Danya Faye | A Vintage Flare Farmhouse Top 5 Meaningful Gift Ideas AND Top 5 Dirty Santa Gift Ideas
Lost on what to get that special person for Christmas? Or trying to find that special gift that will wow your loved one or friend? I have some great ideas with added meaning and some fun ideas for playing games like Dirty Santa!
I seem to struggle most with my husband and my adult boys. Why is it so hard for them to tell me what they want. Anyone else feel my pain? I commonly get, “I donno”.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is my beautiful daughter. Even as a semi-adult she will still give me a very lengthy list. lol!!
I have joined in with a few friends to help give y’all some gift ideas! Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to check out everyone else’s gift ideas.
Top 5 Meaningful Gift Ideas
1. Map that brings back special memories
Recently I worked with grafo map to design a map of a place that is special to our family.
A little story behind my map… I love the beach and warm weather, but much like my sons versus my daughters Christmas lists, me and my husband are total opposites. He loves the mountains and the cold weather. This makes vacations a little challenging. How do we solve this? We compromise of course! We alternate the beach one year and the mountains the next.
He LOVES Montana. I am 100% sure if I agreed to move from Arkansas he would pack up tomorrow and move there. So can you guess where we vacation every other year? Yep, Montana. I agree with him that Montana has some of the most breathtaking views and I am good with visiting as long as its summertime.
Our very favorite place there is a highway called Bear Tooth Pass. It is one of the highest elevations in the state and is closed for part of the year due to snow and ice. It stretches from Wyoming to Montana. The drive up is beautiful, but nothing beats the view from the top. We always park the truck off and on along the highway and get out and play in the snow (yes snow in July), look for animals, admire the flowers peeking through the snow, and take lots of pictures. We have so many stunning pictures from this area and so many memories.
You can design a map of anywhere and can add icons to it such as a heart or a house. I chose our favorite stretch of the highway for our map and then had a heart placed along the windy part that we love the most. My husband was so surprised when he saw it. We all love it and treasure the memories that looking at it brings to us. I plan on getting some of our photos from Bear Tooth Pass made into canvases and hanging them around the map.
Check them out HERE.
2. Wallet with initials and personal message
I was blown away with Swanky Badger’s gifts for men. My boys are 25 and 22 years old and for sure much harder to buy for now then when they were little. I wanted something for them that was super special! Swanky Badger has a variety of products to choose from such as wallets, cologne, or shaving sets. I decided on a personalized wallet. I was able to pick the style and color of the wallet and then add their initials to the outside and a message for the inside. My dad passed away 4 years ago. The boys loved their PawPaw so much and of course miss him. I came up with a message from him to the boys and then signed it with PawPaw and his initials. I will never forget their faces when they read the message. Almost everyone in the room had tears.
Check them out HERE
There are so many places now that can do personalized jewelry for you. You can do something as simple as your loved ones initials, to as complex as sending in handwriting and having the message made in that design. Last year I had a necklace made with love you on one charm and dad on the other charm. These were in the handwriting of my dad and were perfect.
4. Tumbler, wood, or glass with initials or unique message
This is a fairly inexpensive way to show someone you how much you care for them. A couple of years ago my middle son and his girlfriend had tumblers made for all of us with our names. Mine had Danya (my name) and a heart with a stethoscope on it. I’m a Nurse Practitioner. I absolutely LOVED this gift. They also took an old frame and had our last name and the year we were married placed on it. Both are great ideas that mean so much.
5. Crepe paper flowers
Love flowers but hate to see them wilt away and die? Well my friend Dani at Out of My Bloomin Mind has the perfect solution. Dani is an extremely talented paper florist. She uses crepe paper to create a gorgeous flower that you can enjoy for years and years. Her arrangements are stunning. Plus, no dying and wilting away. only They are beautiful and the detail that she puts into each flower amazes me.
“Not all flowers fade.” -Dani
Check her out HERE
Top 5 Dirty Santa Gift Ideas
Here are a few fun ideas for games like Dirty Santa or Secret Santa for $20 or less.
1. Tumbler filled with candy
Surely everyone loves a tumbler mug. You can find a good large tumbler for around $18. Then just fill the mug with candy and tie a bow around it. Super easy and usually a gift the guys playing will try to steal.
2. Plush throw and lotion or a candle
There are so many places that sell throws for $10-$15. Then just pair it with your favorite lotion or candle.
3. Flashlight set
This is great for the guys. Heck sometime the girls will surprise you and try to keep it.
4. Gift Cards
Not good at being creative or in a hurry? Everywhere sells gift cards now. You can purchase one card for $20 or multiple small ones as a gift card set. The options are endless…. Home Depot, Target, Starbucks, Sonic, TJ Maxx
5. Spa set
Gather up several girly spa items such as neutral nail polish, lip gloss, small lotion, bath bomb, fluffy socks and put all of it in a gift bag. Who doesn’t love to be pampered!
That’s it! Hope some of these ideas will help you find the perfect gift for your loved on or friends. Don’t forget to check out the post below for more GREAT gift ideas!!!
-Danya
Don’t forget to give me a follow here and in Instagram and Pinterest
https://olympicnest.com/blog/5-budget-friendly-diy-gift-ideas-for-christmas
https://decorateandmorewithtip.com/
Danya, the gift ideas you share are all great gifts. I love the map. I need to look at that for my neighbors, they travel a lot now since they retired. It would be a great gift and some push pins so they can place where they have been. Thanks for the idea and for hosting this hop! Merry Christmas!
Thank you Terrie and thank you for joining me 🙂
Oooo I love these ideas! Especially the wallets and maps!
Thank you Jessica 🙂
Such great ideas!! Love that map so much! I’ve definitely got to check them out!
Thank you so much for so many great ideas!
-Emily
Thank you Emily. I love all of your stocking stuffer ideas!
These are all great ideas!! Love the map!
Thank you Michelle