Thoughtful gift ideas for your ministering sisters or brothers

Christmas can be a great time to connect on a more personal level with those you minister to, and a thoughtful gift can go a long way in showing how much you care about them. No matter who you minister to, we’ve come up with dozens of great gift ideas that will fit every budget and every personality!

If the family you minister to is lively or competitive, Grandpa Beck’s card games are always a hit. Games like Cover your Assets, Skull King, and Gnoming-a-Round are all fun, fast-paced games that will encourage your ministering families to put down their phones and interact with each other in person. Single brothers and sisters can enjoy a game night with friends, and these card games are compact enough to store in a smaller home or apartment.

If you’re looking for a more gospel-centered gift, a wooden plan of salvation puzzle can take a simple Come, Follow Me lesson to the next level and easily entertain smaller children—an added bonus any parent will be grateful for. A family with older children could use these faith-based conversation cards or the Conference Connections flipbook to initiate a deeper discussion or gospel study.

► You may also like: Our complete guide of uplifting Christmas gifts for kids

Unless the people you minister to have Hallmark Movie-level decorating skills, most trees and homes have space for at least one more heartfelt ornament. Your ministering sister might appreciate an ornament that displays the temple she was married or endowed in. If your ministering brother is passionate about his family history and heritage, a Santas Around the World ornament could make for a meaningful gift. A carefully chosen nativity ornament could break the ice with a new ministering family you don’t yet know well. And the individual Names of Christ ornaments are perfect for giving away in pieces if you minister to multiple individuals or families.

► You may also like: 13 great Christmas gifts to give your ward

If you have a larger group of people to buy gifts for, smaller does not have to mean less meaningful. The Generous One booklet by Dieter F. Uchtdorf is a great inexpensive gift with a heartwarming message about all that Christ has given us. And the beautiful cover design means it can double as a piece of holiday décor for their bookshelf or living room table.

Speaking of which, holiday decorations can do double duty of bringing Christmas cheer to a living space and sharing the messages that make the season truly meaningful. A pop-up diorama nativity scene featuring art from Jorge Cocco or Greg Olsen could quickly help turn a humble apartment into a sacred space. Ministering families with a more established home or décor styles might love a new nativity to add to their collection, maybe an international nativity to honor their ancestry, a light-up nativity to brighten up a cozy corner, or a more kid-friendly nativity for when the grandkids visit.

You could also think outside the “holiday décor box” and give a gift they could display all year round, like a beautiful, high-quality art print. Something soft and warm like a Kate Lee watercolor art print would complement a kitchen or playroom, while something detailed and vibrant like a Yongsung Kim print would work well in an office or study. A classic Greg Olsen print of the Savior could be displayed in any room of your ministering family’s house or even brighten up their office space at work.

Is your ministering brother or sister musically inclined? You could introduce them to a new album or give them something fresh to listen to in the car on Sunday mornings. The soft, instrumental guitar and piano Christmas hymns on the Wonder album are a great mood booster on any December morning. Or if they like to keep the energy up on a Sunday afternoon or during an intense workout, the energetic faith-filled originals in The Sounding Joy will surely keep them pumped. Those who’ve watched Encanto with their children will recognize the voice of Adassa (the voice of Dolores Madrigal) in the soulful lyrics of her new album In Jesus We Are One.

► You may also like: The ultimate Christmas playlist—3 hours of music perfect for your ward or family parties

Is there anything better than the food at Christmastime? Rather than add another plate of fudge to their counter, why not gift your ministering brother or sister something to help with their own holiday treat preparations? Fun cookie cutters in cute gospel-themed shapes mean they could look forward to gingerbread temples alongside their gingerbread men. A Utah-shaped cutting board would make the perfect base for a holiday charcuterie board they could bring to a ward party. Or you could give them a Lion House roll mix and a Stephen’s candy cane brownie mix to have on hand for when something inevitably doesn’t come out of the oven quite right. And sometimes, the best Christmas treat is enjoying a simple cup of hot chocolate with a friend or loved one during a rare moment of quiet.

Once the holidays are over and January sets in, there’s nothing quite like a good book and a cozy blanket. The person you minister to might enjoy learning more about President Nelson, getting lost in a proper romance novel, or finding some inspiration in Sheri Dew’s first-hand experiences working with prophets. Are they a gospel scholar or Sunday School teacher? Give them something for next year’s Come, Follow Me study. Or if your ministering companion is one of the youth in your ward, you could get something for them like an inspiring new YA novel or the first book in a best-selling fantasy series.

There’s always more we can each learn from last general conference, and one of our favorite annual gifts has become giving the General Conference Journal edition as a great way to help the person you minister to continue studying those messages. Other study tools like a journal for recording impressions or scripture stickers can be an easy and inexpensive gift. The Don’t Miss This study calendar is also one of the handiest study items since it prominently displays what to study each week and how to implement that week’s lessons in your life. Practical items like a temple recommend holder or a silicon CTR ring can also be a great way to help the people you minister to keep the gospel with them every day.

At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong answer on what to give your ministering families for Christmas. But maybe even more important than ending a visit with “Is there anything we can do for you?”, putting a little extra thought into your gift-giving decision can help show them truly just how much you care about them.