients of gifts during the holiday season. You lovely people might be shocked to learn that it is frustrating for your loved ones who aren’t hanging out in the yoga sphere to buy gifts for you. While this post is designed to help you find some fun creative ideas for gifts for others, if you spot something you might like as a gift, help your sweet loved ones out and let them know. Your dear family and friends want to give you something that you will love and use, so let them know!
We have some neat things that you can get for your loved ones without leaving this site!
First, you could give the gift of a yoga class, anytime, anywhere in the form of a yoga audio or live with me via Google Helpouts.
For people who want yoga plus real help making big changes, you might consider a gift of the Real Change program.
We have other goodies in our store including handmade meditation and yoga accessories and my favourite cookbook, so be sure to check it out and order soon to avoid the holiday rush.
Any other great ideas too good to keep to yourself? Share them with us all in the comment section below.