Uncluttered Gifts

What do you give the person who needs nothing? Whether gift-buying for a one-percenter or someone who has simplified to the point that they need no new gadgets or media and may not want consumables, there are other options:

1. Give your time. While a book of “Love Coupons” may not be the answer, many people will happily accept gifts of time and labour — raking leaves, running errands, or maybe an evening of card games. You might be surprised what  can make people happy.
2. Give to others. As Kiddo showed with her Santa’s Anonymous giving, there are plenty of places you can put your cash to work for others. Look local, whether seasonal like Santa’s Anonymous or Twamper or ongoing like Women In Need or Kids Help Phone;  or go global, consider a Kiva gift certificate for micro-loans.
3. Give the gift of a free internet. Three organizations I wholeheartedly support are EFF (the Electronic Frontier Foundation), Wikipedia, and the Internet Archive.
4. Give the gift of education. Know a designer or coder who could use a few hours of training? Consider Lynda.com gift subscriptions or, closer to home, Those DeWolfes Creative would be happy to put together a custom course for your loved one(s) on any topic in our toolkit! Not looking for tech education? How about a cooking class, art class or language lessons?
5. Give the gift of health & recreation. Check with your local rec centre for drop in passes, punch cards, monthly or even annual passes. In Greater Victoria, $449 will buy an annual regional pass good at 13 rec centres in the region. Cycling clinics, golf passes, yoga classes and almost any other activity are also great gift ideas. Or, coming full circle to the gift of your time, commit to meeting your giftee regularly for walks, kayaking, tennis, or some other activity!

Also, a reminder for the kids in your life that gifts need not involve plastic or pixels. Consider this list of the five best toys of all time — I bet it will make you smile.