Amy & Aron's

The holidays are almost upon us. And if most news channels and lifestyle blogs are to be believed, this means a seasonal spend-a-thon that will see many of us racking up an average $1,000 per head in holiday debt. We are often encouraged to overspend to show our loved ones how much we love them at this time of year… but just how much value is there in the gifts we tend to give at this time of year? Consumer electronics that will be outdated by the summer, perfumes and colognes that will sit unused in a dressed for months, celebrity biographies and novelty books that will sit on a bookshelf for a few months then wind up in a big box for the goodwill. We’ve been conditioned to (falsely) equate the monetary value of a gift with its worth to the recipient.







The truth is that the most meaningful gifts aren’t always the most expensive. In fact, you can give a gift this Christmas that shows a whole lot of love with little or no expenditure. For example…


Write them a song


For the musically gifted, what better way is there to express your love for someone than through a song? Arrange a nice bouquet of words and put them to a nice melody and you’ll have an arrangement that’s more beautiful than any holiday wreath. Having trouble with inspiration for a backing track? There are a number of royalty-free tracks on sites like freebeats.io which can be used as either the final backing track or a placeholder until you compose your own. Burn your track to a CD, wrap it up and put it under the Christmas tree or, better still, perform it for them live.


Chore cards


This Christmas, give your significant other the gift of putting their feet up while you take care of the dishes. The gift of staying in bed for an extra half hour while you mak breakfast. Or relaxing with a cup of coffee while you look after the laundry. If you’ve got some colored card and a pen, that’s all you need to make a set of chore cards, redeemable at a time of your SO’s choosing. They can be good for laundry, dishes, cleaning, tidying or whatever other jobs they usually take responsibility for around the home. More free time is a wonderful gift to be able to give, and it’s the one thing that absolutely nobody can buy in a store.


A “read this when” letter

Whether you have a brother or sister living in another country who you don’t get to see all that often, a grown up son or daughter going off to college or a significant other who’s having a tough time with work or health, you want to be there for them even when you can’t physically be there for them.


In these circumstances a “read this when” letter can help them to feel your presence and your love no matter how far you are apart. Write them a message they can read when they’re stressed at work, or feeling sad or feeling lonely or homesick. It’ll speak to them more eloquently than even the most beautifully written hardcover novel.


Give the gift of love and caring this holiday season!