*Note: If you’re my grandparents, mom, or siblings, you might want to skip this post to avoid ruining your Christmas presents. Merry and happy!*
I’m usually one to go ALL OUT for Christmas gifts. Like, break the bank, in-debt myself to Visa, and practically sell my soul to get the very BEST gifts for people… You know, in true Christmas spirit. Really, though, I genuinely love and get so much joy from getting personalized, interesting gifts for each of my family members and friends, and nothing makes me happier than watching someone I love open something they’re crazy about. However, as discussed in a post about BUDGETING a few weeks ago, I no longer have limitless funds (aka credit cards) to spend willy-nilly for the sake of holly and jolly.
So, this year, I had to get a little creative.
I was trying to think of something I like, that I’d want to share with the people I love, that anyone and everyone can use, and that isn’t insanely expensive. (Dave Ramsey would be so proud.) Something that came to mind first were natural oils — because everyone wants to have nice skin, no matter your age or gender. I ran with it. I also wanted to come up with something else that was small and could complement the oils, and artisan soaps seemed a solid choice — because we’re all interested in hygiene (I hope) and smell-good things.
I decided to mix and match a random oil with a random soap (like French lavender soap with a dropper bottle of apricot kernel oil) and toss one of each into my gift bags. Attached to each bag with some pretty twine is a little note, where I’ve written out the exact kind of soap and oil inside, plus the benefits and uses of the oils, since I think they’re one of the biggest skincare secrets out there that most people aren’t using, because putting oil on your face may seem intimidating or they just don’t know about oils yet. That was me 100-percent — before I gave them a shot.
Nobody wants to look greasy or oily, but these natural plant oils, like sweet almond and hempseed, don’t sit on the skin and block up pores (unlike the stress- or hormone-induced oils that our skin naturally secretes). Instead, they soak in and release tons of benefits, like anti-aging, acne-kicking, skin-smoothing, extreme-moisturizing, and scar-healing agents and antioxidants. They make you glow-y instead of greasy.
And we could all use a little glow, yeah?
I’ve recently been integrating rosehip, avocado, and jojoba oils into my skincare routine. Every day, I apply one of these underneath my regular day face lotion or night cream, mixing them up daily. Most of them can also be used as lip moisturizers, heat protectants on hair, eye creams, massage oils, or moisturizers on their own. Pre-e-etty cool, eh?
And it turns out, I was able to find all of these oils at my local Whole Foods’ body section. They also sold these cute one-ounce dropper bottles for less than $2 each. The soaps are also sold there, too, so it was an easy one-stop-shop experience that I’ve really been able to personalize with some adorable Target (obvi) wrapping supplies.
Let me be clear: I am not a DIY-er. The only reason I am including “DIY” in the title of this post is because I poured oils into small bottles and wrapped the packages up pretty adorably. In my book, this equals DIY. All you need to know it you can do this, EASY.
If you don’t have a Whole Foods nearby (or yours doesn’t offer similar products), try another natural grocer or Amazon for the bottles, oils, and soaps. (If you have Prime, you’ll have everything you need before Christmas with two-day shipping.)
As for giving the gifts, because they’re all similar, yet they offer different benefits, I’m going to have a little fun with it and play Dirty Santa with my loved ones. If you’ve never played, it’s an easy game where you draw numbers and can steal away someone else’s gift. Here are the rules if you want to play with your family.
What are your simple, but fun, gift ideas this holiday season? Would love to hear in the comments below — it’s never too early to start prepping for next year, right?
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