Growing up, we always had a « Christmas Club »… an account where we would deposit $2 a week… as a kid in the 1960s having $60 to freely spend on gifts was fantastic ! If you use a budget app like YNAB or even a spread sheet, even $50 a month will make a lot of difference for your holiday season.
This was so good and honestly too many people are doing gift guides that are so impractical. Sorry not everyone can gift a gift to each person worth $$$$$$$
Haha, thanks, Chantal. It's been fun looking at and making all the gift guides with so many pretty things, but at the end of the day, I've got a lot of people I want to gift and not enough dollars to splurge on everyone!
I have also used a spreadsheet I made in excel for years. Otherwise, I think I would totally forget things. I also grab some things throughout the year and keep them in bins in the back of my husband's office room so they are all in one place that nobody (like my kids) will ever be looking in.
Ok, the Christmas note idea is genius! Will definitely be doing that.
+1 to the idea of writing down gift ideas year round. I have an iPhone note where I keep ideas, and then I also have a master Pinterest board (a secret one of course) with boards for each individual person including my family + close friends. If I see specific products I think they'd like, they get added to that person's board and then I refer to the board when it comes time to buy them a gift.
Kind of bummed by how many gift guides and promos I'm getting from Downtime this year. It's literally the coziest time of the year, I would expect more crafty, cozy recommendations. Holiday ideas for family activities, books, music, etc. Less consumerism and more cozy please. (:
Thanks for chiming in, Becca! I always appreciate hearing what readers are craving this time of year. December is such a big month for shopping and gifting, and part of keeping Downtime sustainable is partnering with brands. I had some underperforming quarters this year, which means a few more sponsored guides than usual, but I still aim for them to feel thoughtful, useful, and aligned with what I do.
I'll be mixing in the fun, cultural, and seasonal recs you mentioned: books, family ideas, little sparks of joy...so there’s a good balance in the weeks ahead. Grateful you’re here!
I’m sorry to add to any negativity, and I want Downtime to be as successful as possible since I’ve been a subscriber since Girls Night In days, but I’ve felt the newsletter has become increasingly consumerist this past year and has been trending toward generic influencer “buy this” content. I can only speak for myself, but I’m not in the same income bracket to afford luxury home renovations and shop for clothes all the time. Please know I truly don’t want to unsubscribe, but the content feels jarringly out of touch in an environment that’s getting more unaffordable each month.
We’ve been using the same Excel sheet from our wedding invitations to send holiday cards, going on 8 years now! We update every year, adding people, subtracting people (deaths in the family), and I update addresses as needed either by reaching out or checking against the cards we get in return.
Similar to the notes app brain dump but even easier: I write an email and then use the schedule send feature to come back to me the next november!
I write a little "note to future me" which is fun and then include things like: how much money we tipped various people in our lives (dogwalker, house cleaner etc), what we bought for gifts, and anything else we might want to do similarly or differently the following year.
something about sending an email feels more like "I've accomplished something" than continuing to see it on my phone among other to do lists.
Growing up, we always had a « Christmas Club »… an account where we would deposit $2 a week… as a kid in the 1960s having $60 to freely spend on gifts was fantastic ! If you use a budget app like YNAB or even a spread sheet, even $50 a month will make a lot of difference for your holiday season.
Ooh I love that idea.
This was so good and honestly too many people are doing gift guides that are so impractical. Sorry not everyone can gift a gift to each person worth $$$$$$$
Haha, thanks, Chantal. It's been fun looking at and making all the gift guides with so many pretty things, but at the end of the day, I've got a lot of people I want to gift and not enough dollars to splurge on everyone!
Yes and all great ideas within more palatable budget ranges!
I have also used a spreadsheet I made in excel for years. Otherwise, I think I would totally forget things. I also grab some things throughout the year and keep them in bins in the back of my husband's office room so they are all in one place that nobody (like my kids) will ever be looking in.
You're a person after my own heart. 💯
I have to have a spreadsheet and budget, otherwise we’ll go craaaazy! Yours looks so much nicer than mine, though. 🤣
This is great for those that need it, but I'm never happier to be Jewish than when I see things like this haha.
lol that's fair - we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah in our family, so juggling the gift-giving is a journey.
Your Virgo is showing and I LOVE it. Thanks for sharing and for keeping the content fun, helpful and relevant!!
Thanks, I'm glad it's helpful! A good spreadsheet makes me so so happy.
Ok, the Christmas note idea is genius! Will definitely be doing that.
+1 to the idea of writing down gift ideas year round. I have an iPhone note where I keep ideas, and then I also have a master Pinterest board (a secret one of course) with boards for each individual person including my family + close friends. If I see specific products I think they'd like, they get added to that person's board and then I refer to the board when it comes time to buy them a gift.
Ohh yess, Pinterest would be so great for this. I love the visual element of that. So smart.
Kohl's??
Kind of bummed by how many gift guides and promos I'm getting from Downtime this year. It's literally the coziest time of the year, I would expect more crafty, cozy recommendations. Holiday ideas for family activities, books, music, etc. Less consumerism and more cozy please. (:
Thanks for chiming in, Becca! I always appreciate hearing what readers are craving this time of year. December is such a big month for shopping and gifting, and part of keeping Downtime sustainable is partnering with brands. I had some underperforming quarters this year, which means a few more sponsored guides than usual, but I still aim for them to feel thoughtful, useful, and aligned with what I do.
I'll be mixing in the fun, cultural, and seasonal recs you mentioned: books, family ideas, little sparks of joy...so there’s a good balance in the weeks ahead. Grateful you’re here!
I’m sorry to add to any negativity, and I want Downtime to be as successful as possible since I’ve been a subscriber since Girls Night In days, but I’ve felt the newsletter has become increasingly consumerist this past year and has been trending toward generic influencer “buy this” content. I can only speak for myself, but I’m not in the same income bracket to afford luxury home renovations and shop for clothes all the time. Please know I truly don’t want to unsubscribe, but the content feels jarringly out of touch in an environment that’s getting more unaffordable each month.
Great advice! I love the spreadsheet and idea to make notes for next season!
I'm glad it's helpful! The notes app is seriously a GAME CHANGER.
We’ve been using the same Excel sheet from our wedding invitations to send holiday cards, going on 8 years now! We update every year, adding people, subtracting people (deaths in the family), and I update addresses as needed either by reaching out or checking against the cards we get in return.
same!
Similar to the notes app brain dump but even easier: I write an email and then use the schedule send feature to come back to me the next november!
I write a little "note to future me" which is fun and then include things like: how much money we tipped various people in our lives (dogwalker, house cleaner etc), what we bought for gifts, and anything else we might want to do similarly or differently the following year.
something about sending an email feels more like "I've accomplished something" than continuing to see it on my phone among other to do lists.
Love the idea of a post Christmas brain dump!!! So easy to say to myself of course I’ll remember for next year and I’ll have forgotten by February