Great Holiday Gift Giving Ideas for Your Group

Giving a gift as a group is a great idea for your holiday gift giving needs. Whether you are part of a work group, a school group, a church group, or just a group of friends that wants to get a gift for someone, being a part of a group increases the possibilities and ideas for holiday gifts. As a group, you have the option to be more creative with the type of gift you give. You also have the ability to get a more expensive gift (or at least spend more on the gift you give).

Be Inspi(red)™. This holiday, it is a good idea to give a gift through (Product) Red™ or other charitable organizations, including those that support cancer and others in need. The idea behind these types of gifts is that you are able to purchase a gift for your group to give during the holidays, as well as support a good cause. What better way to give a gift than to let a person know that his or her group cares about the well being of others during the holiday season.

Give a Gift Certificate. When done right, a holiday gift certificate can say more than, "we had no idea what else to give you." The first step is to listen for ideas and clues about what your gift's recipient enjoys. Does your boss still rave about that post-holiday spa retreat she took four years ago, but has not found the time or money to go again? Has the leader of your church group asked about that great, new restaurant more than one time? Could your child's soccer coach use a gift certificate to stock up on well-worn equipment and such? One good idea, though, is to make certain that the value of the gift certificate that you give does not depreciate over time just because it has not been used. A $200 gift certificate given by your group that is only worth $150 six months later may lessen the amount of holiday cheer that is attached to it.

Create a holiday gift basket from the group. With a group, it may be hard for each person's personality to show through with just one gift idea per holiday. To beat this battle, make a holiday gift basket that everyone can contribute too. First, create a theme for your gift basket. It can be holiday based or it can be based on an interest or a hobby. Then, allow each person to contribute one gift. This is the best part because everyone gets to come up with an idea for the gift; and they get to give what they think is the perfect gift, but the gift is still from "the group."

Go expensive. No one likes the idea of an expensive gift during the holidays. However, there are some people who deserve a little something extra. If you have a boss that everyone enjoys working with or a person in your group that everyone appreciates, then you have the opportunity to give a glamorous gift. Get them an expensive gift that they would never expect. Get them something memorable for the holiday. With more than one budget to work with, the idea is that everyone can contribute the same amount or the group can work on a sliding scale for the gift. The holiday season is one when people are most generous after all. So splurge on that nice bracelet, watch, or any gift that will make them radiate joy during the holiday (and hopefully all year long).

Holiday gift giving does not always have to be monetary-based, but it is a nice way to show appreciation for a leader or anyone else in your group that goes above and beyond for the group. Buy working with the ideas above, your group can be creative with the gift that they give this season, as well as give a gift that the recipient will enjoy.