Holiday Gift-Giving with MyRegistry.com
Typically, I try to get home before dark at this time of year. Lugging the babies and all of their stuff inside in the dark is a challenge. But these past few weeks, I just can’t help but to stay out after the sun sets. Driving through town and looking out at the twinkling Christmas lights fills my heart with bounding joy.
The holiday season brings with it the sweetest, golden warmth. One of my favorite parts of the holidays is gift-giving. I’ve gone through love/hate cycles when it comes to giving gifts. When I was younger, I cherished the act of exchanging gifts with friends & family. I really enjoyed receiving gifts back then. The anticipation of unwrapping something picked out especially for me was always a thrill. Later on, when I was hardcore into my minimalist phase, I fell out of love with the idea of gift-giving. In fact, I loathed it. I hated buying into the consumerism frenzy that the holidays can sadly become.
Today, however, I have finally found a balance. I started my holiday shopping early this year. It gave me a lot of time to pick out meaningful gifts. I also put effort toward buying handmade, local, or sustainable gifts. Buying meaningful gifts from businesses that I’m happy to support has made holiday gift-giving joyful for me once again.
Speaking of gift-giving, myself and a few of my family members have decided to start using registries for the holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. Last winter, when we received an invitation to my nephew’s birthday party, I saw that my sister-in-law had tucked a registry card into the envelope. I was so excited to see it! Picking out perfect gifts can be a struggle, but browsing a registry gives me a great idea of wants, needs, and likes. I still like to pick out some off registry surprise gifts, but being able to include something that I know the recipient is sure to love, is a relief and it makes shopping on a deadline such a breeze.
My favorite online registry is My Registry. It allows you to add gifts from any store in the world. You just put the “Add to MyRegistry” button on your bookmarks bar. Then, click the button to add a gift to your registry or wish list. They also have an app that lets you use your phone as a barcode scanner to find the best price before buying or adding any item to your gift list — even when you’re away from the computer. The world becomes your virtual department store.
I have a bunch of friends who are currently pregnant — yay! finally! — and I’ve been recommending the “My Baby Registry” to all of them.
And with that, I am off to go start wrapping. Wish me luck. Happy gift-giving & receiving, friends. xo
This post is in partnership with MyRegistry.com. Thank you for supporting the companies that help to support my creative endeavors.