I love giving gifts but I do not love feeling overwhelmed by stuff after Christmas or spending exorbitant amounts of money before Christmas.
I enjoy the idea of being able to give a small thoughtful gift to close friends, neighbours and service workers (teachers, postal workers, etc). With these types of gifts I like to make sure that they don't take up a lot of space, are useful and often that they can be used up.
Here are a few ideas in case you're looking for small gifts in that realm that won't cost a lot of money.
Dice Game: Our family loves dice games and there are so many of them. One great game that is easy to play and fun for a wide range of ages is Nichts. Nichts is a German word for nothing. We learned this game from our elderly neighbours as kids but I've recently seen it marketed and sold as the game Farkle.
The game consists of rolling dice to procure ones and fives in order to build your points. But watch out; if you don't roll a one or a five, you lose everything. Nichts! To gift this game all you need to do is assemble six dice in a small box or baby food jar and add printed out instructions for the game Farkle. You can find these at various places online. Decorate the jar and add a personal note, and you're good to go.
Orange Wreath: Grab a box of mandarin oranges and a long clear plastic bag. Put in one orange and then tie the outside of the bag sealing the orange in. Continue with seven to eight oranges and when you have a long enough length shape your tube of oranges into a circle thus creating a wreath. Put a bow on it and deliver.
Christmas Simmer: In a small bag, assemble an assortment of aromatic items such as dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cranberries and pine needles. Write out instructions to put in a pot with water and simmer on the stove to fill their house with the scent of Christmas.
