De-Clutter your Gift Giving! Advice from a Calgary Home Stager . . .
While I love Christmas and the holiday season with all the special traditions and relaxing time spent with family and friends . . . this time of year also has a way of adding (or revealing) a lot of clutter in our lives!
Have you ever noticed that January consistently has two things on sale? Storage items and exercise equipment! Why? Because we all end up with too much clutter both in our closets, and around our waistlines in December! As a Home Stager, I see the results of this all too often.
If you're like me and looking for a few alternatives to buck this trend, I hope you find a couple of new ideas here . . . or share your own strategies to de-clutter the holidays!
One sleepless night has already resulted in my rendition of a traditional Christmas poem, ‘Twas the month before Clutter-mas. Continuing on this theme, this first installment is about how to de-clutter your gift giving.
Spread the Cheer
Face it, most of us have everything we really need . . . and then some. Why not consider diverting some of your gift giving dollars to a worthy cause? Instead of buying a third video game for the kids, or another pair of slippers that might see marginal use, check out the gift catalogs of organizations like World Vision or Heifer International. See how far your $100, $50 or even $10 can go in another part of the world!
Or, go local. Look for a group . . . or even just an opportunity . . . in your own home town where your money can really make a difference in someone else's life. Who knows? Maybe the teachers in your school would be thrilled to know that the money you would have spent on them, bought books for kids that might not otherwise ever have the joy of owning any instead.
Run with the Herd
Often, we have a budget for each person that we want to buy a gift for. And often, it seems it's not enough to get something they may really want or need. So what do we do? We get something "just because", knowing in our hearts that it's really kind of useless. Instead, get together with a few other people that would also purchase a gift for this lucky recipient, and get one item that is exactly what they want and need.
Go for the Experience
Who says a gift has to be a tangible item? Most of our significant relationships would be far better off if we invested more "quality" time. Think of what that special someone might enjoy. Is it a day at a local amusement park . . . a hiking trip . . . a night in a hotel away from the kids . . . or just building a go-cart together? Make a special certificate declaring your intent, along with an actual commitment to a specific day and time.
Make it a gift to truly be remembered by taking photos! (Always one of my passions!) Then create a simple photobook as a keepsake of the "gift" and time spent together.
Give the Gift of Time
Here's an idea that won't cost you a dime and just may endear you to someone far beyond your expectations. Offer to do something for them that they either cannot do themselves, or would be a more than welcomed break from the task. It may sound a little corny, but a day spent serving someone else is your love in action! While you are doing the chore, take pride in the fact that you are genuinely helping this person in a way that some $25 item never could.
Again, make a commitment to a day and time when you give your "gift" to ensure that it doesn't become an empty promise . . . or a once "good intention".
Be a "Sweet" heart
Holiday preparations take time, and not everyone has the time . . . or talent . . . to do it themselves. If baking is something you like to do, it would be a meaningful gift to people that just won't get around to it otherwise! Package up some squares, or a variety of cookies in a pretty tin, and give it away! They will think of you as their holiday guests compliment them on the yummy treats.
And if the waistline "clutter" is something you'd rather avoid, make some savory items instead. Antipasto, salsas, or cheeseballs are also appreciated choices.
Get Practical
Okay, not the most exciting alternative, but it still can be thoughtful. Instead of buying those cute little stocking stuffers that sift to the bottom of the junk drawer before you can say, "St. Valentine", pass ‘em by in favour of things that are more needed. Cute (but real) school supplies, fun cosmetics, new razors or even bus tickets are all more useful stocking stuffer fare that will save your loved one a purchase down the road.
Resist the Urge
Lastly, you don't even have to spend all of your holiday budget! Know when to say when . . . and enough is enough. Fill the days of celebration with memorable activities instead of putting the focus on endless present opening.
At one of our family meals not long ago, I thought to ask my kids what Christmas traditions they enjoyed most. I was kind of surprised by their answers. They couldn't recall their favourite toys, and they no longer cared about that once new gaming system that they got. They remembered things far less tangible and small things that I did, but never realized meant so much.
In a world that is polluted with overindulgence and consumerism (well, and plain ol' pollution) . . . that has both impossible wealth and shameful poverty . . . and that seems to be searching for meaning around every corner . . . I am vowing to change my ways.
While I am hardly exemplary or very self-sacrificing, I am choosing to be on the road to a more conscious way of living. I hope you will join me in sharing your ways of adding more meaning, and less stuff, to the holidays.
(PS Yes, I know . . . there are always gift cards.)
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