What is a valuable gift? Many might say that a valuable gift cost a lot of money, but Dr. Tracey Wilen believes that a gift can have value while costing little to no money at all. She shared some ideas for gifts that people really want to receive this year at Christmas.
Often, the gift of time is very valuable to those around us. Dr. Wilen says that when we think of what we can give to someone, we should consider what we can offer to them that has value and may give them joy or take a load off their shoulders. She gave a list of ideas that she gathered from those around her:
- A ride to Church. “This first one comes from a colleague of mine—she lives out on the East coast and she is homebound. She said the greatest gift that someone gives to her is a ride to Church every week and to her prayer groups.”
- Shoveling snow. “I had a person tell me that shoveling snow from their driveway, because they’re just too old and feeble to do it, makes a big deal to them.”
- Filling the gas tank and washing someone’s car.
- Doing someone’s laundry.
- Taking dogs for a walk.
- Watering plants and flowers.
- Scheduled cleaning. “One thing I’ve done for my mother-in-law is clean her house and organizing regular cleaning because she just can’t do it anymore.”
- “Friends who have families now and just had babies, they said it’s the best thing in the world if someone dropped in and babysit every now and then so they can get a haircut or have a meal without having to think about our kids.”
- Painting their house, inside or out.
These are wonderful and very simple gifts we can give that they will always remember. “In one category, it’s offloading people of things that are really weighing them down, the other category is using our time to really share with other people. Maybe it’s watching a TV show together, or having tea together, or getting your nails done together, or going out for a cup of coffee and just listening. People forget that the gift of listening can be very valuable for other people,” says Dr. Wilen.
If you’re looking for a gift for that person who is hard to buy for, consider making a gift to Relevant Radio in their name!
