Waste Less Gifts

Jar of love. Fill a jar with little notes, each listing an activity to do together. Examples include experiences like bike ride, canoe, cross country skiing, see a movie, and go to a park. What could be better?

Memory book. Make a photo book online or make a homemade book by printing and cutting out pictures and writing captions.

Photo shoot with the whole family with professional photographers or a DIY selfie photo booth.

Revisit the location(s) of that first date and create a playlist of the songs from that time period.

Tickets to a local orchestra, symphony, choir or band

Live music performance 

Studio time or lessons 

Cooking classes

Lunch date. Give gift certificates to a favorite breakfast or lunch place and plan a one-on-one date with that child.

A sweet treat gift card

Breakfast treat of the month. Once a month, make sweet bread, muffins, or coffee cake and bring it to a grandparent or extended family member. It will ensure you get over there for a visit!

Visit a local winery, vineyard, cider house, or brewery.

Restaurant gift cards. For a twist, give several, smaller gift cards to different restaurants, instead of one large gift card. 

Enjoy a live performance in one of Salem's many theatres!

Swimming

Bowling at the local lanes

Indoor rock climbing passes 

Jump/trampoline gyms

Batting cages, camps, or private lessons

Rent outdoor gear 

Scuba certification

Bush House Museum

Deepwood Museum and Gardens

Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

Gilbert House Children's Museum

Hallie Ford Museum of Art - Willamette University

Mount Angel Abbey

Powerland Heritage Park

Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health

Polk County Historical Society & Museum

Willamette Heritage Center

Give the Gift of Travel at Salem Pacific Railroad Station

Stroll through the Silverton Historic Walking Tour

Explore the Marion Farm Loop.

Get spooked at the Salem Ghost Tours

Discovery the many Covered Bridges in Marion County

Treasure hunt–If you are giving a material gift, make the giving itself a fun experience. Instead of wrapping up the final gift, wrap up a clue and let the child go on a treasure hunt to find the final gift.

Geocaching. the world's largest treasure hunt. Explore, find and log geocaches at geocaching.com.

Lessons. Anything from music, fishing, sewing, to dancing. To keep it low-cost, see if you can find a family member or an elderly member of your community who might enjoy passing on the skill at a lower cost.

Visit Salem's Riverfront Carousel! The carousel has a number of events, ongoing rides, and tokens available for gifts. 

Oregon State Parks 12 month parking permit or plan camping and overnight getaways; or canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, cross-country ski, snowshoe, and snow tube rentals.

Escape to the coast for whale watching, fishing, hiking, or sight seeing.

Discovery Marion County's Parks and purchase a North Fork Corridor Annual Parking Pass

Hop onto your bike and visit one of the many trails from the Salem Area Trail Alliance

Camp, yurt, or cabin at Silver Falls State Park.

Play with clay at the Willamette Art Center.

Paint something magical at Create A Memory.

Purchase supplies or take a class at the Art Department.

Attend an event or exhibition at the Salem Art Association.

Movie night packages. Wrap up picture of the movie cover (stream online later) and add snacks! Families can wrap up a different movie for each kid and let each child “host” the movie night.

Game night packages. A game night is another great family activity, and giving each child one game was a fun way to expand our collection and they love playing “their game” when we have a game night. Some favorite games are Apples to Apples, Tsuro, Uno, Sequence, and basic card games.

Mini golf and laser tag at Pietro's Pizza, or mini golf at Best Little Roadhouse

Try your sleuthing skills in an escape room through Exitus Salem or EscapeTech

Immerse yourself in virtual reality at Rabbit Hole Reality 

Roll back time and play some arcade games at the Coin Jam 

Day out with kids. The kids pick a fun activity they want to do with grandparents or extended family and give it to them as a gift. Maybe suggest a day together exploring the storybook wonders at The Enchanted Forest.

Visit an independently owned movie theater!

Connect with your friends and family in nature at Silver Falls Lodge and Conference Center or Oregon Garden

Yoga gift certificate or passes

Encourage your loved one to take some down time to relax and give a spa gift 

Give a gift of calm at Soak Float Center 

Salem Health and LifeSource Natural Foods offers many classes that promote health and wellness. Phiz Spa is EarthWISE Certified and offers nail care, skin care, massage, body care and more. 

A nap or getting to sleep in. Parents of young children will appreciate this one. If you can figure out how to let mom or dad sleep in for a day or take a nap, they will be grateful!

Cherriots bus passes–save money on gas, take the bus

Car Washes or car detailing service

Oil Changes make for a wonderful, practical gift.

House cleaning service

Gift zero waste, sustainable personal care products by Silver Falls Sustainability Co or SLAB Soap. 

Gift certificates to a local grocery store is always a great idea. We recommend our EarthWISE grocers: Roth's Fresh Markets or Lifesource Natural Foods. 

Everyone needs a good hair cut every now and then!