Holiday Gift Giving

Stuff, glorious, STUFF…

Ever heard this song? Better yet, have you ever SUNG it?

Probably not, but it’s the way that many of us live. Like it or not, we have a love/hate relationship with our stuff. We love to dream about it, find it and buy it, but we hate to clean it, maintain it and work around it.

Take a walk around your home, your office, even your car. Count the number of things (ie. “stuff”) that you see. Do NOT start this project in the kitchen, as you will not make it to any other room of your house. For that matter, don’t start in the bathroom, kids’ room, office… Can you believe there are people out there that only allow themselves up to 100 “things”?!?

We collect lots and lots of stuff, but how much of it really brings us joy? On that thread, let’s move on to Christmas and holiday gift giving. I sincerely love giving gifts. I love making out my list of holiday gift recipients and pondering the perfect gift to bestow upon the person that shows my love and adoration for them. Sometimes, I get in a pinch. I make the list out late and don’t put as much time into the activity as I could or should and I end up buying something just to have it to give (candles, anyone?).

Now, does the latter scenario really capture the spirit of the holidays? Generally, no. Does dashing out to the mall at the last possible moment and grabbing the first thing under $(insert budgeted amount here) that we see add to the amount of pointless, meaningless “stuff” that we abhor, but don’t know how to let go of? I know that we all say, “It’s the thought that counts,” but wouldn’t it be nice to receive a truly wonderful gift that thrilled the recipient to receive as much as the giver to give?

This year, let’s aim to have a STUFF-FREE holiday. Let’s focus on the meaning behind the gift as opposed to the standard, have-to-give mentality that we trap ourselves in. We may also find that this strategy not only cuts down on clutter, but also ends up saving us money!

Attempt to give gifts of the heart and that offer experience. Think about the people on your list and decide first, why you feel the need to give to them and second, what would make them giggle and squeal with delight. For that group at the office, a yummy plate of home-made chocolate and caramel turtles might be just what the doctor ordered and won’t fill up their desks with more lotions and potions that they likely won’t ever use.

There are many ideas out there for the people on your list:

* Museum passes for the family who has it all

* Movie gift certificates for the cinema-enthusiast in your life

* Netflix or Blockbuster gift subscriptions for in-home entertainment

* Suggesting lunch with a favorite gal pal and picking up the tab

* Babysitting for a busy mom and dad

* Park admission to their favorite carousel amusement

* Baked goods – always go far – for the teachers, the neighbors, the office staff, the Church group – everyone!

* A class at the community college on flower arranging, quilting, cake decorating…

* Season membership to the local community theatre

* A Christmas Campout for the kids in your life, complete with s’mores, indoor forts and a night spent in front of the fireplace campfire

* Have a large group? Suggest a Secret Santa exchange, where each person picks one recipient to surprise with gifts throughout the season or with one main gift at a luncheon or get together

* Start a savings account or purchase the gift of stock in a company for a child

* The gift of TIME – spend special time together with someone that you love – uninterrupted, magical time…

With a little thought and imagination, the holidays can be a super exciting time to celebrate others, without adding to the amount of STUFF that’s lying around our homes, filling up our cars and cluttering our offices. Not to mention, spoiling our children…

Your challenge is to find a way to get past the stuff and back to the heart of the season. Please respond to this post with your own clever ways of getting past the stuff and giving really wonderful gifts and experiences to the people on your holiday gift list.

A dear friend that reads this account checked in with me today and said that it is definitely time to update. I concur.

I also must apologize for the delay. You see, just after my last entry, my disabled and very sick mother moved in with us. My world turned upside down until March, when we were able to find her a senior apartment, a place to call her own. Then, I began preparations for that trip to Ireland I told you about in November.

We just returned from the most amazing week of our lives in a breathtaking country that brought many $mart thoughts to me. I simply must share these with you.

1. To travel – or, to do anything that you truly love and makes your heart soar – is a treasured gift and should be treated as such. Aligning the way in which we spend our money with those things which sincerely give us joy and a sense of completeness has made all the difference to my family. Being able to take my eight-year-old child to another country will be a gift that will live in him forever. The simple act of dreaming, then planning, then making it come true is a gift in and of itself, not to mention the amazing places we went and people we met. Have you gone through the ‘finding your values’ exercise yet? Don’t put it off any more – it’s not a chore, it’s enlightening and fun!

2. Our preoccupation with “stuff” and, ultimately, status symbols, will only hinder our journey toward financial independence. When we were traveling through the Southwestern part of Ireland, we realized very quickly that the houses were small, charming and quaint, the land seriously expansive and beautiful and the cars small - simply a mode of transportation. No where did we see oversized SUVs, luxurious multi-million dollar homes or fabulous designer clothing. In fact, even the basics (groceries and gas) were pretty pricey. The Irish, as I saw it, put their money in a nice, albeit cozy and comfortable place to live, a sensible car to get from point A to point B and a no frills, but still quite stylish approach to the dress code. It was a welcome change from the ever-growing preoccupation we have with keeping up with the neighbors. It’s OK to just be YOURSELF and in so doing, to grow subsequently RICH.

3. Planning counts. So, in Ireland, there were no 24-hour retail or service establishments open that I saw anywhere. If you needed milk, you had to get to the market before it closed at 9pm. Same thing with gas and dinner. There simply was not a Wal-Mart to be found. At first, this was distressing, but I came to embrace the thought of having to plan a little to allow the town to go to sleep. When we don’t cater to a 24-hour society, people won’t live a 24-hour lifestyle. Think ahead – whether it’s planning your family’s meals for the week, deciding what fun activities you’ll engage in on the weekends or where you’ll travel for the summer. We pay for convenience (whether in money or in sanity). Take a few moments each month, week and day to plan out your life. You’ll thank yourself for the little slice of heaven called control and order this affords you.

These are the top three lessons my trip to Ireland taught me. I challenge you to find your own lessons in the every day, sometimes mundane life that we all live. What gives you joy? What doesn’t? Nurture those things that you love and explore why it is you love them. Contemplate and consider those things that you don’t enjoy or that you fear. Find the reasoning behind your thoughts and incorporate those lessons into your life. You have the blueprint to your happiness. All you have to do is read it.

Until next time, I am proud to be a $mart Girl. I hope you are, too.