Creative Ways to Give Football Tickets for Christmas

While football tickets may sit at the top of the Christmas list, finding a creative way to deliver the game tickets during the height of the season makes the gift that much more meaningful and notable. The big ticket games kick off after the holidays, so it'll be the perfect timing for a unique way to deliver the gift. By building anticipation or completely surprising the recipient, you can create a gift-giving experience that remains more memorable than the actual game itself. And it's not just for football—you can give concert tickets, baseball tickets or even theater tickets in any of these creative ways.

Why not take advantage of technology and get your loved one's favorite football player to deliver the surprise tickets? Cameo is a service that allows people to get a personalized video from their favorite athletes, actors, artists and media personalities. Video costs range but start at around $50. Is your recipient a New York Yankees fan? Get a video from hall of famer Reggie Jackson. More of a Los Angeles Dodgers fan? One-time MVP Steve Garvey and sports reporter Kristen Watson are on Cameo. This way, you'll double your gift giving!

Make a gift basket featuring items related to the football team for your favorite NFL fan. Here's a few ideas:

• Use a tin ice bucket complete with the team's logo as the base. Fill the tub with team-themed T-shirts, bumper stickers and other creative merch. Hide the tickets inside the pocket of the T-shirt or around the inside brim of the cap.
  
• Place the tickets in the clear plastic sleeve of a lanyard outfitted with a team logo-covered strap.
  
• Are they a Green Bay Packers fan? Throw in a variety of cheeses and a cheesehead hat!
  
• If they root for the San Francisco 49ers instead, add gold-colored Hershey's kisses or Ghirardelli chocolate.
  

Give them a surprise trip by sending the recipient on a small treasure hunt for the football tickets. Draw up a treasure map on parchment paper with distressed edges, roll it into a scroll and wrap it in a treasure chest found at most party supply stores. If logistically possible, leave a handful of clues around the area, ending the hunt at the team's home stadium.

Present them with the surprise gift while at the stadium. Be sure to travel with the recipient during the treasure hunt so they do not get lost or confused.

Wrap a small box using ribbons of the same color as the football team's colors. Inside the box, place a Christmas tree ornament with the team's logo. Tell the recipient to hang the ornament on an area of the Christmas tree denoted with the same color ribbon. Place the ribbon at the back of the tree so the gift recipient does not see it prior to this moment. Lay the tickets inside the tree, attached via the ribbon. When they remove the ribbon to hang the ornament, the recipient will discover the perfect Christmas gift: football tickets.

At the heart of every gift is appreciating your loved one for all they do, so why not commemorate that gratitude with a trophy of their own? Browse on Etsy or any online awards shop to get a custom-engraved trophy with the name of your loved one. You can honor them with anything: most valuable player, best brother, biggest Monday night football fan. Place the trophy and event tickets in a box together and surprise your recipient.

Whether you decide on a classic Christmas ornament or an intricate, cross-town treasure hunt, your loved one will appreciate the thought, care and effort you put into bringing them closer to their favorite team. There are a number of ways to get creative this holiday season, and whatever you don't use for NFL tickets you can revisit for any other surprise game or outing!