I Don't Want Gifts This Year!

Dec. 12, 2010 - PRLog -- Every year, at least one person among my family and friends declares they do not want any gifts this holiday season.  Perhaps they’ve just moved to a smaller home and no longer have the space, or they were recently married and now have two of everything, or they’re simply feeling virtuous.  Whatever the reason, you know you’re going to see them over the holidays, gifts will be exchanged, and you’ll feel like a Grinch if you leave them out.  So how do you find a gift that they just can’t turn down?

The trick is to think outside the gift box. Remember those corny old coupons promising “one week of hugs” or “two back massages”?  Combine your graphic design skills with a little creative Googling and you can come up with gifts that don’t take up any space at all, but are irresistibly useful. Here are a few ideas to get you started (and a coupon site for the graphically challenged):

Low-cost services.  Everyone has stuff they need to get done but that they never get around to doing. There are various sites that offer independent contractors for jobs large and small, complex and banal, and who usually work at incredibly affordable rates.  Know a small business owner? Have a web expert to optimize their SEO. How about sending thank you cards? Hire someone to address them and make sure they get mailed. Fiverr (http://www.fiverr.com) is a site where people list the things they’ll do for $5 (about €3,65). The options are endless, but if you really can’t find a useful service, you can always hire someone to send a personalized postcard from Shanghai, or sing Happy Birthday over the phone from Brazil.

Tickets to the local film festival.  Even if your recipient isn’t a film buff, with a festival pass in hand it’s hard to turn down free movies even if it’s only a 120-minute escape from daily routine.  The bigger festivals such as London Film Festival or Venice Film Festival may be a bit daunting, but every city has a smaller, independent festival that not only offers quality independent fare, but usually features larger films as they make the rounds of the festival circuit as well.  CIMMFest in Chicago (www.cimmfest.org), Filmer La Musique in Paris (www.filmerlamusique.com), and Himalaya Film Festival in Amsterdam (www.himalayafilmfestival.nl) are all affordable, high quality and good fun.

Pet care for travelers. The person on your list may be an avid budget traveler who finds themselves grounded more often than not if they have pets they can’t afford to board.  Help a vacation happen through Pet Sitters International (www.petsit.com), a database of experienced pet sitters located all over the world.  If your traveler is in regular need of last-minute pet care, how about a subscription to GoCat Travel (http://www.gocat.travel), a new home exchange site for pet owners.  Memberships are €3,00 per month, which comes to €36 for a year’s membership – and GoCat Travel already has a coupon you can print out directly from their site.


Coupons for Grown Ups.  If your graphic design skills are limited to coloring within the lines, you can find free, customizable holiday coupons at http://www.squidoo.com/giftcoupons.  Happy Holidays!

# # #

GoCat Travel was launched in 2010. Created by Susie Kahlich, GoCat Travel offers international vacation home exchange for pet owners through a secure, personalized database. For more information, contact Susie Kahlich at susie@gocat.travel. Leave the dog and GoCat!