I loved these fun ideas I read about HERE (I cut and pasted them below for you).
One of the most magical parts of Christmas is the opportunity to give. We’ve helped make gift-giving simple and affordable this season by sharing our top Christmas neighbor gift ideas. Gather your family, vote on your favorites, and make some magical Christmas memories together.
That’s right, our #1 neighbor gift idea is
No Gifts. As fun as it is to give and receive Christmas gifts from neighbors, we wanted our #1 idea to be one that truly encompasses the true meaning of the Christmas spirit.
This idea could take a little planning on your part, but the rewards could be the greatest.
Instead of giving neighbor Christmas gifts, agree as a neighborhood not to. Use all of the money that would have been spent on each other towards a charitable cause.
Here is an example of a possible invitation for a neighborhood caroling night:
“Instead of giving neighborhood gifts,
Together a family’s hearts we will lift.
Use that money to fill your shopping cart
With toys and food, a gift from the heart.
One family will start the caroling tradition
Singing while on a neighborhood mission.
We’ll arrive on your doorstep singing a song,
Grab your family and join in, you’ll come right along.
But before stepping out and starting to sing
Don’t forget your charitable donation to bring.
To the next door we’ll carol and add to our crowd
We’ll add and we’ll add ‘til we’re incredibly loud.
Finally we’ll stop for a neighborhood treat,
At the Cauffmans’ home we will mingle and greet.
Although our fingers and toes may be freezin’
We will capture the true spirit of this special season.
“Please join us as our neighborhood carols for a cause on December 15th. We will start caroling at 7 o’clock and pick up your family sometime shortly thereafter. We plan to finish at the Cauffmans’ home for treats around 8 o’clock. Thank you for being a part of something bigger this year as our neighborhood grants a special family’s Christmas wish. Think of the smiles…”
At first glance, it is easy to look at a towel as a most ordinary object. Have you ever stopped to think that for thousands of years, the towel has been used for many wonderful purposes? For example, the mother who wipes the tears of a child to soothe an emotional or physical hurt, the physician who binds the wounds of a bleeding patient, or the woman in her home wiping her hands as she moves from task to task.
Perhaps the most significant use of the towel happened nearly two thousand years ago when our Savior, only hours before He hung on the cross, took an ordinary towel in His loving hands and dried the feet of His disciples. This simple, loving act personifies the selflessness and loving service we seek to give during our lives. It illustrates that an ordinary thing like a towel, in the right hands, and with a giving heart, can lighten another’s load. As with every action performed by the Savior on this earth, His act of service reminds us that simple day-to-day kindnesses are the Savior’s way to bless and comfort.
Tag idea: “This towel is given with love and with the hope you will do works of goodness with it as the Savior did so many years ago. May the absorbing spirit of the season blot our problems, soak up sorrows, wipe away difficulties, and may your holidays be shining and bright!’
Doing the dishes for your neighbor? What could be a better gift than that? Deliver paper plates with a tag saying, “Don’t let your dishes pile up this busy holiday season. Let our family ‘do the dishes’ this week!"
Batteries are essentials on Christmas morning. Your neighbors will appreciate this practical gift!
Tag idea: “Hope you have enough energy to make it through the holidays! Merry Christmas!”
The best gifts are always simple, useful, and inexpensive. Try this easy idea: transparent tape. We all need it, especially at Christmastime. Decorate it or simply put the rhyme on it.
Here’s the poem that can be attached to it:
“Christmastime is often a rush,
With so much to do and no time to hush.
We hope this tape on the fridge in full sight,
Will keep you home from the store one more night!”
Cute, huh? But here’s what makes it ingenious: hot glue a magnet on the back so that it never gets lost because it’s on the refrigerator. We love this.
Our dollar store has the dispenser that is solid on the back so it’s easy to glue the magnet on. Dispensers with an open back wouldn’t work as well, so keep that in mind when you’re buying your tape.
We keep our tape on the side of the refrigerator all year and never have to scramble to find it. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!
We love giving this gift. Not only that, we’d love to receive this! This no-calorie gift is practical and fun to receive, and you can use any type of soap.
Tag idea: “We wash you a merry Christmas, we wash you a merry Christmas, we wash you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!”
Attach to a bag of M&M’s a tag that says the following:
“As you hold these candies in your hand and turn them you will see,
The M become a W, an E, and then a 3.
They tell the Christmas story, it’s the one I’m sure you know.
It took place in a stable a long, long time ago.
The E is for the East, where the star shone so bright.
The M is for the manger where baby Jesus slept that night.
The 3 is for the Wise Men bearing gifts and so they came.
W is for worship—Hallelujah, praise His name.
So as you eat these candies, or share them with a friend,
Remember the meaning of Christmas . . . It’s a story that never ends.”
Spread some love this season with holiday heart attacks!
You’ve probably seen paper “heart attacks” around Valentine’s Day, but why not show your neighbors some love at Christmas time? Make a bunch of Christmas-colored hearts with your family and write little notes to your neighbors on them. Then stick them on the front of their door for a fun holiday heart attack surprise!
Do you often take the opportunity to tell your friends and neighbors how grateful you are and that you “take note” of how much they do for you? Christmas is the perfect occasion for gratitude and recognition, and this is the perfect avenue.
Everyone can use a cute note pad. We got ours at a craft store for a dollar, and it has a magnet on the back (added plus). Remove the cellophane and personalize it by being the first one to leave a note for your friend.
Christmas is always so busy, so why not take all the hard work you did in the summer and make Christmas a breeze? We took gallons of cherries and made them into Christmas gifts in July, so when the holidays arrived we were already prepared.
Tag idea: “Don’t let the season get you in a jam. We hope this helps keep your Christmas cherry and bright.”
If you’re feeling ambitious, take your jam with a loaf of bread or some rolls. Too busy for any of the homemade stuff? Buy the jam, decorate it, and you’re good to go!
These are so great for cold toes after sledding or a snowball fight. You just pop them in the microwave for a couple minutes, put them on your cold toes or hands, and—aahh—instant warmth. They are also great for sore muscles.
Tag idea: “Stay warm and toasty this holiday season. Merry Christmas!”
To make: Sew a pouch, fill it with wheat or rice, and sew it closed. I used a washcloth for my material and added a ribbon embellishment, but you could use any fabric. (Be sure not to use ribbon with wire in it—for obvious reasons.)
Clean and cover any type of can that has a lid (baby formula cans work great) with festive scrapbook paper or wrapping paper. Grab your favorite cookie recipe and start baking with your family.
Fill your Christmas cookie cans (to the brim please!) and deliver to smiling neighbors and friends.
Dinnertime is crazy, especially during the holidays. Relieve your neighbors one night by ‘making’ them dinner: a frozen meal. If you have enough time, you can make a day of it and make a lot of frozen dinners . . . or just buy some. Either way, you can feel good knowing you’ve helped out your neighbor for one night.
Tag idea: “‘What’s for dinner?’ During the holidays we hear this a lot; just heat this [lasagna] until it is hot!”
Attach Christmas tags and bows to a roll of wrapping paper and you have an easy neighbor Christmas gift you know they can use.
Tag idea: “Wrap yourself up in a wonderful holiday season.”
We hope these gift-giving ideas make your Christmas season a little simpler, and hopefully you make some sweet family memories.
