I think you should give more gift cards for this simple reason: So YOU can enjoy the holidays more.
Christmas shopping is stressful and time-consuming. It is fun to find the perfect gift for someone close to us, but we simply can’t put that much energy into every gift that we buy (and keep our sanity).
But I know what you are thinking: gift cards are thoughtless (just ask my grandma).
I recently had this conversation with my mom over a baby shower gift:
My mom: “Well I can’t just get her a gift card!…You know what, I think I will just get her a gift card… I don’t know what she wants and then she can just pick out something for herself…”
Me: “Mom, IT’S OK, people LIKE getting gift cards!”
My Mom: “You always say that, but it feels thoughtless…”
It feels thoughtless…most of us shy away from giving gift cards because it feels like we didn’t put any effort or thought into it.
But how do most people feel about gift cards? A recent study shows that 60% of people prefer receiving a gift card over a traditional gift. And for younger generations that rate increases to almost 90%.
Plus, there is a whole set of benefits to YOU, the giver, as well.
5 Reasons you should give more gift cards:
- To preserve your sanity by spending less time thinking about a gift–you are busy, busy, busy!
- So you can have more time to enjoy the Holidays with your kids and family
- Gift cards don’t have to be thoughtless or meaningless
- You can purchase them throughout the year to help ease the financial burden of Christmas
- Many people actually genuinely enjoy receiving a gift card
So let yourself off the hook, and look at your Christmas list again to see who could cross over to the gift card side.
Keep this in mind: Often our fear is like my mom’s, that the recipient will think that a gift card is thoughtless. Here is what I have found:
A person who is unappreciative of a gift card is often equally unappreciative of a gift I spent a lot of time making or shopping for.
Perhaps your gift isn’t the problem, it may be the position of the recipient’s heart, and nothing you do (or buy) can change that!
You can give a Gift Card to almost anyone, its just how you do it!
So, should you give gift cards to EVERYONE on your Christmas list? Maybe not. But here are some groups that would likely really enjoy a gift card:
- Teens
- Young Adults
- Teachers (YES Teachers, they tell us here!)
- Friends
- Pastors, Sunday School Teachers, Coaches, Gym Class Instructors, School Administrators
- Co-workers, Bosses
- Siblings
- Grandparents (my grandma has NO room for more things in her apartment–in fact she usually sends things home with us when we visit!)
And, just because you are giving a gift card doesn’t mean it can’t be thoughtful. Here are a few ways to be a creative gift card giver.
3 Ways to Give a Thoughtful or Creative Gift Card
1. Get Creative: Think outside of the Department Store/Coffee Shop Box.
There are SO many possibilities these days, you definitely don’t need to settle for Target, Starbucks or Applebee’s. Take a minute to think about what the person enjoys doing or a place they have mentioned visiting.
It could be for a beer or wine tasting, a beer making, painting or cooking class, a theater show, or a local coffee shop or new restaurant instead of a national chain.
It could also be for a service like home cleaning, auto detailing or to quality meat store or florist.
Here are a few more ideas you probably haven’t thought of >> 9 Unexpected Gift Card Ideas
2. Accompany it with something small
If you are giving a coffee shop gift card, ask for a cup and lid to wrap it in. Or attach gift cards to a bag or box of candy, small stuffed animal, homemade cookies, bag of coffee, or other item that you know they like.
You don’t have to spend much on this, something from the Dollar Store or dollar spot will likely do the trick!
Here are some other cute ideas >> 24 Cute and Clever ways to give a gift card
3. A gift card to do something together
People are relational and we like spending time together! So give the gift of time to a restaurant, sporting event, movie theater, musical production, wine tour and tasting or wine and painting event.
Groupon can be a great place to look for these “experience” gifts.
But what if they don’t like it? What if they don’t think that I spent enough? What if…
As with any gift, we can’t ensure that the recipient will love it or appreciate it…but, we can try and we can work towards creating a more enjoyable Christmas for ourselves and our family, that isn’t bad, selfish or wrong :)
You can also find a cute printable gift card holder here >> Free Printable Santa Gift Card Holder
Happy gift card giving!
And, if you have a creative gift card that you love to give, will you share it below?
