Are you a YL staff person looking for Christmas gift ideas for committee or leaders? A volunteer leader looking for gift ideas for your high school friends? Or maybe just a YL’dly selfish person, addicted to YL gear, looking for items to add to your own Christmas list…here are some ideas for you!
Letters To A Young Life Leader
By: Bob Mitchell and Kit Sublett
It’s a true treasure of Godly wisdom that all YL leaders need to read. “Mitch” was Young Life’s third president and one of Jim Rayburn’s original club kids. He’s the real deal and continues to point YL staff and leaders to Christ. “Letters to a Young Life Leader” is a collection of 37 letters, arranged in five sections, covering a wide range of topics — everything from why we use humor in Young Life to spiritual formation and balancing ministry and family. Buy it here.
The Diaries of Jim Rayburn
Another great YL treasure from Whitecaps Media.
Prized Possession
A Father’s Journey In Raising His Daughter
Alan Smyth & Kristy Fox, Young Life Regional Directors in California, published this book for dads with daughters. You can order it here.
Sweatshirt Blankets
One of my favorite YL gifts I’ve ever been given. They’re $26 in the YL online store (with your staff or volunteer leader sign in everything is 20% off). You can also get a bulk discount (about $20/blanket) on custom designs if you order 48 or more. There are tons of other great gift ideas at the Online Young Life Store.
Wigs
How fun would it be to pick out a different wig for each of your leaders! And think of the value that would add to your area skit closet.
Framed Wordles
Check out this video for an example.
Crazy Creek Camping Chairs
In the past I ordered a bunch of these chairs in bulk from websites like Sierra Trading Post for around $20.
Young Life Water Bottles
There are a lot of options at the online YL store ranging between $7-$14. A great thing about water bottles is you can fill them with other fun and cheap things like a hand-written note, candy canes, etc.
Gas Cards
If you are a committee member looking for a gift for volunteer leaders, you can’t go wrong with a gas card!
Head Lamps
Leaders can rapidly increase their cool points by breaking out a headlamp at camp. Prices range from $10-$100. I use mine to read with at night and way more often than I originally anticipated. Hands free light baby!
Personalized Frisbees/Disc Golf Discs
You can order disc golf discs or 175g nice ultimate frisbees with your area logo on them from a lot of online stores. The turnaround process typically isn’t quick, so order today. I’ve had good success in the past with DTworld.com
Belt Buckles
Who doesn’t want a belt buckle with the YL logo on it? Or a sketch of your face engraved in shiny silver? I’ve never ordered these, but I can’t imagine anything I’d rather open on Christmas day than a nice shiny belt buckle. Shoutout to all our Texas YL leaders!
How To Distribute Gifts At A Leader Party
One year we played a game to distribute gifts. There were tons of gifts on a table upfront in view of all. The gifts ranged in cost from $5-$30 and varied from the things above to cd’s, books, gift cards to restaurants, etc. The person who had been leading the longest in the area got to pick a gift first…all the way to the newest leader picking last. It was a nice way to recognize the marathoners in the group and fun to see what everyone picked.
Here are some helpful thoughts from Eric Scofield for YL staff folks. (direct link to video)
