It's the time of year to gift and give. A time to cherish and adore. The act of gift giving during the holidays comes from a long line of origin that ranges from the birth of Jesus to the festivals of in ancient Rome. When it comes to gifts, it is safe to say that the best gifts are the meaningful gifts. The ones that you open and they make your heart flutter with joy and admiration because it means so much to you. When you receive meaningful gifts you remember and cherish that gift forever. For example, when you were in kindergarten and painted a loved one a picture and they kept it and stored it because it meant that much to them. Unfortunately, it is not as easy to give meaningful gifts to your friends as it is with your family. And, it is especially difficult to gift meaningful gifts as teen because as a teen or young adult, you probably don't have a consistent flow of money yet. So, today we have come up with a list of ideas and ways to give your friends those memorable, meaningful gifts this year without spending a ton of money!
To start with, it's good to figure out what type of person you are gifting to. Someone who isn't into nature probably won't appreciate a bird feeder for their backyard. So, it is important to think about who this person is and what means the most to them.
Once you have an idea of a type of gift they are into, you can start to come up with gift ideas that will be meaningful for them. Since this is the part that people usually get stuck on, we have created a list for you to look from to spark some ideas or find one that will be meaningful for your friend.
MEANINGFUL GIFTS TO GIVE TO YOUR FRIENDS AS A TEEN WITH LITTLE TO NO MONEY
Hand-made jewelry: For the people who wear jewelry all the time or for the friends that love wearing items with meaning, this is a perfect gift for them. This is also fairly simple to make. You can make rings with bendable wire from a craft store or you can make necklaces with beads and tiny cords. All of these items can be bought from a craft store for little money or if you are a crafty person, you probably already have these at home!
Baked goods: This is the perfect gift that is easy and simple but still meaningful. Who doesn't love baked goods in a pretty basket? These are one of those gifts that don't last long but people's will remember them for a long time. Making food for others is a sign of empathy, support, and care. All of those emotions are what people long for and look for in a friend which is why this is a perfect meaningful gift for a friend. There is a large variety of options for a baked good gift.
Plants: This is a perfect meaningful gift that is also good for the earth. For those plant mom friends or the plant lover friend, this is a perfect gift. Not only will it add to their collection (or start their collection) it will be a reminder of your friendship every time they see it and take care of the plant. If your friend is living with their family still or lives in a place without an outdoor, you could get them an indoor plant like an aloe vera or english ivy to go inside. Or, if your friend lives on their own and has room outside, you could get them herbs or another outdoor plant like zinnias or marigolds.
Seeds: Growing a plant from seed is an amazing process that can give people a dose of seretonin from the sense of accomplishment they receive. That is why, it is a great meaningful gift to give your friends. It might seem silly at first or not mean much when you give it to them, but it will mean more in the long run and it lasts longer than a regular gift. For this one, you want to look for seeds that will germinate indoors because it is nearing winter and most seeds won't grow outdoors right now. If you are in need of an idea for this one, cacti seeds are super easy and great for growing indoors.
A journal: This one is amazing for ANYONE! Journals are great for expressing yourself and organizing thoughts. You can read more about the amazing benefits of journaling HERE. To make this more meaningful, you could write a little of gratitude to them in the back of the journal or you can write them a poem or letter and stick in the middle and surprise them when they find it later. You can also add an instruction list or an idea list on how to use the journal and you can get some ideas for that HERE and HERE.
A poem or written letter: Writing anything meaningful to your friends is something that will touch their hearts and they will probably remember it forever. A poem or letter of gratitude, while it might seem small, can have a huge beneficial impact on your friendship and make it stronger which will in turn make it last longer.
Small items that resemble inside jokes: Obviously this one is not straight forward because an inside joke wouldn't be an inside joke if we all knew it. But, this one is a perfect meaningful gift for your friend. Most friendships have had a that funny inside joke that every time you bring up you all laugh. A gift that resembles or reminds them of that inside joke is a perfect meaningful gift for your friend.
An annotated book: Have a book loving friend? This might just be the gift for them. There is always a new story that a bookworm wants or a book that they absolutely love and would re-read over and over. Reading that book they love or want and putting your thoughts into the margins is such a cute, meaningful gift idea.
This is a small list of options because to gift meaningful gifts, you really have to think about what means the most to your friend. We hope that one of these sparked an idea or you found something on the list that would be meaningful to them. Have a wonderful day and remember to subscribe to our blog and follow us on social medias @beeramagazine. If you have any other ideas that you think are meaningful, reach out to us!
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