Token gift ideas

[HotAndGrumpy]

I’m trying to get away from buying adults gifts, mainly middle aged/ older as it has got out of hand over the years. I’d like to move towards baking/ crafts or token gifts only.

Pleases share ideas of what you make/ buy or plan to do.

If you have wee children what about salt dough tree decorations? Otherwise those little wooden personalised family name tree decorations?

We baked a selection of fudge, Christmas shaped chocolates or Christmas cookies or shortbread and popped them into mason jars tied with festive ribbon and a wooden Christmas shape as the gift tag one year for token gifts

Good Lord - I sincerely hope I’m not one of the middle aged recipients you’re downgrading this year. I really, really wouldn’t want a Christmas filled with other people’s random bits of ‘craft’. (Even worse if made by their children.)

Token gifts are pointless. Surely there’s one recent, well reviewed, much reduced paperback book you could bulk buy and hand out?

And I’m not the only person a bit squeamish about homemade food made in kitchens I’m not intimately familiar with.

A book. (New poetry for preference.) A bottle. (Snap up every reduced price bottle of port you see.) There’s really no need for anything else.

Bah humbug!

For me I’d rather not have token gifts that cause extra clutter or extra food to get through

A bottle is fine as it keeps abs will be used but otherwise I’d rather people save their money.

My family downgraded adults gifts to “token” about 15 years ago. Sub

Unless very talented at crafts and each if tailored to the individual then I would avoid otherwise I suspect many end up in landfill.
Food is subjective, it depends on if the person actually likes the item and is happy to eat home made from someone else.

Please don't. Just say no adult gifts at all. I would bin any homemade sweets if they were gifted. Chutney yes.

I don't make gifts but for a token gift I go for chocolate, biscuits or a small plant like a cactus in a nice pot...they usually don't cost more than £3 from a supermarket

On the other hand it’s glorious to find myself in the midst of a Christmas thread!

Thank you, OP - I need to get a move on, myself.

🌲

Edmontine,

The middle-aged adults in our families all expect gifts and not small ones. I am not doing it anymore. It gets so expensive that DH and I cannot afford to buy each other gifts. If they don't like the token things I get them, they can tell me not to bother and do me a favour.

You may feel it is bah humbug, but it is very upsetting for me when my DH can't afford to spend anything on me and vice versa because our siblings and their partners are all put first.

Thx for the ideas.

This is a list of ideas

Chocolate
Biscuits
Toys
Plants
Chutney
Games
Books
Music
Movies
Art and craft supplies
A new camera or phone etc
Clothes
Body care products
Hair care products
New experiences
Spa experience
A chance to learn a new skill
Notepad
Magazines
A new bottle of wine

Prepare the ground by saying you're cutting back this year and having a simpler Christmas, Covid has made you reevaluate etc. Make it clear you don't expect more than a token present from them. Do this soon, i.e. September so everyone gets fair warning.

Then, consumables are the way. We switched to wine and chocolates for adults in the family a few years ago. If you get everyone the same it makes it easier and fairer. If they don't like it they can donate chocolates to the food bank. I don't do home made as not everyone likes it, it's more faff and it is often the same cost as a nice shop bought item.

I understood your OP. (The bah, humbug was directed at me, not you!) But I don’t quite understand how you’re going to disguise homemade crafts as ‘not small’ gifts.

Do you have a maximum spend per gift? Or are you aiming to spend nothing beyond what’s in your cupboards already? Don’t crafts work out quite expensive by the time you’ve bought all the making stuff?

I think I’m the demographic you are aiming for. I’ve started asking for specific things like mugs, glasses, pens, socks, gloves, chocolate, wine, shower gel etc. and my family tend to get me a really nice version. It’s great as I’ll actually use them and get something a bit fancy and special. I try to pick things its hard to spend more than a tenner on.

I've put together some absolutely beautiful Christmas table centerpieces with a candle, or smaller ones that could go on a hall table or a coffee table. I buy gorgeous ribbon in the sales the year before, and get second hand supplies of florists' foam etc. You can build the display around a plastic container that you got food in, eg a box of mushrooms.

They are ALWAYS appreciated, not least, I suspect, because they are disposable at the end of the Christmas season.

I grow plants specifically for this purpose in my garden, however, so if you don't have a ready supply of holly, ivy and evergreens it might be harder for you.

Perhaps as a longer term project, it is worth investigating?

Another idea is to procure a pretty or unusual container (try Freecycle and FB market) and grow some Christmas flowering bulbs (they can look really snazzy in glass jars, go on Pinterest or YouTube and take a look).

I consider this to be craft, as you have to make it look pretty and it takes time and effort, and it is cheap (a good Christmas centrepiece in my local florist is over £40!!!!!)

@HotAndGrumpy

Edmontine,

The middle-aged adults in our families all expect gifts and not small ones. I am not doing it anymore. It gets so expensive that DH and I cannot afford to buy each other gifts. If they don't like the token things I get them, they can tell me not to bother and do me a favour.

You may feel it is bah humbug, but it is very upsetting for me when my DH can't afford to spend anything on me and vice versa because our siblings and their partners are all put first.

Thx for the ideas.

This is your time to say no more adult gifts. Suggest meeting for a festive meal/hot chocolate etc instead where everyone pays for their own. I know I would rather have time together than a token gift and by not buying 10 plus gifts you would have the money to do so plus a gift for each other.

The Rituals shower foams are lovely-my favourite is the orange and cedar wood and look more expensive than they are. Loccitane hand creams. Nuxe lip balm is wonderful and comes in a lovely pot. I’d be pleased to get any of those rather than home made stuff.

I'm another who would probably be dubious on home made stuff I'm afraid. Not if you have a real talent for something or are famous for your jam/shortbread etc, but in general no, I don't want home made fudge or coasters or whatever. I would, of course, accept it happily and with real gratitude but it would be a waste.

I agree with a bottle, a book, cheese, olives, honey, oil, chocolate, coffee or something like that. But I would rather really delicious £10 honey than £2 honey + £3 oil + £2 olives and a random tote bag or box or whatever.

@weaselwords

I think I’m the demographic you are aiming for. I’ve started asking for specific things like mugs, glasses, pens, socks, gloves, chocolate, wine, shower gel etc. and my family tend to get me a really nice version. It’s great as I’ll actually use them and get something a bit fancy and special. I try to pick things its hard to spend more than a tenner on.

I’m also in that demographic. But I’m incapable of feeling much gratitude for the ‘less than £10’ versions of the things you suggest.

Flowering bulbs (don’t care about the container) are a great idea.

How about seeds, with a handwritten note saying why you’ve chosen these particular seeds for this particular recipient?

Is it for family or friends?

If for friends I'm actually always relieved when people would rather not do gifts. For family would they not understand if you asked not to do gifts any longer?

For £10 I would always be grateful for food or flowers/plants. I'd love nothing more than a nice piece of cheese

I do think you have to warn people in advance as it could be a bit cheeky for you to receive much more expensive gifts than you are giving out.

@Edmontine

Good Lord - I sincerely hope I’m not one of the middle aged recipients you’re downgrading this year. I really, really wouldn’t want a Christmas filled with other people’s random bits of ‘craft’. (Even worse if made by their children.)

Token gifts are pointless. Surely there’s one recent, well reviewed, much reduced paperback book you could bulk buy and hand out?

And I’m not the only person a bit squeamish about homemade food made in kitchens I’m not intimately familiar with.

A book. (New poetry for preference.) A bottle. (Snap up every reduced price bottle of port you see.) There’s really no need for anything else.

Bah humbug!

I agree - no homemade food and no crafts (unless that something you are exceptionally skilled in and can make a living, if you couldnt profesionally sell it then honestly its just useless tat not a gift - fine spontaniously from a 5 year old but not from an adult even if they prompted kid to do it).

Token gifts to me are more about being lower priced (so say £5 budget) rather than a 'set item' (its lazy to just buy wine generically for anyone even if they dont drink wine etc...) so it still needs to be thoughtful as such I cant tell you what to buy as I dont know the recievers you intend to gift.

I’m sure the OP isn’t daft enough to wrap up cut price M&S port for her teetotal aunts!

But I’m a middle aged aunt, and most things (other than groceries) that can be bought for less than £10 are not things I’d want someone else buying for me. They’re neither luxuries nor necessities - so pointless.

Another tack is to suggest you put present money towards a family Christmas meal out together instead - not on the 25th itself. Still cheaper than buying loads of presents and you can also sell it as being more important post-pandemic to have time together than accumulate more things.

My friends and I decided to go handmade one year as a little festive challenge.
I melted down formal tapered candles my mum had in a drawer, made them into tea cup candles, then decorated the saucer with Christmas ribbon and holly.
I bought some essential oils and made a jar of the most amazing smelling sugar scrub ever, if i say so myself
My friends made felt brooches and artwork respectively. She used a photo of the three of us and made a sewn silhouette version of it with watercolour details. Very cool, and still on my wall to this day

I'd also say no to homemade bits and stick to basics as other PP have said. boots do good deals from about September so you can pick up smaller sets of nice things quite cheaply. Done it myself enough times!