1. Donate to a charity in his or her name.
This works especially well for our loved ones with big hearts. Donate to an animal shelter in the name of a pet lover, an emergency relief network for someone who can barely watch the news during hurricane season. You can even find organizations that will give you a gift in return for the donation, which you can then give to your loved one.
The World Wildlife Fund gives stuffed animals and other gifts to those who donate.
2. Buy a software, premium membership, or deluxe account.
It would be awesome to have an Amazon Prime account, but it might not be something you’d buy for yourself. Give the gift of technological luxury by gifting them with money designated to go towards one of their favorite membership accounts. Buy a fancy game-designing software for your favorite gamer, a writing software for the family poet, or an ad-free Spotify for the passenger seat DJ.
6 months of Unlimited Spotify would be a $30 gift. 3 months of Amazon Prime Video would be the same.
3. Make an “encyclopedia” or “cookbook”.
Use a Word template to create a cookbook full of recipes. You don't have to stay on the topic of food, either. Write the recipe for the perfect sleepover, the recipe for the sack lunch they bring to school every day, and other daily things they do that you notice about them. Likewise, make an encyclopedia or dictionary of their lives, including personalized definitions of words and entries specific to their interests.
A cookbook my sister and I made. Recipes included my father's signature omelette and directions to complete all of our favorite hobbies.
4. Create an adventure journal.
Take a notebook and write a daily challenge, writing prompt, or quote on each page. Put together a hiking/biking/canoeing/geocaching guide for your outdoorsy friends. In this way, you can go on a journey with them even if you won’t be near them. Make sure the entries are specific to them and reflect your personality, as well. Even if they don’t end up completing every page, they’ll still appreciate the thought you put into making it.
5. When all else fails, feed them.
We might be hesitant to cook or bake someone a gift. The holidays are full of leftovers and big family dinners and all the Christmas cookies you could eat. Try giving gifts of things that are a bit more creative. Give a peanut butter lover a jar of peanut butter for his or herself. A jar of Nutella, a bag of marshmallows, boxes of their favorite Pop-Tarts, or expensive snack bars. Whatever snack they would stock up on if they had the money.
Because pickles make a great snack.
