Hii Guys!
OMG It’s almost Christmas! Who gets super excited for the holidays? I LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year. I have Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas blasting in my car every single morning, followed by Beiber’s Mistletoe. If you haven’t heard JB’s Christmas songs, it’s such a must!
Anyway, I want to dive right into this post because it’s a goodie. We’re talking about non-traditional gift ideas today.
Andrew and I have really scaled back on gifting. Mainly because we don’t need more shit. Christmas and birthdays are so not about gifts for me. In fact, I encourage no gifts. Personally, I love an experience together where we are creating memories. I mean, I also won’t say no to a Chanel bag… 😉
But if we’re being totally honest, as I get older, I just don’t want ‘stuff.’ Stuff is so useless to me. It creates less space in our home, more junk to throw out later on, and ‘stuff’ will just end up in the landfills, which of course is slowly killing our planet.
What I want more of is MEMORIES. Memories that will last forever.
So, if you’re thinking of eliminating gifts this year, or at least reducing the number of gifts, check out these non-traditional gift options below:
SPA DAY:
This doesn’t have to be some girly thing. Men are immediately turned off when they hear the word spa. They think it’s manicures and facials. And although I think men secretly love manicures and facials, it doesn’t need to be that. Andrew and I are going to a foot spa for Christmas this year. Foot massages are literally the best thing ever, so we decided that a 45 minute foot massage would be the perfect gift! It’s relaxing, great for your mental health, and you enjoy each others time together while laughing and maybe even sipping on a candy cane martini? It’s seriously the perfect little idea. This also doesn’t have to break the bank.
If you’re open to a full day of spa-ing and a bigger budget, then you can look into massages, pedicures, facials. Some spas have hot and cold pools which are amazing. Most spas also have quiet areas where you can sip on tea on your bathrobe. Honestly, nothing sounds better than that!
Check out these spas that are fabulous for the Holidays:
Ste. Anne’s Spa – My best friend, Victoria and I did this for her birthday, and we had a blast. We enjoyed back massages, facials, sipping on tea, and lounging in our bathrobes all afternoon. This is also perfect for couples. You can even stay overnight if you want.
Scandinavian Spa – This is such a beautiful spa! Go for the hot and cold pools, and spend the day there. They are also super affordable.
FANCY DINNER:
Andrew and I are both major foodies. We also love trying out new restaurants and cuisines. This is such a great idea for the Holidays. I personally love getting dressed up too! Put on a sequins outfit, throw on a red lip, and make reservations at a restaurant that neither of you have been to before. Order a few things off the menu so that you can share with your partner. Grab some cocktails or a bottle of wine, and spend a couple hours together. You can also make it a longer night by going for a stroll after dinner. Usually around the holidays, the streets are lit up, and store windows have gorgeous displays, so walk around and admire the festive décor.
Our favourite restaurants in Toronto:
Byblos – I literally died and went to heaven with the food here. This is such a fun environment, and the food is to die for. It’s more of a shareables kind of place, so make sure to order a bunch of little dishes to share. TRUST ME.
Piano Piano – Friends of ours just gifted us dinner here for our engagement recently, and we fell in love with this restaurant. It’s SO beautiful and Instagrammy with all the gorgeous wallpaper. Make sure you get the Chopped Salad, because it’s SO fucking good.
Colossus Greek Taverna – Andrew gets a seafood pasta that he is obsessed with!! I love the classic Chicken Souvlaki meal.
STAYCATIONS:
I’ve talked about staycations on the blog before. It’s one of my favourite things ever, and always something I look forward to. This is like a mini vacation, without the sun and beach, of course. But who cares? At the end of the day, you’re staying in a nice hotel, possibly with room service, maybe a spa in the hotel? The last staycation we had was at the Broadview Hotel. OMG one of the best staycations we’ve ever had. The hotel is just so chic and vibey. It was fun to just get dressed up, and go down for dinner. After dinner, back up to the room for a little sexy time. 😉 They even have some naughty kits in the room for purchase. But you know I just brought the Kopari Coconut Oil Lube. LOL.
There are so many cute areas around Toronto that you can do staycations at. If you want to get out of Toronto, we also did Grey County for a weekend, and that was SO MUCH FUN. We totally embraced winter and did tons of little outdoor activities. We stayed at some of the cutest hotels and BNB’s. Check out this post if you’re thinking of booking.
Check out some of our favourite staycations this year:
TICKETS TO A SHOW:
We haven’t done this yet, but it’s on the list! There are so many fantastic shows in Toronto. Ballets, theatre shows, Cirque shows. Again, make a night of this. Get dressed up, make resos at a nice restaurant, have a couple cocktails somewhere, and enjoy a show together.
A DAY DATE OF FUN ACTIVITIES:
Day dates are really the best! This keeps your relationship fun and exciting. Plan an entire day of fun. Start right from the morning and go into the evening. Of course, my day date would include sleeping in till at least 11am. Then pick a cute place for brunch. Personally, I LOVE espresso on my couch and making breakfast together. It’s something fun to do together. Make something that you don’t normally make – pancakes, waffles with strawberries and whip cream, whatever. You do you! After breakfast, go watch a matinee. Find a cute Holiday movie that’s playing at a small local theatre. Those are the best, because there’s no one really there and you have the entire theatre to yourself.
After the movie, bundle up and go skating! Skating is SUCH a romantic and fun thing to do. I thoroughly embarrass Andrew when I wear my giant faux fur coat when we go skating. After skating, sip some hot chocolate and cozy up in a cafe.
THEN GO HOME AND TAKE A NAP. (LOL)
After napping, which is such an important part of a day date, get dressed up, and head out for dinner! Again pick a cute restaurant that neither of you have been to.
Another thing Andrew and I absolutely LOVE doing is playing an escape room board game at home. We do this on Friday nights once in a while, and it’s so much fun. Grab a bottle of wine (or two) and get cozied up for at least an hour and a half for an escape room game. (It can take longer) You can order them online or get them at Indigo. EXIT is our favourite brand. They are like $14 bucks and so worth it. Have you guys ever played? It’s CRAZYYYYY and so much fun! Trust me on this.
Okay, there’s your 5 non-traditional gift ideas for the holidays. Let me remind you once again, that you don’t need ‘stuff’. If gifting is a traditional thing for you, then think about stocking stuffers. Something small and useful. Here are some ideas:
What non-traditional gift ideas do you guys have for Christmas time? Tell me in the comments.
Xx, kim
+ If you liked this post, check out 3 Christmas Gifts Everyone Will Want.
++ Also, if you’re thinking of a bigger gift for your home this year, check out my post on the Best Slow Cooker, Ever!
