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  • A Complete Guide to Mindful Gift-Giving This Year

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Updated on:

November 28, 2020

There is much to be mindful of this holiday season. New ways of gathering with our loved ones, small business closures, and increased stress are just a few of the things that might be different for us this year. When it comes to holiday gift giving, we might feel a bit overwhelmed.

How should we get our gifts to loved ones if we’re not meeting in person?
What can we offer that is thoughtful and nourishing during these times?
What if we are dealing with financial stress?

This comprehensive guide explores mindful gift giving from a variety of angles, including what mindful gifts might look like and a broad selection of mindful holiday gift ideas. In its totality, it covers:

  • A Mindful Approach to Gifts
  • Different Ways to Give
  • How to Give Mindfully: Step-by-Step
  • 10 Mindful Gift Ideas
mindful gift giving, A Complete Guide to Mindful Gift-Giving This Year

A Mindful Approach to Gifts

First, let’s clarify what we mean by mindful gift giving. Does it mean shopping locally? Does it mean spending less, or perhaps spending more out of generosity? Is it something just for meditators? What does a mindful gift look like?

Taking a mindful approach to gift giving is less about the gifts themselves and more about the energy behind them. It is about bringing thought and care to what we are giving, to the person we are giving to, and to the act of giving itself. When it comes to holiday gifting, this might look like shopping locally or it could mean gifting a virtual service. It could look like gifting generously financially or it could mean offering our love, attentiveness, or service.

Furthermore, mindful gift giving is not just for meditators. Rather, mindfulness is a quality that we bring to our gift giving, regardless of the interests and needs of the person we are offering something to.

The Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation describes giving (or dana) as an essential Buddhist practice that is about openness, generosity, and holding others with love and compassion. Giving can then come in many forms and equates to much more than the gift itself, which can be either tangible or intangible.

mindful gift giving, A Complete Guide to Mindful Gift-Giving This Year

“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”

- Mother Teresa -

Mindfulness brought to gift giving can include mindfulness of:

  • The needs and interests of the receiver
  • Our intentions for offering a gift
  • The impact of the gift on the environment or the community
  • Any expectations, beliefs, or emotions associated with the giving
  • Any limitations we face, such as finances or logistics for delivery

Feeling overwhelmed? Check out our guide on mindful solutions to holiday stress.

Different Ways to Give

When considering what to gift to our loved ones this year, it is important to remember: there are many ways to give. We often assume that the best gifts are the ones we purchase. However, if we have ever received something intangible or homemade that was gifted from the heart, we know this assumption is not true. In fact, results of one study revealed that experiential gifts boosted the strength of relationships significantly more than material gifts.

Aside from purchasing a gift, you might consider the following mindful gift ideas:

1. Offering a Service

Are you great at giving massages? Would you love to babysit? Are you a chef? Can you offer an old friend some much needed quality time? One alternative to purchasing a product is to offer a service. Get creative with this, perhaps making a homemade gift certificate for use at a later date. You can also offer yourself in service to your community by volunteering where your hands, heart, and skills are needed most.

2. Exchanging Quality Time

Instead of exchanging either products or services, you might decide to share quality time with those you love. This year, quality time might look a bit different than it usually does. If you can’t meet in person, consider setting a shared virtual dinner. Additionally, you might share quality time by taking a long hike with loved ones or holding space for any difficulties this year has brought.

3. Getting Creative

Whether in the kitchen, in the studio, or in the workshop, you might decide to get creative this year: to handcraft a gift. Think homemade granola, soap bars, your best recipe, or a heartfelt photo album. If you’re not able to meet in person this year, you could send a recipe book to the receiver or a handwritten DIY guide in the mail.

mindful gift giving, A Complete Guide to Mindful Gift-Giving This Year

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

- Anne Frank -

mindful gift giving, A Complete Guide to Mindful Gift-Giving This Year

How to Give Mindfully: Step-by-Step

If you would like to give something this holiday season, whether to someone you love or to a stranger in need, there are a few steps you can take to root this offering in the heart. 

1. Consider the receiver.

Hold your intended receiver in mind and heart. Whether this person is a relative or someone you would like to help out in your community, imagine what this person would most value right now. Often, we unconsciously give gifts that we ourselves would like to receive or that we assume they would like as well. Take your time to really consider: What would be meaningful for this person right now? 

2. Notice if you hold any expectations.

The holidays come with all sorts of expectations. Notice if any are present for you in regards to gift giving. Do you feel that you have to spend a certain amount of money? Do you have preconceived notions of what a gift needs to look like? Bring mindful awareness to your thoughts and ideas about giving gifts during the holidays. 

3. Set an intention.

You might also set an intention for the gift you will give. An intention can help to root yourself in the heart, opening up possibilities for previously unthought of mindful gift ideas. Your intention might be something like:

  • I will give generously from the heart this year.
  • The gifts I give this holiday season will nourish and inspire.
  • I will offer gifts that are loving and respectful of humans and the environment.
  • I will offer myself in service this year.

4. Consider the impact.

Furthermore, mindfulness can also extend to care and consideration for the impact that our gifts will have on the planet or community. For instance, you might consider the impact of purchasing a gift from a small business versus a large one. Additionally, you might bring the environment to your attention. What impact does a particular gift have on local or international ecosystems? In the words of Anna Lappe:

mindful gift giving, A Complete Guide to Mindful Gift-Giving This Year

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.”

- Anna Lappe -

5. When in doubt: Keep it simple.

Above all, if you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the idea of holiday gifting, come back to simplicity. You might even discuss with friends and family the possibility of not gifting anything tangible this year. Instead, you might simply share love, presence, and joy. Traditional gifts need not be mandatory.

Reduce holiday stress with our mindfulness worksheet.

mindful gift giving, A Complete Guide to Mindful Gift-Giving This Year

10 Mindful Gift Ideas

From mindfulness gifts (those that actually inspire mindfulness) to gifts purchased with thoughtfulness and heart, here is a list of 10 mindful holiday gift ideas. 

  • An activity that you can do together. This could look like a planned hike, an art class, or a mindfulness meditation session.
  • A homemade, kids-style coupon book. Get creative by making a homemade gift certification or coupon book for different services you can offer.
  • A mindful subscription. Consider mindfulness gifts like a subscription to a meditation app, a mindful magazine, or a yoga studio.
  • Time spent volunteering. Either alone or with loved ones, consider gifting to others in your community this year. 
  • An online course or service of the receiver’s interest. Think about what sorts of online courses or programs your loved one might enjoy, such as virtual workshops or a mindfulness toolkit.
  • A house or garden plant. Offer some plant life to your friend’s home or garden either by purchasing a plant or taking a cutting from one of your own.
  • An item crafted in your local community. As many companies are struggling this year, consider what small businesses you can support in your local community.
  • Something previously loved. Find a pre-loved item and offer it a second home. This could be from a second-hand shop or from your own bookshelf.
  • A donation in their name. Offer a financial contribution to an organization that is near and dear to the receiver’s heart. Put the donation in their name.
  • Your presence, love, and care. When in doubt, come back to what is within you. Offer the love, compassion, and attentiveness that is free and abundant in each of us.

Gift yourself or a loved one with mindfulness meditation teacher training.

Become a Certified Mindfulness Teacher

About the author 

Gillian Florence Sanger is a writer, meditation teacher, and certified hypnotherapist in Depth Hypnotherapy. She finds inspiration, insight, and solace most readily during her walks in the woods. Gillian has roots in Toronto but currently lives in the Swedish countryside.

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