Yesterday I had a conversation with my friend Victoria. Among other things, we talked about getting ready for the Holidays. I guess it’s no surprise that we also talked about gift giving, more specifically, Victoria told me about her gift ideas for her customers. I loved them all. They were a wonderful combination of keeping her customers in mind but also supporting businesses that suffer due to COVID.
When she asked me what I would do for my customers, I hesitated for a second. I wasn’t sure how to tell her that I don’t give gifts for Christmas, neither to my customers nor to my family.
There were a couple of reasons why our family came to this decision some years ago. But the most important one is that, at least the last couple of years, spending time together as a family always means traveling. We’d rather spend the money on airline tickets, special family dinners, trips to New York, you name it. We considered this a far better gift than anything else.
Traveling won’t be possible this year due to the pandemic. As much as this saddens me, I still consider us very lucky. We are still working, and we don’t have to worry about money. Of course, I would much rather have spent Christmas in New Zealand with our son, but compared to other people, this is more an inconvenience than a problem.
That’s why we decided to make a donation this year. Instead of spending money on a trip to see our son, we will donate food to our local food bank, hoping that this donation will make the day a little brighter for someone who is not as fortunate as we are.
Why do I mention this in my blog? Maybe it will persuade you to spend a little less money on gifts and instead consider giving to a charity, a food bank, or maybe a neighbor in need. And if Christmas without gifts is unthinkable for you, consider buying gifts from local stores, supporting them like my friend Victoria does.
Regine Albrecht-Strategies with A Kick 