What to Gift?

With that said, I struggle at times with finding the “perfect” gift. This was the case a few years ago. After searching high and low, I was stuck. What was I going to buy my granddaughter? I didn’t want just any gift. I wanted one that would make her smile. Her smile is beautiful. 

For days I thought about what I could buy. Then it hit me. I don’t need to buy a “gift” per se. I didn’t need to buy a toy, a book, a stuffed animal, a favorite outfit, etc. 

Given the hustle and bustle of life, we often forget that our presence is a gift, one often craved by those we love. With that thought in mind, I decided to create a coupon book. The book had 12 coupons that could be exchanged for an activity we could do together.

I created the coupons and personalized the cover. It included her name, favorite color and stickers of her favorite things. I also included a message inside that explained how to redeem a coupon. 

Coupons included the activities below: 

1. Play a game of her choice at the house 
2. Ride bikes together
3. Create a craft of her choice 
4. Have a picnic in the park 
5. Watch a movie she wants to see and enjoy movie snacks 
6. Bake and decorate cookies 
7. Have a spa day – do our hair and nails 
8. Volunteer at a local food pantry 
9. Pick wildflowers and create a bouquet 
10. Have a dance party and do karaoke 
11. Go for a walk
12. Go to an outdoor concert

At the end of the year, I am still not sure who enjoyed the gift more – her or me. During each activity, we would take pictures and keep items that reminded us of our time together. We then created a scrapbook with the things we collected. These memories will last a lifetime. 

Here are some other ideas for gift-giving.