🎄 Less Stuff, More Love: A Christmas Experiment

We’re usually all about candlelit dinners and Lady and the Tramp–style spaghetti moments here at IRL Singles Club. 🍝❤️

But with the holidays just around the bend, I want to focus on a different kind of love.

The love we have for friends.
For family: those we're born with and those we choose.
For the people who know your stories, show up when it matters, and make your life feel fuller just by being in it.

December has a way of doing that thing where everything feels a little louder and a little quieter at the same time.

The lights are brighter.
The music is everywhere.
The to-do lists get longer.

And somehow, in the middle of all the sparkle and noise, we’re expected to distill our love for the people in our lives into something that fits in a bag.

This year, that didn’t sit right with me.

We already have so much. The economy is heavy for a lot of people. And honestly? The pressure to find the perfect gift started to feel less like joy and more like obligation.

So instead of wandering store aisles or panic-scrolling gift guides, I went in a completely different direction.

I bought an old cursive-font typewriter — the kind that clacks and dings and forces you to slow down. The kind that doesn’t let you erase your thoughts or second-guess every word. Each letter felt intentional. Imperfect. Human.

Then I sat down with a cup of something warm and gave myself a gift too: time.

Time to think about the people I love.
Time to remember the moments that still live in my bones.
Time to say the things we mean to say but rarely pause long enough to put into words.

One by one, I typed letters — real ones.
Not updates. Not pleasantries.
But the kind of letters that say: This is who you are to me. This is why you matter.

Each page carried its own personality — slightly crooked letters, uneven spacing, tiny mistakes that made them better, not worse. I added a few festive stamps for good measure (because Christmas), slid them into envelopes, and felt something I hadn’t expected.

Excitement.

Not the frantic, last-minute kind — but the quiet, glowing kind. The kind that comes from knowing you’ve given something that can’t be returned, exchanged, or forgotten in a drawer.

Because we don’t say these things often enough.

We assume people know.
We save it for milestones.
We wait for “the right moment.”

But love — real love — doesn’t need an occasion. It just needs attention.

So if you’re looking for ideas this season that don’t involve receipts or shipping delays, here are a few gentle, meaningful ways to give love instead:

Write a letter — handwritten, typed, or messy and heartfelt
Frame a favorite photo and explain why that moment still matters
Record a short voice memo telling someone what you admire about them
Create a playlist just for one person and tell them why each song made the cut
Give your time — a walk, a meal, an errand, an afternoon with no agenda
Recreate a memory instead of buying something new

Love doesn’t always come wrapped in paper and bows.
Sometimes it comes folded in an envelope.
Sometimes it comes in words we finally slow down enough to say.

I’d love to hear from you —
What’s the most meaningful gift you’ve ever given or received?
Share it in the comments and let’s spread a little extra Christmas magic. 💌🎄