Can you believe we have less than a week left before Christmas? Where did the time go? I know that there are a lot of things going on during this time of year and the stress of getting everything done before the big day can make it easy for things to slip through the cracks.
This is especially the case when you get to that hard to shop for person on your list. I would venture to say that that person is a millennial and you've been putting off picking this person's gift for a while now.
Those of us in Gen Y are quick to order the things we want via Amazon, pick up the latest and the greatest in tech for ourselves, which is great instant gratification but I realize it makes it really hard to buy gifts for us. Thankfully I've come up with a short list of holiday gift ideas for the Millennial who has everything!
The Gift Of Travel
With bills and responsibilities, it can be hard to just get up andgo no matter how much you may want to. But one thing that makes it easy is having it paid for in advance! To make things even better, airlines like Southwest and Delta have gift cards in almost every major retailer so giving someone the gift of flight is quick and easy!
You can travel to many places in the USA, depending on the time of year, for $200 round trip so a $100 Southwest gift card can really do wonders for a college student who wants to visit home, that niece that wants to go to Afro-Punk this summer, or anyone who has never had the luxury of a vacation on their own.
Pay A bill!
I know you’ve seen the holiday meme’s on Facebook and Instagram saying “I wear a size Large in student loans”. Sure this might be a joke but maybe it’s on to something. You might not think paying a bill is a glamorous or traditional gift but I’m sure the recipient won’t care.
Unless your pockets are loaded you may not be able to cover a big bill like rent or student loans for a month but don’t worry, there are plenty of bills to go around! Phone bills and utilities like internet and cable are gift size for sure. If you were planning to go to the mall and waste money on pajamas, perfume and any othergeneric gift folks buy in Macy’s last minute, just save your effort and give that millennial a $100 Sprint gift card so they don’t have to worry about their phone bill next month.
Cleaning Service
Without even knowing the person you’re shopping for, I can already tell you that busy, career-driven millennials, especially parents who work full time, need help keeping their home in order. I know this because I am one of them!
A gift that might bring a person to their knees would be the gift of one-time deep cleaning of their home. There are a lot of local maid and housekeeping services you can find online that work hourly. All you need to do is research their reviews, call around for estimates and pick a date.
Starting the work week with a clean home, folded laundry and mopped floors is already something like a Christmas miracle, not having to do it yourself just makes it a dream come true!
Books To Set 2019 Off On The Right Foot
Quite a few books of note came out in 2018 that should be on everybody’s must-read list. Charlamagne Tha God released his second book, Shook One, in October 2018 about mental health and handling anxiety as a black man, husband, and father. This would be a great gift for the young, brilliant man in your life. The incomparable Jenifer Lewis also released a book this year. The Black Mother of Hollywood is an autobiography that details her upbringing, childhood trauma, her career, struggles with bipolar disorder and more.
As a millennial reading her book I truly felt like I was having a Red Table Talk with my older, wiser auntie. Her experiences and advice can be really beneficial to us 20 somethings. And we cannot forget that forever First Lady Michelle Obama just dropped her book, Becoming Michelle Obama, in November and sold literally millions of copies in just a few days. I have my copy of course, and even though I have not yet read it I know from her interviews and resume that she has much to teach us black, millennial women.
This may be a short list but there are a few winners on here for sure. No matter what your budget is there is something on here for you. If not, remember to try to gift experiences over costly or thoughtless gifts. This will help you choose something that truly makes that person feel that you care.
Brittany Wright, B.A in Creative writing and English – University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, is an aspiring writer and creator of the She’s Wright blog. This black, millennial mom loves everything beauty, motherhood, and marriage related!