Making a Plan for Gift Giving [Episode 5]

Heidi  0:04

Welcome to the Holiday Headtart Podcast where we get intentional about kicking overwhelme to the curb and bringing the joy back to your holidays, and every day. I’m Heidi.

 

Emily  0:15

And I’m Emily. We’re two sisters and former elementary school teachers who’ve taken the simple strategies and practical tips we mastered in the classroom and put them to work in our personal lives.

 

Heidi  0:27

And we’re here to help you do the same. Join us each week as we share how, with a little planning and a little prep, you can ensure that the days that make life special don’t become the days that make you stressed.

 

Emily  0:39

You can check out the show notes at theholidayheadstart.com. Ready to get a head start on your holidays? Let’s go.

 

Emily  0:51

Hey there, friends. Welcome back to the Holiday Headstart Podcast. Today we’re talking about planning your gift giving and sharing a tip for keeping track of what you’ve bought.

 

Heidi  1:01

Traditions are powerful, whether they’re family customs handed down from our grandparents or brand new creations. Traditions are an important tool in building a healthy, happy, connected life. This week, we have a tradition from our very own Emily, she’s going to fill us in on her kickoff to October tradition.

 

Emily  1:20

Well a friend of mine mentioned that when her kids were old enough to start reading Harry Potter, that she didn’t want them to blow through the books too fast, especially because the topics tend to get a little darker as the books go on too.

 

Heidi  1:33

Yes, they do.

 

Emily  1:34

So she would read one a year in October, and so I think it was about five years ago, I started doing the same thing, and I don’t think it was that year. I actually think it was the next year that I decided to have a kickoff dinner to celebrate starting our new Harry Potter book each year. So we have a Harry Potter feast that we do every year. It used to be on October 1. Now it’s sometimes late September instead. It also kind of depends, when we finish up what other books we’re reading. If we’re ready to start Harry, we might do it earlier. Right now we’re like racing through the second Percy Jackson book so that we’re ready to read Harry soon. So now we do a family dinner, basically, where we treat it sort of like a Hogwarts feast, and we get out the wizard robes, and Heidi got me fun Hogwarts themed plates that have the house crests. Is that what it is on them?

 

Heidi  2:37

Yeah. So there’s the four house crests for each one, yes. And the kids are always arguing over who gets, has, who has to eat off Slytherin.

 

Emily  2:44

I know you’d think one of these years, they’re all going to be fighting over who gets Slytherin, because it’s more fun. So the favorite part for me is, for sure, the decor, because there’s so much fun Harry Potter decor now that it’s really fun to pull out all the fun things that I’ve acquired over the years, like hanging candles.

 

Heidi  3:07

So fun.

 

Emily  3:08

The floating candles, I mean that you can hang from your ceiling. And we have an interactive Hedwig, the owl that Heidi got us, that comes out only during the Harry Potter dinner. Our American girl has a Hogwarts outfit and a trunk with a broom. It’s so cute. That’s my favorite part, for sure, and the kids love it. It’s super memorable. I am grateful that the food is actually the least important part, because as someone who doesn’t really like to cook, the kids don’t seem to even remember what we do for the meal, as long as we have the fun decorations and all of that, and it just kicks off the fun of reading a new book. And we are starting book six this year, so we’re almost done with all of them, and then I guess we’ll reread.

 

Heidi  3:52

You’ll have to split seven up into two books, like they do in the movies.

 

Emily  3:56

I might. They’re so long, some of these are so long, and we don’t always—we read most nights, but not every night, and sometimes not for very long. So sometimes getting through these Harry Potter books, it’s like January before we finish the one we started in October. So if we had more dedicated time every night to read, we could probably get through them faster. But the books are very long.

 

Heidi  4:19

Very long.

 

Emily  4:21

If anybody has any good ideas for the meal, definitely let me know. I wonder if maybe the idea is to go the other direction and go more just like Harry Potter themed foods, instead of like the feast. But the feast is fun because we just basically do like comfort food. So I don’t know.

 

Heidi  4:35

We got options. And like you said, the food is probably the least important part of it all.

 

Emily  4:39

It’s true, especially because I have a household of picky eaters, so…

 

Heidi  4:44

Well, I wasn’t gonna say it, but…

 

Heidi  4:47

We would love to hear about your favorite traditions. Any suggestions you have for our Harry Potter dinner. Come join the conversation at theholidayheadstart over on Instagram.

 

Emily  4:56

In our last episode, we introduced you to our Holiday Headstart Playbook, and we started by talking about the foundations of intentional planning. When we focus on the whys of our holiday planning, it makes us much more successful in dealing with our what’s.

 

Heidi  5:12

If you haven’t writtenyour own purpose statement yet, go back and check out episode four and spend some time working on that. A purpose statement explains why all of the work that we are about to do is worth it. It helps us identify what is worthy of our time and our energy and our money.

 

Emily  5:29

Your purpose statement can also give you clarity about which “what” options are most worthwhile. When it comes to holiday planning, the whats are all of those millions of tiny details you have to sort out. What are you eating for Christmas breakfast? What are you putting in stockings? What Christmas card do you want to send? All that fun stuff.

 

Heidi  5:49

And today we are tackling one of the biggest whats, although this what starts with a who.

 

Emily  5:55

If you say, Who’s on First, I’m out of here.

 

Heidi  5:59

This is a baseball free zone, I can guarantee that.

 

Emily  6:02

Please, all sports ball free zone except Quidditch. We can talk about Quidditch.

 

Heidi  6:08

Today we are talking about, who are we giving gifts to? Ideally, when we’re talking about holiday planning, you know, we talk budget before we talk gift giving. But I kind of couldn’t figure out how to make that interesting for a podcast. We are skipping a couple steps ahead, past budget to the who to give to list.

 

Emily  6:26

The Holiday Headstart playbook has several pages to help you figure out who to buy for and what to get them. There are pages for gift ideas, wish lists, shopping lists, past gift lists, stocking lists, sanity gift lists, so many more. The number of lists needed at Christmas is really quite astounding.

 

Heidi  6:46

And one of those lists is our who to give to list. In some years, I have written down my list of who to buy for, and some years I just try to keep it all straight in my head, and I will let you guess which option has had better results.

 

Emily  7:01

Yeah, I’m guessing that writing it down saved you from a few headaches.

 

Heidi  7:05

Yeah, and it also saved me a few dollars. I have more than once bought multiple gifts for someone because I wasn’t keeping track.

 

Emily  7:12

Yep, been there.

 

Heidi  7:13

Yeah, it’s all in our past. We are writing it down now. So let’s start by looking at the who to give to list.

 

Emily  7:15

As we mentioned, there is a sheet for this in the Holiday Headstart playbook, but you can easily set this up for yourself. You can grab a piece of paper or open a Google Sheet, and you’re good to go.

 

Heidi  7:30

We’ll start by splitting our paper or our sheet into four columns. Our first column is for our closest loved ones. The second column is for our other loved ones. The third column is for friends and others. And then our last column, we’re calling share the love.

 

Emily  7:47

If you notice, we’re working from your closest circle out. So we’ve got your immediate family in your closest loved ones column. Other loved ones might include family outside your immediate family and your friends who feel like family. Then we move out a little more, we’ve got more extended family and the level of friend where you buy each other gifts, even though you’re never really sure what to get them.

 

Heidi  8:09

Our last column, the share the love column, is for teachers, coworkers, neighbors and anyone else on the edges of your circle that you would like to recognize at Christmas.

 

Emily  8:21

You also might want to consider if there are people in your orbit who could use a little love this holiday season, maybe someone who might be lonely this year, or someone facing a hard challenge. You might want to include them on your share of the love list as well.

 

Heidi  8:35

Once you have your columns set up, start adding your people to your lists. If you don’t typically buy someone a gift, don’t worry about adding them to this list, even if they’re part of your closest family. As you start listing people, don’t worry about getting your categories perfect. The point is to just kind of get a big idea of who you’re closest to.

 

Emily  8:53

Now that you’ve got a list of everyone you usually buy gifts for, or would like to buy gifts for, the first thing we’re going to do is delete, people, delete, delete, delete.

 

Heidi  9:05

I know that sounds a little harsh, but we want to trim where we can. With unlimited resources, you could stretch this gift list for pages, but I’m going to guess that you don’t have unlimited resources. So is there anyone’s gift that you could skip this year? That doesn’t mean that you’re skipping recognizing them altogether. So for example, with one of my friends, we decided to skip exchanging gifts, and instead we put the money that we would have put on a gift toward a fun lunch outing after December. Spending time with a friend is the best kind of gift, and it is just a bonus that also means one less thing to buy in December.

 

Emily  9:41

Another way to trim your gift list is to suggest drawing names instead of buying a gift for each person in a group.

 

Heidi  9:47

Or, you know, you could get all the adults to be honest, admit that they really don’t need another gift and you should all just donate to a charitable cause instead. But depending on your group, that might be a tough sell.

 

Emily  9:58

Yeah, if someone’s Christmas profile ranks high on abundance, they’re probably someone who enjoys giving and getting gifts. That’s why the holiday profile quiz can be so helpful. If gifts don’t matter much to you, but they really matter to someone you love, that can be a source of conflict if you’re not aware of your different priorities.

 

Heidi  10:17

If you haven’t already make sure you check out the holiday profile quiz at quiz.theholidayheadstart.com. By recognizing where your ideal holiday is similar to your loved ones and where it’s different, you can make sure and plan the type of holiday that everyone enjoys.

 

Emily  10:37

But getting back to our gift list, once you’ve categorized your list of people to buy for, there are two things you need to know. First, who is getting a single gift from you and who is getting multiple gifts.

 

Heidi  10:48

Most people on your list probably fall into the single gift category, but the people in your closest loved ones list might be lucky enough to be getting more than one gift from you.

 

Emily  10:58

Right now, just focus on the wrapped under the tree type gifts, any stocking gifts or gifts delivered by sleigh should be added to separate lists.

 

Heidi  11:07

We make all the lists for Christmas. You can do this all on your own paper. But if you have the Holiday Headstart playbook, our who to give to list has two handy features. First, below each name, there’s a drop down menu where you can choose if the person gets a single gift, multiple gifts, no gifts, or other and then there’s a second drop down menu for level of gift

 

Emily  11:29

For each person on your list, you need to know if you’re getting that person a personal gift, a thoughtful gift or a friendly gift. A personal gift is something meaningful to the recipient. Maybe it’s something they asked for, or it’s something you saw and thought they would love.

 

Heidi  11:43

Thoughtful gifts are a step below that. They’re a token of your love for the person, but they might be more along the lines of a book you thought they’d like, or their favorite brand of coffee, as opposed to a new bathrobe.

 

Emily  11:56

Our third tier of gifts is friendly gifts. Friendly gifts are more about the symbol of giving a gift than the actual gift. Think candle, mug, cookies, hand soap, lotion. They’re all gifts that most recipients would enjoy, but they’re not necessarily geared toward the person’s wish list.

 

Heidi  12:13

I know this can sound a little mercenary, but it’s something that we are doing in our heads already. A pack of Expo markers and a Target gift card is perfect for your child’s teacher. It would be weird to track down a vintage Strawberry Shortcake doll for her, even if you know that she liked Strawberry Shortcake as a kid.

 

Emily  12:29

Right, the point of making this list with our categories of names and tiers of gifts is to make a map of where to spend our time and energy. It can help us identify where we can simplify. If you’ve got four college roommates on your list, maybe you can get them all the same thoughtful gift, like the latest Emily Henry book.

 

Heidi  12:46

Or maybe you have always given your parents multiple gifts, because that’s just what you’ve always done, and now that you see it written down, you realize that they really don’t need a bunch of stuff to store. So maybe you could switch to giving them single gifts instead.

 

Emily  13:00

When we take the time to write down what we do and what we’re thinking, it empowers us to make real, meaningful change. It helps us recognize what we’re doing and make an intentional plan for what we want to do going forward.

 

Heidi  13:13

As you’re thinking about gifts this year, start with your who to give to list. Make four columns, closest loved ones, other loved ones, friends and others, and share the love. Add the names of the people that you’d like to give gifts to in the appropriate column. Then decide if each person is getting a single gift or multiple gifts. And last, decide what tier of gift you plan on giving them. Is it a personal gift, a thoughtful gift or friendly gift?

 

Emily  13:39

If you want someone to set up your list for you, you’re in luck, because it’s all ready to go in the Holiday Headstart playbook. You can get your own copy at theholidayheadstart.com/playbook or click the link in our show notes.

 

Emily  13:52

Now it’s time for a get a head start tip. Each week we leave you with a small actionable tip to help you get a head start on your holiday planning. This week’s get a head start tip is, inventory your gift stockpile. Tell us more about this. Heidi.

 

Heidi  14:06

This is something I have learned the hard way. If you are someone who buys Christmas gifts throughout the year, take a little pause before your gift buying ramps up this season, and inventory what you have already stashed away. You think that you’ll remember that you already got a book for one person and a game for another, and a sweater that you found at a President’s Day sale for someone else, but you won’t, and that is how you end up buying gifts for people that you’ve already bought gifts for. So take five to 10 minutes right now and go through your closet stockpile. And if you don’t have a place to keep notes about the gifts you’ve bought, there is a sheet in the Holiday Headstart for recording your gift inventory.

 

Emily  14:48

Yeah, I almost need to pause this recording and go do mine right now before I forget, because I know I have some gifts stockpiled that I forgot about. Better get on that.

 

Heidi  14:57

Yeah, you better get on that, or we’re gonna end up on Christmas Eve, pulling all kinds of stuff out of closets.

 

Emily  15:02

Yeah, you’ve been there with me before, so you know.

 

Emily  15:06

As a way to keep ourselves accountable and give you some ideas of what you can do in advance for your own celebrations, we’re sharing what we’re working on this week. Heidi, what’s on your to do list?

 

Heidi  15:16

I need to get my Christmas cards picked out pronto. The site I order from has a sale that ends in a couple of days, so I’ve got to get on it. And since I don’t have to worry about getting a family photo, it’s easy for me to order my cards way in advance, just rubbing in it a little bit there. My apologies for those of you who have offspring to photograph.

 

Emily  15:38

I know I would love to cross Christmas cards off my list already, but that would have involved figuring pictures out already, and that has not happened.

 

Heidi  15:46

Emily, what are you doing to get ahead this week?

 

Emily  15:48

Well, I’m prepping for our Harry Potter dinner, so I need to check our floating candles. I had to get a new set because one of my children took the wand out trick or treating last year, and it got lost. So our wand that used to turn the candles on and off is gone. I ordered a new set, but it came like after Halloween, so I haven’t tested it yet, so I need to test that. And then I do like to add some new decorations every year. So I need to, like today, decide if I’m ordering any of them that I’ve had my eye on. I saw some really fun replicas of the Daily Profit newspaper that I think I’m going to order from Etsy. I just have to remember to tuck a couple of them away until we’ve finished certain books.

 

Heidi  16:30

Oh yes.

 

Emily  16:31

After next year, I won’t have to worry about spoilers anymore, but I do have to currently still worry about that, so gonna narrow those down and get them ordered. There’s also, like, garlands of Harry Potter acceptance letters that you can like string up by your fireplace, so it looks like a whole bunch of letters are flying through your fireplace. So I’m trying to decide on those too, because they’re not cheap, but they’re so cute. They have wax seals and, so adorable. So, anyway, gotta decide that like this weekend and get those ordered.

 

Heidi  17:01

But hey, gold star to you for knowing that the one got lost last Halloween and ordering the replacement right away.

 

Emily  17:07

Yes, I knew that I needed to get on it or I would go to pull them out and be sorry. So at least I have done that.

 

Heidi  17:15

To wrap up the show, we are sharing our nice list. Emily, what made it on your nice list this week?

 

Emily  17:20

I’m putting the recipe management app Paprika on my list.

 

Heidi  17:23

Oh, fun. I just like the name.

 

Emily  17:25

It is a cute name. So typically, when I’m cooking, I’m consulting a recipe from like, a website on my phone, which is a real hassle, trying to, like, keep the screen on and get through the recipe with my sticky fingers. And what’s great about Paprika is that you can paste the recipe link into the app, and then it automatically fetches and organizes the recipe for you, complete with any pictures from the original site. It’s so handy, plus, your phone won’t go to sleep when the app is open. Now it is a paid app, but I’m pretty sure it’s only a few bucks and you just have to pay it one time. There’s no subscription. It’s been a total lifesaver for me, and I’m not a fan of cooking to begin with, so I need all the help I can get to keep things organized and straightforward.

 

Heidi  18:06

I’m gonna have to get that because there’s so many times where it’s like, you got dough or meat juice on your hand, and you’re like, Oh, my phone went to sleep.

 

Emily  18:13

Yep, absolutely. What’s on your nice list this week, Heidi?

 

Heidi  18:17

Well, I am putting the US Post Office new holiday stamps on my nice list. They have got some really pretty designs this year. I’ve used the L stamp the past few years, if you know that one.

 

Emily  18:30

It’s very cute.

 

Heidi  18:31

I really like this year’s holiday Joy series. They’re very pretty. Now, I know this sounds crazy, but I pick my Christmas card design so that it coordinates with the stamp. So it is important to me that I have good stamps, and I own that that is so silly, but it matters to me. And so I just want to enjoy sending pretty cards, even if no one else notices that those features coordinate.

 

Emily  18:55

Hey, it’s good to recognize something that brings you joy and just enjoy it. And I enjoy it when it comes in the mail.

 

Heidi  19:03

Oh, well, that’s good.

 

Emily  19:04

I haven’t looked at the new stamp, so I’m excited to look.

 

Heidi  19:06

They have some fun ones. They have some pretty snowflakes this year. And then, like, the winter animals that they had last year, they’re kind of like Charlie Harper-esque.

 

Emily  19:13

Yes, I think I used those last year.

 

Heidi  19:15

Yep, they have some fun ones. I wish they had some, like, religious ones that didn’t look like Renaissance paintings because I can’t find cards to match that.

 

Emily  19:25

Yeah, there should be, there should be something in the middle there.

 

Heidi  19:28

Maybe next year,

 

Emily  19:29

I do like to order my stamps early, so I’m glad you mentioned this so I can remember to go order them and not have to be scrambling at the last minute.

 

Heidi  19:36

Yes, that’s when, especially if they sell out of a design that you like.

 

Emily  19:39

That happened to me last year where I had pre- I had ordered stamps early, but not enough. I wasn’t thinking, and then when I needed more, that design was sold out. So, not letting that happen this year.

 

Heidi  19:51

Yes, but this is your warning. So inventory your gifts and order your stamps.

 

Emily  19:54

Yes.

 

Heidi  19:57

That is it for today’s episode. Start your gift list with a list of who to buy for ,and to you and to Emily and everyone else, don’t forget today’s tip to inventory any gifts that you’ve already stashed away.

 

Emily  20:09

And order stamps.

 

Heidi  20:10

Yes.

 

Emily  20:11

Thank you so much for joining us, and we hope to see you here next week. If you enjoyed the episode, it would be so helpful to us if you gave us a five star rating and review on Apple podcasts. As a new podcast, we really need every bit of positive promo we can get.

 

Emily  20:28

Thanks for tuning in today. Use this week to get a head start on planning for what’s ahead. And remember, don’t get it perfect. Get it going.

 

Heidi  20:37

Come follow along on Instagram at theholidayheadstart. We would love to hear from you.

 

Emily  20:42

If you liked this episode, head to Apple podcasts and leave us a review. We’ll see you here next week.