The Holidays are drawing near and shoppers are busily attending to their gift buying. While some people have a very easy time and know exactly what to get, others are stuck and in need of ideas.
Even if you know exactly what to buy, sometimes we may hear about a new product or item that we have not previously thought of or heard about and consider that as a great gift for a loved one.
Hence today, I hope to give you some more ideas in the 3rd Part of the Healthy and Meaningful Holiday Gift Ideas Series, with a look at entertainment, which includes books, videos, music and more! By the way if you missed the first 2 parts, Part 1 was about Personal Products and Part 2 was about Food Products.
Books
Books are always a great gift and can make a very meaningful gift for someone and be thrifty for you. This of course is valid, as long as you have a person that you know generally likes books or wants to learn something.
Most books today can be purchased easily worldwide off of Amazon.com, Amazon.ca or Amazon.co.uk and you may easily also qualify for quick and free shipping. If you prefer to browse the books personally then in store is still a great way to go, however note that almost always you will pay more for the book in the physical store rather than in the on-line store.
Books are great for people of all ages and again are very thrifty as most books today range around $10 – $30.
BOOK GIFT DO’S
Do consider educational health, body, science, space, environment, technology etc., books rather than novels. Although novels are entertaining, the higher meaning and value comes from non-fiction books.
Do research the book before buying to be sure it at least somewhat represents your philosophy, has credible information and is generally a good read.
Do consider writing a personal dedication in the book from you to the person you are offering it to, as this may serve as a nice memento.
If completely stuck on what to buy, do consider famous and well-respected authors
For health books consider names like: like Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Christiane Northrup. You really cannot go wrong with any of their books.
Aside from health books, another meaningful book area to consider are self-development/self-growth books. Good and trusted names to consider are any books from: Dr. Wayne Dyer, James Ray, Louise Hay, Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle.
Do consider the Evolving Wellness Recommends section for some great, trusted health books or the Evolving Beings Recommends section for some great self-growth/spirituality books.
BOOK GIFT DON’TS
Don’t push your views upon someone else using a book. Even though you may believe in a certain author, way of life, etc., if you know the other person doesn’t, there is nothing meaningful in getting them that book.
If buying used books from Amazon, don’t leave it to the last minute as they take longer than new ones to ship (usually a week or more, as opposed to a few days for new ones).
Videos
Many people both young and old enjoy videos or movies. However to make your gift “healthy and meaningful” try to break out of the usual Hollywood blockbusters filled with drama and negativity and again consider some meaningful and educational documentaries.
This past year, several amazing documentaries have hit the scene in the three most prominent areas to our growth and well being, those being in the areas of health, environment and self-growth.
Most videos range in the $20 – $30 price range and hence can also be a thrifty way to get someone a meaningful gift.
Environment
Health
Self-Growth
Book: You Can Heal Your Life
Film: You Can Heal Your Life
Book: The Biology of Belief
Film: The Living Matrix
Music
Music always makes a great gift, but in order to make it “healthy and meaningful” we have to consider music that is soothing to our mind, body and soul.
CDs or MP3s range in price usually from $1 per song to $10 to $30 per album, and hence are also a thrifty gift and can be suitable for most adults who enjoy relaxing or who need to make some time in their life for calming moments and stress reducing techniques.
Instead of the pop culture artists, whose music can be enjoyable and soothing or negative and disturbing, consider new types of beautiful tones and music without any vocals, like nature sounds. Today, yoga, pilates, meditation, and new age arenas are climbing in popularity. So if you have someone with such interests in your life, consider getting them a “healthy and meaningful” gift through the gift of calming music.
Good compilations to consider include:
- Deva Primal’s Dakshina
- Deva Primal’s Mantras for Precarious Times
- Laura Sullivan’s Calm Within: Music for Relaxation
- Satori: Music for Yoga and Meditation
- Quiet Heart/Spirit Wind
- Ocean Waves: Calming Sounds of the Sea
- Forest Sounds: Soft Rains & Gentle Winds
Electronics
My best advice for you in this area would be to consider a digital reading device, like the Amazon Kindle. This is a great gift if you have a larger budget and know the receiver enjoys reading books. The Kindle allows the reader to download and read their favorite books, with all the perks of digital reading. This means you can be anywhere in the world and enjoy reading your favorite books without lugging around physical books. Digital books are not only cheaper than their physical counterparts, but also more eco-friendly as well.
Whether you have a fitness buff on your list, or a health-conscious loved one, or one who is trying to meet their health or weight goals, consider a top-rated fitness tracker like the FitBit Wristband. This small and stylish device helps people get in touch with their body and meet wellness goals. The band provides continuous and automatic, wrist-based heart rate and simplified heart rate zones. It helps you track workouts, heart rate, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes and steps, as well as monitor your sleep. It offers an alarm setting, call notifications, daily stats and time of day, and allows you to sync stats wirelessly and automatically to your computer and over leading smartphones.
And if you have a large budget, consider something like the Apple Watch. This nifty device is as small as a watch, but has the robust capability of a mini-computer. It is a wearable, unisex gadget that helps people organize their daily activities efficiently and optimize their personal and professional potential by helping them receive and make calls, dictate and send text messages, call a taxi, browse through apps, and even track fitness activity.
Conclusion
Whatever gift you get, don’t forget to have fun in the process yourself. Rather than stress, put some conscious thought into it and lots of love, and enjoy the gift giving experience. But of course let’s remember that gift giving is not a necessity and should never be an obligation. So if you choose to partake in this tradition, make sure you are having fun doing it!
Another important tip here is not to get wrapped up in comparing the value of the gift you give to what you think the other person may gift you. Be honest and authentic and give from the heart, without trying to create a false impression or compensate for something.
When it comes to the entertainment ideas we talked about above: books, videos, music and technology, these can always make a great gift as long as we put some conscious thought into it. Relaxing is good for our health and therefore be sure that the medium of entertainment supports the idea of health and puts the person in a peaceful and happy state, not one of tension, drama and negativity.
Ultimately, consider the value of the gift for that person’s health and the message and meaning your gift holds on a deeper, not materialistic level.