The holiday season is quickly coming upon us. After the year we’ve been through, it’s time to remind the people we love just how special they are. The pandemic had most of us celebrating many of our significant milestones indoors, away from the people we love.
If your family lives in another city or you currently live alone, this is the first time you can see each other again safely. Make sure to make these moments extra memorable by giving out some great presents this year. Great gifts don’t have to come with high price tags. After the challenging year for our finances, there are many other ways to make seemingly ordinary gifts into extraordinary presents.
DIY or do-it-yourself projects can sometimes tend to come off as a little kitschy, though. The key to making sure your personal touches still feel elevated is keeping your changes minimal. Adding too many unique elements to the wrapping or gift itself can sometimes make it feel a little too homemade.
We’ve compiled a list of great personal touches that you can do that don’t break the bank. These options are things even the most craft averse can follow, so don’t be scared to try it out. Mix and match specific designs to come up with something specifically tailored to your loved ones.
Get creative with wrapping paper
Excellent quality store-bought wrapping paper still gives your gifts a classy and timeless feel, but they also tend to feel very commercial. If you’re looking for a way to add a touch of personalization to them, getting creative with your wrapping paper would be the best place to start. You can choose to make your own design using stamps or printed stickers related to the person you’re thinking of receiving it.
Another great way would be to recycle or use other options as wrapping paper. It lets them know you’ve put extra thought into your present, and it’s also good for the environment. Brown paper bags are usually in abundance in most households. We can cut out the bottoms and use these to add a rustic feel to your gifts—another great wrapping paper alternative is our old newspapers and maps.
Elevate the look by adding beautiful accessories like thick ribbons, twine, or even dried flowers. Another great option would be to go for matte black or deeper shades for your color pallet. The darker tones convey elegance and class while still coming off as effortless.
Add a special note
Skip the commercial greeting card or gift tag and go for something more personal. A meaningful message attached to your gift goes the extra mile in showing your loved ones how much you care.
A few choice words to show how thankful you are for them during the holidays goes a long way. Get creative and design your own greeting cards or gift tags with stationary or special cardstock options. You can draw, paint, print, or stamp various beautiful designs that suit every personality under the sun.
You can choose to go the minimalist route with simplistic designs and short messages or go for gold with intricate calligraphy and metallic foils. Whichever way you decide to go, it’s guaranteed to be a memorable part of your present. There are numerous designs and videos online to find which specific techniques are doable for you and would please your loved ones.
Think through your gifts
While this might be the most obvious, it can also sometimes get lost in translation. Putting a significant amount of thought and effort behind your presents is still the best way to let the people we love that we care. Whether it’s baking their favorite cookies, getting them a vintage copy of their favorite book, or a sweater in their favorite color, it’s the thought that counts.
Putting a lot of thought into it doesn’t necessarily mean that things have to get expensive. It just means that you’ve done that extra bit of research to make sure they enjoy your present. We can go for the flashy and costly gifts and have them hit, but this isn’t always feasible. It can also be a little scary to invest a lot of money into something you’re not 100% sure someone wants.
This coming holiday season, let’s remember, above anything else, to be thankful for the presence of the people we love in our life. The gifts we exchange are merely tokens of appreciation and icing on the cake. These are just some of the easiest ways to personalize your presents at home and without various crafting equipment. If you’re thinking about going with the traditional wrapping, try a few of these out and see the difference it makes.