Over the course of our relationship, Joe and I have done a lot of gift-giving. And I’d like to think that the gifts we give each other get more thoughtful with every occasion. Some gifts that I’ve given are better than others. But as we start to spend less money on individual gifts for each other every year. And splurge on something that we want or need as a couple with the rest of our Christmas budget. I’ve tried to be more intentional with my gift-giving.
Because I’m a Christmas gift procrastinator, it’s my goal this next month to think of, find deals for and purchase meaningful gifts for Joe. When I think back on our relationship, I remember a lot of the gifts that Joe has given me. Christmas 2010, two months after we started dating, he gave me Gilmore Girls on DVD. It’s a present that has gotten a lot of use, and that he may regret giving me the most!
On my 23rd birthday, Joe got me a Kitchenaid. But because I knew it was coming, he had his mom help him pull off a little prank to surprise me. For our one-year anniversary, he had my car windows tinted. And the way he was able to keep it a secret from me was my favorite part of all. And a few Christmases ago, we got a new hot cocoa maker. So he filled my stocking with a few cans of our favorite brand of hot chocolate.
The best kind of gifts are gifts that have meaning, no matter how extravagant or simple they are. No matter your budget this year, I know you can find a way to be intentional with your gifts. And give something that your spouse will remember for years to come.
I love looking back and reminiscing on past experiences in our marriage. I’ve put together a scrapbook online for each year of our marriage and I have them printed for our anniversary. Not only do I include pictures in the book, but I write a journal entry type thing to go with them so we remember what went on. I’m a bit behind on the last few years, but I have a goal to get them completed and printed out to display in our home soon. You can make a book online or by hand. I like to add paragraphs of text to each page so that when our future kids and grandkids look through our books, they’ll know all of the details and what made the moments so memorable.
Related: Use the Love Languages to Give the Perfect Gift
Our tradition for Valentine’s, our anniversary, and the month of our birthday is to spend a night or two away at a fancy hotel. We always love our getaways to The Anniversary Inn. Deal sites always have fun getaways for pretty much any location you could ever want to go. Whether it’s close to home, or somewhere exotic and far away. I know a few couples who gift each other with once-in-a-lifetime experiences and vacations.
My friend Chelsea and her husband Ryan decided to ‘dream big’ and set a goal to travel to every continent in 2015. They completed their goal by spending Thanksgiving in Antarctica that year! Or, you can keep it a little more low-key by planning a staycation at home and enjoying activities in your area.
Related: 15 Gifts Your Wife Wants for Mother’s Day
Earlier this week, I published a post sharing ideas for how you can gift your spouse with date night any time of year! It includes one-time date ideas and at-home date night ideas. And even a year of dates that’s easier to put together than you might think!
Other date nights that you could gift might include; tickets to a concert, play, musical, sports game, etc., gift cards to your favorite restaurants, a board game that the two of you can play together, or anything you can think of that would contribute to future date nights!
Related: Six Ways to Gift Your Spouse with Date Night
Coming up with the perfect gift idea, for my husband and other people in our lives, is one of my favorite things to do. I hope that this list of ideas will help you as you’re putting together your list for the holidays this year and for gifts in the coming year.
How will you gift more intentionally this year?
