Receiving gifts has never been one of my favorite languages of love, but when it comes to holiday gift giving? I’m all in. I’m all in. I still enjoy rewarding friends and loved ones with little tokens of gratitude, and I am most certainly organized in advance when it comes to formal events like birthdays or holidays.
Of course, I’m a fairly organized person and like to cross items out of my list in advance. But I adapted a strategy a few years ago that took it to the next level—to build a “gift stash” in my apartment.
‘’ Because I stockpile gifts for each of my family members as pieces catch my eye, I usually only need to purchase a few finishing touches come December.”
Until you start to picture a hall closet overflowing with perfectly wrapped gifts, let me tell you that my method is not incredibly elegant. I’ve rather named my ‘storage bin’ a medium-sized textile box with lids. I collect pieces all over the year, mostly on the market if I’m honest, inside and keep them available for special occasions.
Often I buy items with special attention, like the coffee table book from Meghan Markle, I have been scored during the summer and plan to give this Christmas to my obsessed royal mother. Before COVID-19, it was also good but relatively generic items to use as untimely hostess presents, such as candles and entertaining accessories. And now that several of my friends get involved, I’ve added a couple of bridal drinks to the mix. These are especially helpful for mailing in a hurry since even my Type A self cannot anticipate these situations in advance!
What was also especially helpful for the scheme, is that as the holiday season progresses I don’t often have to fork out a lot of money at once. As I store presents as pieces for each member of my family, I typically need only buy a few finishes in December, ensuring my bank account will not take too big a big hit as it gets close to Christmas. Besides, it’s a great idea to make unique handmade Christmas gifts to save money.
Although a method like this does not work for any recipient – for example, young children grow up constantly and change their hobbies and toy preferences – it is super successful for adults in my life. Of course, the unforeseen occurrence or achievement will always be deserving of a present, but even then, in general, I typically have at least a nice gift pocket on hand (I like to buy those in packs and keep them in a tissue paper bin too!).
As always you can cater your own storage box to reflect your gift preferences and needs. Bake cookies every winter for your neighbors? Stay on fiestas when discounted at the beginning of January and keep them ready for the next season. Have any children of school age? Collect a few tiny tokens, including happy notepads or pictures, to use them as teacher presents. If this is less scratching after the year you will most probably find it worth building a little bit of storage space for those items.
