Every Day is Caturday, Plus Holiday Gifting Guide

Whenever I look up from working, a cat has appeared. This particular moment was funny because I moved the beanbag right up next to my desk to make room for the Christmas tree and somehow I still managed not to notice him joining me.

I count it as a Christmas blessing that we've ended up with a cat who has absolutely no interest in Christmas trees. The tree skirt, though... he will endlessly burrow under and then sit, purring, convinced that no one can see him and he has found the best hiding place ever.😆

Usually my Caturday posts are news-related, but I just did one of those last week (it is now the pinned post--hooray we have pinned posts at last!). So instead, I'll do a 'oh no, the holidays are coming, WHAT DO I GIVE' list of suggestions, because I love gift-giving and I think about this all the time so you all should borrow my brain if you need it. ❤️

Not sure what to give people? Try this stuff:

• Maintenance Gifts - Everyone needs to resupply stuff frequently. Think about what your giftee uses regularly (postage stamps, moisturizer, socks, dog food, etc.) and consider getting them their next supply of it. I know it doesn't seem exciting to buy someone printer ink, but if they have to constantly buy printer ink it's really really nice to not have to do it at least once. It might be awkward to ask someone about their favorite brands or actual items, but I bet they won't mind when they discover what you're up to. I know I love these gifts because they say "I want to support your actual life so you can relax a little."
• Food Gifts - Related to maintenance gifts... everyone needs food! Consider buying ingredients as well as fancy holiday specials, though. One of my favorite gifts to give is the Everlasting Vanilla Extract bottle (created by buying any plain vodka that comes in a glass bottle and then dropping 4-6 vanilla beans in it). The Everlasting Bottle can be topped off with new beans/vodka and you never need to buy vanilla extract again... I've had mine for over 15 years! So consider stuff like fancy salt, balsamic vinegar, cooking oils, and spices as well as (or instead of) baskets full of chocolate or candy.
• Experience Gifts - Most of us have enough stuff. If there's some way to buy someone an experience, like a canoe trip, a harp lesson, or a massage... that's often a lot more memorable than any single-use object or gadget. Experiences can even be personal ("I'll teach you x"), and if you don't live nearby there's always Facetime or Skype. Nor do experiences have to be big or expensive, either. Dinner gift cards, tarot readings, or movie tickets are just as nice as trips to Europe, which is the kind of extravagance most people think of when they hear 'experiences'. 
• Life Management Gifts - Related to both experience and maintenance gifts are life management gifts, which are things like "I'll babysit for you" or "I'll help you organize your schedule" or "I'll come clean your pantry" or "I'll find you a doctor or help with your resume." Obviously a gift you can only offer if you have expertise and trust, but wow, such a powerful help if you can swing it...! If you aren't capable of the things you're offering and can afford to buy the expertise, you can do that too: find a lawyer to help a middle-aged friend draft a will or DNR agreement, hire a cleaning service for a stressed friend, buy them a year of tech support or a warranty, whatever seems most useful.
• Charity Gifts - Finally, for the person who has everything and needs nothing, giving to charity in their name is often fun. "Adopt" an animal from a place like Big  Cat Rescue and get their portrait for your giftee, or buy them a vial for freezing tumor samples from Johns Hopkins Ovarian Cancer Research. The possibilities are as endless as your giftee’s favorite charities. There’s often a fun way to use a physical item, too, like buying a tiny cow plush to represent a ‘share in a cow’ from Heifer International, or a dog treat for a dog-lover to represent a donation to K9s for Warriors.

An extra section here for gifting to new parents:

• Intangible Stuff – As above, food and life management and maintenance gifts are handy, especially things like pre-prepared foods, grocery gift certificates, or cleaning/laundry help. Also, though, new parents are often up at really crazy hours at night, and it can be lonely. If timezones and scheduling permit, keeping parents company via late night texting can be welcome. I know it kept me from despair and exhaustion frequently! (You can express this one as a promise: "I am awake during your 2 am to your 5 am, and I am willing to chat then; add a note in your contacts!"... that'll make it easier for them to remember when it's okay to text, and remove the 'but what if I'm bothering them' guilt.)
• Tangible Stuff – Some things that I really really appreciated as a new parent involved swaddling blankets (just do a search), baby laundry detergent (you go through SO MUCH WASHING), and boxes of diapers (I didn’t care about the brand as long as they were the right size). But I have two go-tos for new parents, because people don’t tend to buy them unless they’ve gone through the experience recently. One is a medicine syringe with adapter, something like this… because when Baby gets sick, dosing medicine out of bottles of liquid is hard without the adapter and getting it into the baby without the syringe, likewise. The other, for parents with cars, is a backseat mirror system, which reflects a view of Baby in their backward facing carseat so a driving parent can glance up and see if they’re all right.

I love the holidays! I know people always tut-tut that we spend so much money at the end of the year and talk about rampant consumerism, and while I agreed that we shouldn’t buy stuff for the sake of stuff I can’t join the naysayers on this one. People say it’s a sign of our inherent selfishness, but what does it say about us that every merchant in the country expects to make their profit for the year in the few months when we make most of our purchases on behalf of others?

I think that’s really cool. But I also know it’s stressful, so I hope this list helps you find something for that person you’re flailing about. 🎄

Please, share your favorite gift ideas below, either given or received! Maybe you'll help someone else!