Ideas Galore — holiday gifts that are meaningful, supportive… even free!

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I’m often asked what my fav holiday gift ideas are…

 

…how I celebrate the joy of the season with my own family and what items I love and gift most around the holidays.

It’s tempting to go for cutesy packaging and shiny sale signs in every window… and it’s also easy feel like we need to give in large quantity to adequately express our love to those closest to us… but that is simply not true.

In my family, we each get four gifts. I’m sure you’ve heard this rhyme before — it’s something we truly take to heart:

“One thing we want,

One thing we need,

One thing homemade,

One thing to read.”

 

And that’s it! We don’t do presents from Santa, we don’t do piling up gifts under the tree to increase visual impact.

When you have four well thought out, meaningful, lovingly selected gifts under your tree… each and every one of them becomes something to cherish.

 

I’ve noticed that both of my children have WAY more fun thinking about, dreaming upon and selecting the ONE thing they want each Christmas then most kids have in writing out a huge list of hoped-for toys.

It’s also interesting because the gift then really becomes about meaning — not price. Often the “one gift” they ask for is not expensive at all — for example, this year my daughter asked for a set of drawing pens.

When it’s about the value and not quantity, price often becomes a non-issue.

I’ve also noticed the security they feel in knowing that they don’t have to beg for gifts or wonder if they will get anything from their list. They know they can share the one thing they will find the most joy in with us, and that Daddy and I will find a way to make this happen.

If you feel like the holidays are getting complicated, hectic, over-priced, or about quantity, give this rhyme a try!

 

(Just wanted to share with you our family picture for our holiday cards this year —

it’s an “out take” picture-gone-wrong that cracks me up and I just love love love… so it’s going on the card!)

 

 

In case you need some additional inspiration, I’ve compiled a list for you (complete with tons of direct links) so that you can literally skip the headache this Black Friday and find something thoughtful and supportive for each and every loved one on your list.

I can’t stand shopping, so this is pretty much a sneak peek into my own holiday shopping list.

The only items that make my list are ones that I have personally found to be above and beyond what I hoped for. Each of them are products and items that are not only thoughtful but actually healing, and that is why many of these products come from sponsors that I love and have personally hand selected to appear on my website.

So this is my top ten list for the holidays… and two of the items on here don’t cost a cent, yet I gift them every single year to my own precious children. I’ll tell you what I mean…

 

 

1. The gift of storytime:

 

Each December I wrap up 25 books — ones we already have and have enjoyed collecting over the years — in wrapping paper and line the corner of our living room with them.

Each night one of the kids gets to choose a book and unwrap it, then Daddy reads it.

Even though my kids are getting older and generally don’t want to be read to anymore, this is still one of their favorite traditions!

They love the picture books from their babyhood as much as the chapter books from more recent holidays and the surprise of which one it will be underneath the paper never fails to delight them. This (along with idea #2) is our advent calendar of sorts!

 

2. The gift of family game night:

 

Just like with the totally free excitement from an advent calendar of books we already own, I do the same thing with family games.

I wrap up ten games that we already own — Uno, Bananagrams, Monopoly, Clue, Jenga, Bingo, etc… — and every few nights we grab one, unwrap it, and play as a family!

We all LOVE it and it’s become one of our favorite family traditions, bringing us closer together all season long and emphasizing quality time over spending money.

I swear my kids would be pretty happy if all we did each December is wrap up a bunch of old books for the month, play a bunch of old games each week, and drive around looking at all the gorgeous holiday lights around town.

If you are looking to save money this holiday season, those are my top three recommendations!

 

3. The gift of compassion:

 

Gifting money to charity each holiday season is another tradition that I’m sure many families (including our own) enjoy.

One idea I have for you this year is to consider making a donation in return for this amazing charity CD “You Know The Way – Unajua Njia.”

Perfect as housewarming gifts or holiday party favors or other small (easily mailed or tucked into a suitcase!) gifts to loved ones, all the proceeds of this CD go directly towards a charitable outreach in Kenya, Africa.

To make a donation for the CD’s, contact Tammy Winn directly at tammy@tammyannwinn.com or visit her website here to read the lyrics of this 5 song charity album.

Her voice is enchanting. The music is beautiful and features the uplifting singing of The Lwanda Gospel and Compassionate Team of Kenya, Africa.

Recognize the artwork on the cover? I am so absolutely honored that she selected my original artwork “Dynamic Universe” for the cover of this spirit-filled and love-filled outreach.

 

4. The gift of joyful new beginnings:

 

Baby’s first Christmas?

I couldn’t think of a better gift then these 100% certified organic treat bags, created specifically for the changing needs of rapidly stretching mama skin and rapidly developing newborn dermal growth.

I’ll be featuring this unique company on my blog next week, but I definitely wanted to include both the OG Mama and OG Baby gift sets here on my list, as I’m personally gifting these to a very precious pregnant sister-in-law of mine I love them so much!

Each set comes with everything you need to welcome and gently support even the newest of babies (even preemies!) and pamper the most lovely of mamas.

 

 

5. The gift of connection and touch:

 

This gift is probably one of the most meaningful you can give to a partner, because it is a gift of your attention, time and of your touch.

Nothing… truly nothing… supports health and Well Being like love and support from your life’s partner.

Combine that with the gift of healing massage, and you have a gift that goes well beyond the gift of one bottle of massage oil. It’s a gift of dozens of loving massages, reconnection, time, and compassion. It’s a gift of releasing tension and stress from your dear one’s body and supporting their well being.

My favorite massage oil on earth is Miessence’s Christmas Scented Massage Oil. “It’s a light yet nourishing blend of 100% certified organic botanical oils to enhance the experience of giving and receiving massages. The citrus tang of lime and sweet orange underpins the fragrant spice of clove and cinnamon. Miessence massage oil provides enough slip for a relaxation massage and enough drag for deep tissue work.” Perfection in a bottle.

Yep, I just ruined the surprise for my own sweet hubby, but it’s worth it to share such a great idea with you here so that others can enjoy it too!

 

 

6. The gift of intuition:

 

If you have a loved one looking to open their intuition more, embrace growth, navigate change or just looking for daily motivation, the Guiding Signs 101 Card Deck is a gift of insight 365 days a year.

You could draw an intuitive card out of the deck and read the inspirational prompt that goes along with each card every day of the year and it would be like getting a new gift each and every day of the year… the gift of a fresh perspective.

It mixes intuition with FUN and is a perfect example of how an inexpensive gift can absolutely be the most thoughtful and inspiring one possible.

 

7. The gift of “me time”:

 

As a working mother, I can count how many minutes I spend on myself each day on ONE HAND. Pretty much 5 minutes or less.

I know this is pretty typical with my female friends and female patients as well, which is why this soap from LanaBella makes a really awesome gift. Sometimes its just those 5 minutes in a shower each day that I live for — it’s a five minute retreat where I can be uplifted, recentered… healed.

Enter LanaBella soaps.

It’s the only soap that touches my skin or my family’s skin.

It moisturizes (that’s the lush ingredients that hydrate, sooth and pamper my skin!) my skin and makes me feel purified. All natural, hand cut bars of soap infused with heavenly scents and ingredients that are 100% pure, environmentally friendly and vegetable derived.

I know I’ve told you many times before that LanaBella makes the best soap on earth, among other products that we use around our home daily (just used the Serie Breathe Easy Salve on my son’s clogged nose this morning!)

I personally know her, I trust her, I love her and I love her products. ‘Nuff said.

 

 

8. The gift of renewed health.

 

Can you gift health? I believe you can.

Because when you gift a loved one with the tools to renegotiate how they deal with illness… combined with daily support from a trained medical expert (that’s me!)… plus loving guidance from a heart centered healer (that’s me too!)… they can finally break out of disease and illness ruts that have plagued them for so long.

I’m opening my Health Flow Unleash online health course right now, to run for the month of January.

As always, its limited seating and its first come, first in the group until it fills. There are already seats taken but there are still enough left for you to give the gift of an entire month full of health and healing to your most precious loved ones this holiday season.

Sometimes the best gift is the gift of love, of knowledge, of spirit, of support.

I would be absolutely honored to love and lift and support your dearest friends and family this January, so that 2013 isn’t a repeat of 2012 but a new springboard into a healthier future.

Sign up today to reserve a spot in the Jan 7th Health Flow Unleash course, and after you sign up I will email you to see if you’d like to gift this to a loved one or use it personally. If it is a gift, I will personally send out a complimentary gift certificate/gift card to your loved one and sign them up!

You’ll be hearing more about this course as it fills… but for new readers, this is a one month health care course designed to re-boot your thinking about health and healing and includes daily supportive emails, ideas and tips (in a similar style to my blog but ten times more in-depth and 100% more focused on building health and healing from the inside out.)

I blend medical information with my heart and intuition and swirl it all together to give participants a totally new perspective on how our bodies are made to heal. I am also personally available to each participant throughout the course to answer questions, offer feedback, or just touch base all month long!

 

9. The gift of grounding:

 

As some of you might know, my latest children’s book is set to release in just a few days… and it’s my favorite one yet. It’s the perfect way to share the healing message of grounding with the folks you love most because it explains and fully illustrates the science behind (and the magic within!) grounding while still being simple and beautiful enough to read to a child.

From The Ground Up is the picture book I always wished I had… a book I could reach for when my kids had a boo boo, a low fever, an ear ache. This is the book I wrote so that my patients would have what I didn’t — a tool that fully illustrates a path towards healing, a book you can read while you connect with the earth that shows children through words and original artwork why Mother Earth is such a comforting, healing power.

Grab this picture book, lay outside on a blanket and read it to your child — within the 15 minutes you are laying there connecting with your child, Mother Earth is working her magic to reduce inflammation, decrease pain, comfort and support your child so that they feel better faster.

It’s coming out by the end of the month and is just in time for gifting to your very favorite parents or beloved children.

To get one of the very first available books coming directly from the publisher to my doorstep — hand signed and sent out personally by me — reserve your copy now and I’ll ship it to you the moment it releases!

 

10. The gift of choice:

 

Can’t decide if your loved on would like a health course, books, a detox or skin care kit, artwork, an inspirational notecard or magnet set most?

Or any combination of them all?

Or maybe they’d prefer a one-on-one private consultation with me directly?

You can send Intuition Physician gift cards in any amount to your loved ones in any amount!

I’m here for you and each of your loved ones and look forward to supporting them individually with a customized, heart centered approach!

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this list and feel free to forward to your loved ones as a gentle “hint-hint” on some items you might enjoy, to pass along the fun and inexpensive traditions of the story advent and family game night, or to bookmark for gift ideas to use at different times of the year, such as birthdays!

xoxoxo, Laura