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Christmas Gift Ideas That Matter

Christmas is a time of giving. A time of celebrating the gift of Jesus. Which can make the process of finding the perfect gift even more complicated!

Deep down we want to give meaningful gifts that matter at the holidays. But too often we find ourselves wandering the aisles of Walmart on Black Friday or glued to our computers as we search Amazon wish lists.

At Compassion, we know how truly impactful gifts can be. Each child we serve receives a hand-selected Christmas gift. We also offer our supporters a Gift Catalog to purchase gifts for children and families assisted by Compassion, and these gifts that last forever can be given in a loved one’s honor.

Now, our gift to you is this list of gift ideas for EVERYONE on your list. This carefully curated list includes ideas that matter for the holiday season — gifts of memories, helping others or gifts made with love. Each one will delight both the gift giver and giftee alike!

Christmas Gift Ideas for Her

Is there a female in your life you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for? Look no further than this list of perfect gift ideas for her!

  • Handmade Jewelry — Lots of amazing organizations partner with artisans around the world to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Tip: Search “jewelry that gives back” to find ideas. Find her a trendy piece that also supports women in poverty.
  • Sewing Workshop — Know a crafty lady who loves to sew? Give the gift of a sewing workshop in her honor. This gift will help a teen in poverty learn valuable life skills that will help her find a job and literally change her future.
  • Subscription — A gift that will truly last all year. Find a subscription that will make her smile! This can be anything from a flower subscription to magazines to a subscription box for her favorite hobby.
  • Pampering Gift Set — A robe, a candle, some hot cocoa and a few of her favorite skincare products can be packaged in a beautiful basket to help your stressed and busy loved one know you care!
  • A Night Out — Give the gift of time together! Take her out to dinner or a movie. She’ll love going out and getting some quality time with her loved one.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him

These are great gifts for the guys you’re shopping for — holiday gift ideas that will give back, create memories and last all year long!

  • Fair Trade Coffee — There are amazing coffee companies who truly give back in the communities where they work. Pair a fair-trade bag of coffee with a new mug.
  • Livestock — The man in your life doesn’t need to be a farmer for you to give him the gift of livestock for Christmas. When you give a goat or cow in honor of him, he’ll know that a family’s life was changed in real, lasting ways.
  • Sports — Does he have a favorite sport? You can go as simple as a ballcap sporting his favorite team’s logo to a set of tickets to enjoy a game together.
  • Bucket List — Come up with a bucket list of all of his favorite things and be up for adventures together!
  • Homemade Goodies — It may be cliché, but the way to a man’s heart truly is through his stomach. Make his favorite treat and share them together.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Mom

Moms (and mothers-in-law) love thoughtful gifts. These are some of the best gifts for all the mothers you’re shopping for.

  • A Personal Letter — There are few things a mom would love better than a handwritten note from her kid! She’ll treasure your words for years to come.
  • Family Photo — Surprise the mom in your life with a family photo. She’ll love having everyone together, and a framed photo will look perfect on her desk or family photo wall.
  • Garden SeedsGive a gift of garden seeds in honor of the mom who has a green thumb. She’ll love knowing that this gift will help a family in poverty grow food they can eat, sell in the market and even share with their neighbors.
  • Family Recipes — If your mom is a home chef type, ask her to spend the day cooking family recipes with you, and give her some recipe cards to write down all of her notes. She’ll love the special time you get to spend together.
  • Support Her Favorite Charity — If your mom has a favorite charity or cause, give a gift in her honor — and give her the free tote you got for donating!

Christmas Gift Ideas for Dad

Dad’s can be notoriously hard to shop for. But you know that your dad loves to help others almost as much as he loves gadgets, so check out this gift guide for some ideas.

  • Mosquito Net — Shopping for a dad who loves the great outdoors? Give the gift of a mosquito net in his honor this Christmas so he can protect a child in poverty from malaria.
  • Handmade Coffee Mug — For the coffee lover dad in your life, paint a coffee mug at a local DIY pottery spot. He’ll think of you every time he sees it by his coffee maker (and it’ll last much longer than the playdough treasures you used to make him).
  • BBQ Spices — If your dad is a big fan of grilling, make some homemade spice rubs as a stocking stuffer. It’s a great DIY gift that he can use all year long.
  • Fill-in-the-Blank Journal — Does the dad in your life love to tell stories? Buy a journal and fill it with questions for him to fill in, like “Tell me a fun story from your childhood” or “What’s the most important advice you could give me?” Next Christmas, he can give the journal back to you, all filled in.
  • Volunteer Together — So many dads love to help. Find a volunteer opportunity that you and your dad can do together, like doing repairs at a person’s home in your community or volunteering together at the local humane society. It’s great quality time and a way to give back.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Best Friend

Shopping for your BFF can be fun — but have you started to run out of new ideas? Find a gift that will remind them why your friendship will last a lifetime.

  • Cooking Class — If you and your bestie are also foodies, find a cooking class you can take together. You’ll have long-lasting memories and some delicious new recipes.
  • Safe Playground — If your childhood best friend is long distance now, a gift of a safe playground given in their honor won’t need any gift wrapping or postage. You can celebrate the times you used to play together with this special gift.
  • Letter Writing Gift Box — There are lots of organizations, especially ones that support children, that sell greeting cards with original art at the holidays. Tip: Search “charity greeting cards” to find some ideas. Buy a pack of cards, a roll of stamps and some nice pens for you and your friend and commit to sending letters to one another throughout the year.
  • Train for a Race Together — If you and your best friend love running, train together for a 5K, 10K, or go all out with a marathon! Your gift can be the entry fee — many races support amazing causes, so find one together that you both care about.
  • Find a Fair-Trade Gift — If you want to find a traditional gift you can put under your friend’s Christmas tree, find a fair-trade option. Many fair-trade organizations will hold in-person shopping events at the holiday, so just search for “fair-trade shopping” to find something close to you. Make sure you let your friend know the impact that was made and why you chose that gift.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Co-Workers

If you’ve given one too many gift cards to your co-workers, here are some ideas that they’ll treasure instead of a gift they’ll end up tucking away in their desk drawer!

  • Give Back Day — Work with your organization to organize a day to volunteer within your community. Coming together to serve others is a great way to bring a team closer together.
  • Christmas Cookie Party — Host a Christmas cookie exchange for your co-workers. Each will leave with a gift box filled with cookies at the end of the night. Make sure everyone brings some print outs of their cookie recipes to share!
  • Work From Home Survival Kit — If you and your co-workers work from home, make a fun survival kit. It could include things like a “Do Not Disturb” door hanger, some earplugs, a webcam cover and a handmade “You’re On Mute” sign.
  • Business SkillsGive the gift of business skills in honor of your co-workers. It’s a perfect way to celebrate their own skills while helping a young adult learn how to successfully operate a business in their honor.
  • Secret Santa — Organize a Secret Santa in your office. Anonymously pair co-workers and encourage them to send notes of encouragement and small gifts of appreciation in the week leading to Christmas.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Grandparents

So many grandparents love just about any gift they get from their grandkids. Here are some ideas for gifts that that they will truly treasure for years to come.

  • Care for a Child — One of our favorite ways to honor a grandparent is by giving care to a child in the Compassion program who is waiting to be sponsored. This allows children to receive immediate, sometimes life-saving care. It’s a beautiful way to honor the grandparents in our lives who pour into the children around them.
  • Gardening Gift Set — If you have a grandparent who loves to garden, fill a gift bag with gardening supplies, including some of your favorite flower and vegetable seeds, with the promise that you’ll come help plant the garden in the spring.
  • Membership Gift — Buy your grandparents a year-long membership to something they love doing with the grandkids. Some ideas include the zoo, a local children’s museum or an art or science museum.
  • Reading Together — So many grandparents love reading with their grandkids. Sign you and your grandparent up to volunteer at a library or elementary school to read to kids together.
  • Grandkid Notes — Reach out to all of the grandkids (and great-grandkids!) in your family and have each one write a letter to your grandparents. Put them all in a binder and present them to your grandparents on Christmas Day.

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Whole Family

Here are some unique Christmas gift ideas for all of your family members that will help you make it the best Christmas ever. Each one is a way to create lasting memories and teach the children in your life about helping others at the holidays.

  • DIY Advent Calendar — For the days leading up to Christmas, create a paper chain advent calendar. For each chain link, you can put a Christmas tradition to do that today as well as ways you can help others at Christmas. You can even drape your calendar around the Christmas tree as a fun decoration.
  • Baking Classes — When you give the gift of baking classes through Compassion’s gift catalog, you’re providing teens in the Compassion program with a marketable skill and a safe place to learn it. Tell your family about this special gift as you’re making Christmas cookies together.
  • Adopt a Family — Many local organizations, including head start programs and social services offices, will offer a chance to adopt a family at Christmas. You can shop for gifts together and include an encouraging note for the mom and dad, letting them know they are loved in a time that is likely difficult for them.
  • Adventure Jar — Get together as a family and create an adventure jar — all the things you want to do together this year. Whenever you want to have some fun, pull a new adventure from the jar!
  • Movie Night in a Box — Find a family movie that everyone loves (or an Amazon gift card to rent one), and put it in a box with some popcorn, movie candy, soda (or juice) and a blanket for everyone to cuddle under.

We hope that this list of meaningful Christmas gifts has been helpful — and has sparked some of your own ideas. You can also browse all of the gifts in our Gift Catalog for more gift ideas for those in your life you’d like to honor with a life-changing present.

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