Practical Yet Thoughtful Christmas Gifts to Get Your Family and Friends This Year

This is a guest post by Maggie Hammond. Proud mama to two little people, and has one too many furry friends. Passionate about alternative medicine, the great outdoors and animal welfare.

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When it comes to buying Christmas gifts for your friends and family, the last thing that you want is to end up spending your money on something that the recipient is unlikely to use. Sadly, many of the gift ideas that we see today aren’t actually that useful and while they might be nice, there’s always the risk that the receiver isn’t going to benefit much from the gift you present them with - a common reason why many gifts are saved to repurpose for the next year or sold online. This year, COVID-19 has tightened the purse strings for many people, and there’s even more reason to invest in Christmas gifts that serve a practice purpose while being thoughtful too, of course. Here are some great gift ideas that anybody is sure to appreciate. 

Home Items

If you know somebody who has recently moved into a new home, or anyone who always appreciates new items for their home, then you really can’t go wrong with this Christmas gift idea. And with this Kohl’s shipping code allowing you to get free or discounted delivery when you order home items online, you can give your friends gifts that they’re going to love and find a lot of use for, like bed linen, soft furnishings, essential kitchen items, and more. 

Skincare

Rather than getting the generic skincare sets that tend to come out every single Christmas, if you have a friend or relative that is committed to taking care of their skin, then find out what brand they use and get them some more. Anybody who follows a good skincare routine knows how expensive good toners, cleansers, exfoliators, and moisturizing creams can be - and many people like to stick with the same brands that they’re used to, so buying a product from the range they normally use is always better than one of the nicely packaged sets from the Christmas gift section. 

Food

Everybody needs food and you can certainly find some creative and thoughtful ways to give food as a gift at Christmas. This is an especially good idea if you have a friend or relative that has been hard-hit by the pandemic and you know will struggle to enjoy a nice meal for the holidays this year. Arranging a hamper with some festive staples and other food items is a really thoughtful way to show that you care. 

Gift Cards and Vouchers

Finally, you can never be exactly sure what people really need in their lives when it comes to gifts, so it might be better to simply let them make their own purchases. Gift cards and vouchers for small, local shops help support local if you live close to the person you're giving to, and of course there are always the Target, Amazon, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, or Walmart options that you can never really go wrong with since they cover a wide range of different product ideas, whether your friend or relative needs to stock up on some essentials or treat themselves to something that they’ve been wanting for a while. 

With COVID-19 making huge changes to our lives right now, buying practical, useful yet thoughtful gifts for the holidays is the best way to put a smile on your loved ones’ faces. 

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