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.