It is easy to become cynical around the holiday season when we are bombarded on all sides with messages like this … telling us to buy and buy and buy for our loved ones—and how convenient it is to do it all at the same time. So there we go, trotting in store aisles every December, without exception. Consumerist fatigue aside, there is a certain universal joy in offering gifts to those around us. Doing it all together multiplies that effect, lifting us all. And a gift can be many things. It is not always what you think. Here are a few gift ideas to spread the joy of giving around you in the coming weeks (and not becoming a version of the Grinch).
Got an avid skier on your list? The Mt. Sima Alpine Adventure Park and the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club offer seasonal passes. Offering a membership to your loved one, for their favourite activity, is a sure hit for extending the pleasure way past the holiday season.
A dancer, maybe? Scottish country-dance classes are offered in Whitehorse. These are fun and low-pressure classes. Give your favourite dancer a chance to get their best “do-si-do” ready for the next cèilidh.
For the art lover … Save yourself the extremely daunting task of picking artwork for somebody else and, instead, offer a gift certificate from one of the many excellent galleries around town. Exceptions here are show tickets that you absolutely know would make your loved one happy. Check the local scene for upcoming shows, as well as checking what’s on at the Yukon Art Centre.
Have a foodie on your list? Cooking classes make great gifts, as well as a registration to local food-basket delivery services—to enjoy local and fresh food so your food-lover person can try out the newest and best recipes out there (and don’t forget to invite yourself for a thank-you meal!).
Some of us like utilitarian gifts … the kind of gift that fills an obvious need. When I wanted my mother to stop giving me trendy clothing for Christmas (clothing that I inevitably didn’t like), I went the utilitarian way: “This year, Mom, what would make me happy would be a gift card from the hardware store … I have tools to buy to fix the garden shed.” (The jean jackets stopped coming and a new circular saw made my day.)
Utilitarian gifts come in many shapes and sizes: Paying someone’s electric bill for a few months? Is your nephew planning a big hunting trip up the Dempster next year? Offer to pay for the gas as a Christmas present. Is Netflix getting too expensive for your brother’s budget? Pay the subscription for him and enjoy movie nights together.
And then we have gifts of time … These include the familiar babysitting coupons presented by your mother-in-law, or the Love coupon promising a candlelit night with your significant other. What about offering airport-ride coupons to a friend who lives out of town? Or a workshop teaching night for a sought-after skill that you possess?
Lastly, if you are looking for a more of a “body” gift … try looking in unusual places to find it (be curious). The best box of delicate fruit jellies I ever had came from Canadian Tire (a tip from a friend who had, out of the blue, discovered this treasure. I would love to receive a box for Christmas. Alternatively, it would make an excellent hostess gift for a potluck night.
These ideas also work for birthday presents or as “thank you for being uniquely you” gifts. Any time of the year is valid to offer gifts to the special people in your life—and to that, even the Grinch would agree.
