Christmas Gift *Theme* Ideas

November 8, 2018 10:47 AM

My husband and I want to start a tradition between ourselves of creative gift-giving for Christmas. We like the idea of having a theme or prompt to adhere to, and changing it every year, so I want to compile a list we can draw from randomly, and I am looking for ideas!

They can either be straightforward (e.g., "Something to do together on a Saturday afternoon" and he gets me a puzzle) or something open to interpretation that you could get silly with (e.g., "Something you do with your butt" and I get him one of those travel padded bleacher seats).

Not looking for specific gift ideas, just themes we can work off of.

I see this question was asked here 15 years ago but figure it's been long enough to see if there are some more ideas out there. :) Thanks!

posted by lovableiago to Grab Bag (10 answers total)

Hmm, maybe a list of states or countries?

or the alphabet?
posted by dawkins_7 at 10:57 AM on November 8, 2018

Hmmm...this question led to this comment that led to a list of monarchs by cognomen (their nickname).

That could be a fun list to go nuts with.
posted by sevenless at 11:19 AM on November 8, 2018

Best answer: Blue Things
Rhymes with "Coal"
Better Living Through Chemistry
Fitness
Eat, Drink, or Be Merry
Top half
Bottom half
Better half
Things for your face holes
posted by coppermoss at 12:30 PM on November 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

You could do the list of traditional anniversary gifts.
posted by Rock Steady at 12:41 PM on November 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

If you're in the US, you could do states, which could lead to a lot of possibilities. For instance, Kansas could be sunflowers, Wizard of Oz (emeralds?), Home on the Range (state song, but could be interpreted as cooking range). Or something related to a famous person from there (Amelia Earhart -> travel). OK, I'm not doing a super great job here, but I think you could get creative with it.

You could do the same thing with countries.
posted by FencingGal at 12:47 PM on November 8, 2018

Picking a different color every year would give you a wide range of options. You could also do materials (wood one year, metal the next, etc.) Then there's lists of literary devices, festivals, elements, and Oscar winners for best picture. Obviously, you and your partner would have to get super creative with these, but that's half the fun, isn't it?
posted by Everydayville at 2:31 PM on November 8, 2018

a color
a country
a year (or decade)
an animal
vintage or antique/recycled
handmade
Monogram
a room of the house
posted by beccaj at 2:42 PM on November 8, 2018

beauty

truth

family

the wide world

storage

real

small

connection

fun

animal, vegetable, and mineral

delicious

surprise

touch

sound

color

feet

eternity

listening
posted by amtho at 3:22 PM on November 8, 2018

This is fun. How about the seasons? Gifts could be things like gardening supplies, beach gear, a nice bottle of cider, a cozy sweater.
posted by imalaowai at 10:41 PM on November 8, 2018

Response by poster: These are all great! I marked as best the one that really captured what I was going for, but all feedback is appreciated.
posted by lovableiago at 12:54 PM on November 9, 2018