My Anti-Capitalist Christmas List

No/low-cost ideas for your holiday gifting!

Dec 04, 2024

Hello friends! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and a restful weekend. I got to spend Thursday at an intimate dinner with my brother and a few others and a much larger, more classic Thanksgiving Dinner with my soon-to-be in-laws on Saturday! Then, on Sunday, we got to celebrate Casey's Opening Night of White Christmas at Papermill Playhouse and spent all day Monday recovering and decorating for the holidays.

While my weekend was busy, there was one conspicuous thing that it lacked: shopping. The weekend after Thanksgiving has become a bloated multi-day spending spree, with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday bringing in over $41 Billion in online shopping this year. I can't tell if these record numbers mean that inflation is down and we have the money to spend or if we're all so stressed about inflation that we need to snag the deals as quickly as possible.

Regardless, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still the official start to the holiday buying season, and with that comes holiday buying stress. In an effort to alleviate said stress, my family always comes up with creative ways to approach Christmas. There's always pressure to buy stuff, even if it's not quite necessary, but as we've all gotten older, the number of presents under the tree has dwindled, and we've focused on other, less material ways of showing our love and appreciation.

So whether you're feeling the pinch this year or just want to give some gifts with a little more thought, I wanted to give you some of my favorite no/low-cost Holiday gift ideas broken into the following categories:

Thoughtful - Something to show you pay attention
Creative - Fun things that’ll get your hands dirty
Useful - Practical things to make their lives better
Playful - Fun things to put a smile on their face
Indulgent - Splurge gifts that don’t have to be financial
Experiential - Ditch the gifts and get experiencing

Before you get gifting, take some time to figure out what kind of gifts your gift recipient likes. This is a really great place to start because it will help you narrow down the categories of gifts that you're looking for. For instance, I love practical gifts (nothing is better than chapstick) and gifts that I wouldn't buy for myself. It's also important for me to feel a strong reason behind the gifts I give. A good gut check I've found is, "Am I giving this because I think they will like receiving it or because I will like giving it?"

A reminder: I don’t have a paid option for my writing because I think it should be accessible for all, but subscribing or sharing are really meaningful ways that you can support my work. So if you’re excited by this gift list, it would mean the world to me if you subscribed or spread the word!

Thoughtful

Compliment Star Pouch: I got one of these in my freshman year of college, and I have never forgotten how much it meant. It was a small pouch filled with origami stars, and when you unwrapped each star, there was an inspirational quote inside. It's easy to adapt this and write quotes, compliments, or more! Here is a link with instructions for star folding!
A Custom Playlist: While it may not have the same physical heft as a burnt CD or tape, giving someone a playlist is a great way to show that you're thinking about them. Music is always a beautiful way to connect with someone. Choose songs that you think they would like or songs that remind you of them.
Daily Affirmation Cards: Sort of like Angel Cards, you can create custom affirmation cards that your person can draw every day. You can put full affirmations or quotes or even simple words like "contentment" or "expansiveness."
Gay Buffet: This one is the easiest of all! If you think someone might benefit from or enjoy my writing, hit the share button! Then you can talk about it with them on Wednesdays like a little book club. It's an easy gift for them and a huge gift to me.

Write Something: This is a chance for you to flex your creative muscles. You could write a short story or a poem or anything in between, fiction or nonfiction. I find that haikus or limericks are great because the structure of the syllable helps you get out of your head.
DIY Ornaments: Each year, Casey's mom gets personalized ornaments for the family, and Casey and I have started printing out Polaroids of us putting the star on the tree each year. These are adorable ways to keep track of the Christmases and are always fun to look back on. You can make ornaments out of yarn, paint, or even salt dough!
Photo Scrapbook: This is always a great and simple gift idea. All you need are some photos and a little book to put them in, and it's fun for you because you get to take a trip down memory lane. Pro tip: If you weave a small story or theme through the photos, it can really elevate the gift!
Handmade Recipe Cards: For these, all you'll need are some notecards and pens! You can choose recipes that are important to you or ones that you want to make in the future! Then, add in some simple decorations to really give it a personal touch.

Useful

Schedule Something: If your person has been talking about something that they need to do or want to do, use this as an opportunity to help them schedule it. Sometimes, the act of having another person keep them accountable can really get them to seize the moment.
Chores: No one likes to do chores, or if they do, they won't like them all the time. Use this holiday season as a chance to pick up some extra slack around the house. You can even write out little chore 'certificates' so they have something to open. This is a really great gift for roommates!
Personalized Calendar: This one may be a bit more complex, but it can still be simple. You have so many options here; you could order a custom calendar with photos or use a printable one and decorate it yourself. You could even go through and write in important or fun dates like International Pineapple Day (June 27)!
Weekly Snack Pack: If your person is often on the go, you can get some of their favorite snacks and pre-pack them to ease their morning routine! Nuts, jerkies, and other nonperishables are best, and you can put them in compostable Matter bags. They're the best; I used them all the time on tour.

Playful

Secret Book Swap: This is my favorite if you need gifts for multiple people. I go to a used bookstore and peruse the shelves until I find books that I think look interesting. Then I wrap them and everyone opens them, white elephant style! It's a great little surprise gift exchange!
Scavenger Hunt: Everyone loves a scavenger hunt, and they definitely require a bit of work, but they're so satisfying and fun! The experience of getting to the end really is the gift here. Pro Tip: Using Chat GPT for this can be really helpful if you put it in hiding places; it can even write different styles for the clues (pirate, space, etc).
Custom mad-libs: Take a moment to think of a favorite memory with you and your person, and then take out a few words, and bam, instant mad-lib! Laughter will ensue as your classic memory gets turned on its head!
Game Night: For this one, you could either host a game night as the event or give an invitation to one you'll plan in the future. There are plenty of games out there, but some that are simple and always fun are Salad Bowl (or Celebrity), Charades, and JackBox is always a hit!

Indulgent

Cookies: Cookies are a great gift to make en masse and give to people for whom you may not otherwise get gifts. A friend of mine loves that her uncle mails her his family-famous cookies every year. Experiment with recipes and try adding in a fun twist that will make it uniquely yours! You could also do cookie mix in a jar!
Spa Basket: Everyone deserves some rest and relaxation these days, and a custom spa basket is perfect for winter. Add in some bath salts or a shower scrub, a face mask, lotion, and some tea, and you're set for serenity!
Tea Tasting: Speaking of tea, buy a few different kinds or a sample pack and host your very own tea tasting. In this case, the experience is also part of the gift, so put on something calming and give your person a moment to unwind. You could also add a little whiskey to make Hot Toddy flights!
Massages: Massages are always excellent gifts and while professional ones might be pricey, you can always just give one yourself. And it doesn't have to be with a romantic partner; you can always do a shoulder rub!

Experiential

Picnic Day: Pack up a blanket and head outdoors, friends! A simple picnic can be a great way to shake up your routine, weather permitting. You could also go on a night excursion and look at the stars once it starts getting warmer!
Museum: Plenty of museums have free or low-cost days. One thing I love doing is going with someone, splitting up, and finding three pieces of art that really speak to you. Then, when you link back up, take your person to the pieces and explain why you liked them! You can also even gift a low-cost membership.
Home Movie Night: If you've been meaning to watch a certain movie, 'tickets' for a home movie night could be a great gift idea! Just get a few snacks, dress up (or dress down), and watch the dazzling images on a (smaller) silver screen.
Free City Things: Many cities (or towns) have free events year-round. All it takes is a Google search for "free things to do near me," and you should be set. Take some time to peruse and see if there are any that strike your fancy.

For Couples, Throuples & Polycules

Memory Map: For this, you can print or draw a custom map and then fill it out with special places for you and your partner(s). These could be first dates, where you said I love you, or anything that makes you smile.
Date Jar: This is a great gift idea because it can last for months! Put in pieces of paper with cute date ideas, and then whenever the mood strikes, you can pull one! This gives you the liberty to curate the selection as you want and still leaves room for surprises later!
Open When Letters: Take some time to sit down and write letters for your partner based on their future emotions, like "Open when you miss me" or "Open when I'm being stubborn." They can range from sappy to funny and are a great future gift.
A Spicy Video: If this is something you're comfortable with, use this gift as an opportunity to add some spice to the holiday season. If you're far away from your person, this can be a great way to express some intimacy, and if you're with them at home, it can be a great type of foreplay!

Well, folks, that's all from me this week. I really hope you enjoyed making this list, and I hope you use it to either save some money or make your person feel extra special. When buying gifts, remember that shopping small can mean so much to whoever you're buying from, and it doesn't mean much to the Amazons and Targets of the world.

P.S. Let me know if there are any no/low-cost gift ideas that you love that I missed!