Yes it’s that time of the year again.  You have days left to do your Christmas shopping.  The mad dash to find the perfect gift is on.  ”According to the National Retail Federation, the average shopper plans on spending $507 on gifts this holiday season.  Joel Waldfogel, the author of the book “Scroogenomics,” says that amounts to billions of dollars of disappointments.  With $65 billion in annual U.S. holiday spending, 20 percent of that, or $13 billion, is just missing the satisfaction,” Waldfogel said. “Others are choosing stuff for us and are choosing it sort of badly.”

Waldfogel suggests skipping buying holiday gifts entirely or else giving cash, gift cards, or donations to a favorite charity instead.  I agree that we should find alternatives to holiday gift-giving.

This year, instead of buying expensive gifts why not give love? 

1. Bake a cake

2. Give away something you love

3. Burn a mix of love songs

4. Make a family cookbook

5. Make a scrapbook

6. Paint a portrait of someone you love

7. Frame a photograph of someone you love

8. Give away your favorite books

9. Give a massage

10. Babysit for a tired mother

11. Volunteer your time

12. Write a love poem

13. Cook a special meal

14. Make a hand-made gift

15. Give Luv.  Do your own Love Research.