The Best Christmas Gifts for All Five Love Languages
The 5 Love Languages is both a theory and best selling book on how to improve your relationships with the loved ones in your life. This book was first written and released in 1992 by Gary Chapman and is still very relevant today. Chapman’s advice is simple and uncomplicated, but still very impactful and easy to implement.
In a simple summary, every individual has both primary and secondary ways that they prefer to give and receive love. As individuals we are all unique in how we express emotions, and sometimes we have a hard time communicating or acknowledging those feelings with our loved ones because we aren’t aware of their particular love language.
You may be assuming that I’m talking about romantic relationships, but in reality the love languages apply to family members, siblings, children and parents and even close friends too. There’s definitely room for growth and improvement in all these types of relationships.
The first step in this journey is to actually learn what your own and your loved ones’ love languages are. The five categories are:
Words of Affirmation
Acts of Service
Receiving Gifts
Quality Time
Physical Touch
Put some quality uninterrupted time on the calendar and take the quizzes to learn your own and your family member’s love languages.
There are four types of quizzes available:
When you’re taking these quizzes, be aware that you may fall under more than one category. Most people have both primary and secondary love languages, which just means there’s more ways to give and receive love!
In this guide you’ll be able to use these Love Language tools to not only come up with the best Christmas gifts, but also really make the most of this giving season. These new insights will really open up the lines of communication and allow you to make the season merry and bright for everyone in your life.
Christmas Gift Ideas for the Words of Affirmation Love Language
Putting feelings and emotions into words can be a challenge for some, but for others the prose just flows naturally. If your partner or family member enjoys reading handwritten cards for the holidays, you might want to consider a personalized gift that memorializes your sweet words.
On Etsy you can have all kinds of gifts engraved or printed with custom written love notes, and some of them even have the ability to put the words in your own handwriting. This way your loved ones can enjoy your sentiment in all kinds of new ways.
Personalized Love Note Gifts Ideas:
Christmas Gift Ideas for the Quality Time Love Language
Creating memories with new adventures is my own personal favorite way of showing love… which is probably why I have this blog in the first place!
I’m always searching for great travel deals to take the family out on the road. I will often gift my husband with a trip to a bucket list destination that we’ve dreaming about. Booking is my go-to website to search for flight and hotel deals, especially during the off-season. I particularly love documenting our travels with photography, that way we can show our kids all the memories when they are older.
You can also make plans to spend quality time closer to home. It doesn’t have to cost much to be impactful and meaningful. A great Christmas gift could be a planned date to a local restaurant, picnic in the park or any local sights you’ve been wanting to see.
Christmas Gift Ideas for the Acts of Service Love Language
The Acts of Service Love Language is definitely the most common way my husband shows how much he cares, particularly when it comes to tasks that he knows I hate doing. For example on a regular basis he fills up my gas tank and washes my car because he knows I will super procrastinate on my car maintenance.
The concept behind the Acts of Service Love Language is that your significant other or family member wants to make sure that you’re well taken care of so you can live your fullest life. In this case actions speak louder than words, and the intentions behinds their acts of service are what really matters. When your loved one takes the initiative to be helpful and productive, it’s important to notice and acknowledge that they’re showing their way of caring.
Now the question is how to turn these types of actions into gifts that your partner will actually enjoy? Take initiative with a chore chart and do things without having to be asked. You can even put a date on the family calendar to help with a project.
The visual element of a chart or calendar is actually very helpful when it comes to gifting an act of service, it really solidifies your commitment. There’s also really cute and customizable gift coupon booklets you can purchase and then gift wrap and put under the Christmas tree or give as a stocking stuffer.
In contrast, going back on your promises can put unnecessary stress on your relationships. Being true to your word is just as much of the gift as the actual chores and duties. Make sure you don’t do bare minimum, put genuine effort to complete the task and fulfill your commitment.
Christmas Gift Ideas for the Physical Touch Love Language
Every relationship is unique and some couples and family members are much more touchy feely than others. Some families openly express affection through physical contact with hugs, kisses and holding hands.
The need for physical touch begins right after birth. As parents to new babies, we practice “skin to skin” right after labor because human touch is crucial to our wellbeing and development.
This need for physical contact continues into adulthood and we rely on our personal relationships to provide us with the physical love we need. To put it simply, physical touch releases the "feel-good hormones" we crave such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. So you’re basically giving the gift of a natural and doctor recommended high.
In intimate romantic relationships you might assume that the Love Language of Physical Touch is mostly about sex. While sex is an important component to how couples show affection, there’s a lot more ways to show love with touch. Couples can show physical affection with massages, holding hands, cuddling on the couch while watching TV, dancing and any other kind of close contact.
Giving the gift of the Physical Touch Love Language is about putting time aside and making plans to get closer with your partner. Christmas gift ideas include dancing lessons, massage oils, sexy time coupons, cuddle movie date nights, a game of Twister, etc.
on Etsy.
Christmas Gift Ideas for the Receiving Gifts Love Language
The Receiving Gifts Love Language might seem like the easiest one to holiday shop for, simply because they enjoy receiving tangible items that can be wrapped up with a bow. But finding those perfect gifts that really expresses your feelings takes a bit more thought and effort.
When you start the process of planning your Christmas shopping, begin by thinking about your loved ones’ interests and needs. Your gift should demonstrate that you listen and pay attention to them, even in the small moments throughout the day.
The best gifts are the perfect combination of something useful, unexpected and thoughtful. You might want to consider creating a gift basket or DIY kit which includes a series of smaller gifts into one big one. Stick to a theme that they’ll understand and appreciate, and bonus points if it’s something you can enjoy together.
