Housing remains the most expensive monthly outlay for most Americans. There are signs of things getting better, but the fact remains that for those living within the first or second ring of suburbs surrounding a given city, space is at a premium. For this holiday season, give the gift of not taking up any more of that precious, precious space.
Don’t give them instant pots or juicers for their already full kitchen counter. Don’t give them clothes to go in their overflowing closets. Don’t give them knick knacks, tschotckes, or decorative thingamajigs that will rapidly migrate from shelves to bins to (shudder) storage units. Don’t get them stuff.
I’m not going to say get them “an experience” because we’ve all become a little weary of that cliche. What I suggest is getting them a luxury that might fall at the margins of their budget. Get them a massage. A facial. A stretching session (that’s a real thing). If they line wine or whiskey, get them a bottle they’ve never tried. The stuff they already like is easy, but my expectation is that is probably already in their budget. Gift them the risk of trying something they might not like.
Books are acceptable because there is an entire ecosystem that exists that take books from one home to the next once it has been read. Get them a subscription to Amazon Music or a download code for a new game on their PlayStation. Get them tickets to a concert or play. Get them a two hour cleaning service.
Babysit their kids for a Saturday. Tell them their hair looks nice and really sell it that you mean it. Leave them alone for a couple days so they can recooperate from a long week. Just no more stuff please.
Economist Writing Every Day 
Every sentence gets the clapping emoji. One of the reasons I do gift recommendations is, perversely, that I kind of hate (most) gifts.
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