It’s that time of year again. My mailbox is stuffed with catalogs. Targeted seasonal ads from Amazon, Walmart, and Target are following me around the internet. And every other email in my overflowing inbox offers me the go-to 2025 gift guide for everyone on my list!
Anyone else out there starting to dread gift-giving?
Sometime in the past 30 years, cheaply made stuff became easily available at the click of a button on our phones, and that took a lot of the shine off of gifts.
Not only did online shopping make it much easier to buy things for ourselves (whether we needed them or not), but also it was much easier to buy things for other people. And that influx of stuff has also helped illuminate the very short life cycle of “thing I covet” to “dust collector” to “trash.”
Why would I spend money on a gift that’s just going to end up in a landfill?
If you, too, are sick of the gift guides hawking next year’s refuse, here’s the anti-gift-guide gift guide that will help you survive the 2025 holiday season without losing your mind or all your money.
Define your gifting ethos
This may sound ridiculously obvious, but my goal with gift-giving is to find something that the recipient will appreciate and use. I want the gift to show that I was thinking about them and that I pay attention to their likes and dislikes. (Groundbreaking, I know.)
But if you’ve ever gotten a sweater that is wildly the wrong size in a color best described as “baby diarrhea umber,” you know not everyone adheres to such giving goals. In fact, many of us give gifts for reasons other than wanting to please the recipient.
If you are giving presents to people because of obligation, because of habit, or because it’s a complex dance of meanness disguised as altruism, remember that you don’t have to. Figure out who you want to give presents to, and go from there.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you can just bow out of giving gifts to everyone who expects it. You may still need to continue the long-standing revenge gifting with your sister-in-law until the heat death of the universe. But you can at least put more thought into the gifts you give to the people you actually care about and dial back the effort and money on those obligatory gifts.
Think beyond objects
Figuring out what your recipients want often starts with understanding what they don’t want. In many cases, that’s clutter. If you know your friends and family well enough to identify a charitable organization that’s close to their hearts, making a donation in their name could be a great gift.
But you may not be on “So who’s your favorite charity?” terms with everyone on your list. To find the right present for those recipients, check out our anti-junk gift guide below. These are all gifts your loved ones and friends will appreciate that they generally don’t have to find a spot for in their home.
Heartfelt words
Believe it or not, letting people know how much you appreciate them is often the best gift you can give. This is especially true for anyone who occupies what might be described as a “thankless position.”
This former educator would especially encourage you to write a heartfelt note to your child’s teacher, rather than give them a mug with an assortment of teas and hot chocolates. (You know who else is probably giving Junior’s teacher a mug? Every other parent in the classroom.)
It doesn’t need to be long or poetic. Just relay a quick anecdote about something your kid said or did as a result of the teacher’s hard work and sign your name. If you attach a small piece of chocolate to the card, you’ll elevate it to the best teacher gift ever.
But this isn’t just a gift for teachers. Writing a letter to your significant other, to your in-laws, to your kids, to your parents, to your best friend, or to anyone you want to acknowledge will probably be one of the most memorable gifts you could ever give. Tell them how you feel and share a memory. Tell them something they may not know about your relationship. Tell them what you hope for the new year. They will cherish your words.
Experiences
Even though my sister is possibly the easiest person in my life to shop for (she has impeccable taste that is easy to identify), I find it’s more meaningful for both of us if I buy experiential gifts for her instead of another piece of art or jewelry.
That’s why my Hanukkah gift for her this year is a pair of tickets to see Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in Waiting for Godot on Broadway. Because watching Bill and Ted perform Samuel Beckett is the kind of experience that must be shared.
Similarly, I like to purchase concert tickets for my husband, who loves live music. He returns the favor by buying me tickets to see some of my favorite comedians live.
But there are plenty of other experience gifts that could be the best present under the tree: cooking, art, language, or music classes; museum or zoo memberships; camp registration; a vacation or weekend getaway.
Photos
It is a truth universally acknowledged that all our favorite photographs are never framed and put up on the wall—especially since the invention of Instagram. An easy and inexpensive gift that your friends and family will appreciate is taking the time to print out some of the best photos of you all together and getting them framed.
For a bigger gift, you could create an entire photo book if you’d like to commemorate your relationship over the years. These kinds of photo books are relatively easy to make and print using sites like Shutterfly.
Consumables
Giving consumable gifts is an easy way to ensure your presents don’t have a subtext of “Here, you throw this away.” And the holiday season is a traditional time to exchange gifts of cookies, wine, and other treats. But remember, there are other types of consumable gifts.
This gift guide is 100% affiliate-marketing free: We’re not giving you specific items or linking to stuff to buy. Just consider consumable gifts like these for your loved ones:
- Candles or incense
- Essential oils
- Bath bombs, bath salts, or bubble bath
- Hand soap and lotion
- Infused olive oil or vinegar
- Gourmet spices
- Coffee, tea, or cocoa
- Temporary tattoos (for kids)
A more practical gift guide
We all need things like socks, sunscreen, an ice scraper, a warm hat, a tool kit, and a first aid kit. And while most people probably already have most of these at home, they probably don’t have high-quality versions of them.
High-end practical essentials from brands that you personally love can be a great gift, especially if you know the recipient would never spend money on little luxuries for themselves.
You can personalize these kinds of gifts. For example, my son and I recently tie-dyed some white bucket hats for an older relative who needed some additional sun protection. Making these sun hats one-of-a-kind made her even more delighted with the unexpected present.
Books
While some people may consider books to be clutter (blasphemers, all of them), many booklovers are happy to accept literary gifts—since most methods of getting rid of a book are unlikely to contribute to environmental pollution. If you know your recipient is an avid reader, don’t be afraid to give them a book.
Of course, as any booklover who has been given books that did not in any way reflect their reading taste can attest, it’s not enough to simply pick up whatever book du jour is getting the most press and give it to your friend. And while no book aficionado will ever turn down a gift card to a local small bookseller, it’s a little impersonal. The best book gift is one you’ve read yourself that made you think of the recipient. I still treasure a book I received nearly 25 years ago, because the narrator’s sarcasm reminded the giver of my sense of humor.
A guide to more joyful gift-giving
When we’re all awash with too much stuff and anything we need is a one-click overnight delivery away, gift-giving loses a lot of its meaning. We can put the meaning back in if we embrace an anti-junk gift ethos for the holiday season.
Instead of buying stuff just to have something to exchange, let’s try to really give our loved ones things they will appreciate and remember, rather than something that will become the 2025 layer of municipal solid landfill waste.