I have previously written about gifting with grace and love, but I’ve been thinking lately about ways to achieve a clutter-less Christmas.
If you’re a minimalist yourself, you may want to be intentional in your gift giving and emphasize ‘experiences over stuff’. Perhaps you’re hoping that any gift you might receive would support your clutter-free goals. Or maybe you’re just looking for some ideas that won’t involve going to ‘shiny spending places’, which would almost certainly result in both you and your wallet feeling depleted.
Here are my 10 Ideas for a Clutter-busting Christmas
1. Try home-made
I’m baking iced Christmas tree decorations this year. Made with love, these little tokens are inexpensive to make, are low-impact when it comes to packaging, and I can be generous in gifting as many as I like. If you don’t want to hang yours on the tree, that’s fine. You can simply eat it.
Pictured above are my cookie jars from a couple of years ago. Again, these are simple to do, visually appealing and require no gift wrap. Let me know if you want the recipe!
2. Go uniform
If you can give the same little love token to lots of people, your gift wrap (if needed) can be uniform too. Try brown paper or newspaper tied with ribbon or string. This is less wasteful than buying myriad gift bags or multiple packs or rolls of gift wrap.
3. Embrace digital
I have an annual subscription with jacquielawson.com. This UK based company designs online greetings cards that can be personalised, so you can write an individual message to the recipient. Send as many as you like, save yourself a small fortune at the post office, reduce waste and avoid clutter. I know that some people still like to send physical cards, but if you lead a busy life and want an efficient way to send a meaningful message, this is one option.
4. Buy experiences
A trip out to a venue such as the cinema or theatre isn’t a cheap night out. So, gifting an experience that will appeal to loved ones is a fabulous clutter-free option. Alternatively, buy them a music, sporting, driving or dance lesson. There’s no clutter involved and you’ll also be gifting a sense of anticipation, as they’ll have something to look forward to once the festivities are over.
5. Adopt a less is more approach
When it comes to decorations, more is not always better. You can achieve a sense of ‘hygge’ (cosyness) just as well by displaying only your very favourite items. A little bit of sparkle is lovely but you don’t need your home to look like an outpost of John Lewis. Equally, if you bring down from the loft decorations that you never use, it’s OK to let them go. Don’t be hard on yourself if you really don’t value Auntie Mabel’s Christmas baubles. You really don’t have to keep them.
6. Be of service
Have you a skill – or maybe some time – you could offer to others? If ‘acts of service’ form a part of your love language, why not offer a massage, a night’s babysitting, an afternoon’s gardening or something home-cooked? When my pal, Michelle, was 50, she asked for a home-cooked meal for her birthday. I was delighted to offer this unusual present; she and her family were pleased to eat it!
7. Contribute to others
There are some ways to mark the festive season that will add value in ways that can really make a difference to others’ lives. Once again this year, a colleague of mine is coordinating a collection of gifts for looked after children. Local charities such as Helping Hands also distribute hampers across the community to families who will benefit most. Maybe this provides the opportunity to re-gift things you never used, but which someone else might appreciate?
8. Consider a subscription as a gift
Buying someone a subscription is a lovely treat. Perhaps a year’s membership of a group such as the WI, a magazine or music streaming subscription would be appreciated. What about a subscription box of delicious consumables? There are all kinds of subscription boxes available; why not check them out?
9. Consumables are king
This brings to my favourite gift category: consumables. Gifting something you can eat, drink, spray, apply, cook with or (better still) share is a lovely way to celebrate the holidays in a way that means the recipient won’t end up with something that will ultimately end up in the charity shop or – worse – the bin.
10. Ask them what they want
This might seem obvious, but if you’re unsure about what to give someone you love, why not ask them? Knowing you’re buying something that’s genuinely wanted or needed will guarantee they receive something they’ll truly appreciate. And don’t forget, kids love to have their own spending power, so cash (whilst not very imaginative) is often very much appreciated.
So that’s my list, but what about you? Do you have some clutter-busting holiday ideas? If so, please do share by replying below!
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Wonderful ideas! Thank you.☃
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Thank you! All ideas gratefully received if anyone has more 🙂
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Can I have the recipe please?
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You can indeed, June. I’ll post it up later. It’s super easy but really effective.
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Love all these suggestions! Gifting a subscription to a group is such a great idea, I’d not thought about that – only the usual magazine subscriptions. Will keep these in mind when I do my festive shopping!
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Cookie Jar Recipe: Raisin Pecan Cookies
Write the instructions onto a label for your gift recipients or – better still – type up the instructions and stick these onto a luggage tag.
Here’s what you need to fill each jar:
Combine for layer 1:
125g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Layer 2:
125g pulsed oats
Combine for layer 3:
125g golden caster sugar
1tsp cinnamon
Layer 4
75g raisins
Layer 5
75g chopped pecans
If your ingredients don’t quite fill your jar, use marshmallows to fill the space but make sure they aren’t included in the cookie dough!
Preheat over to 180 C
Beat 225g unsalted softened butter with 1 medium egg + 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add cookie mix. Place balls of dough (about the size of a tablespoon) onto a baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly brown.
Cook for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!
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Reblogged this on Catherine Elizabeth Gordon and commented:
It’s time to remind ourselves what a clutter-free Christmas might look like….
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We did away with exchanging gifts and now only do stocking stuffers which are almost always a consumable of some kind, like good chocolate or nuts and dried fruit. It saves money, time spent shopping, and simplifies the day. We get together and focus on sharing Christmas day with a good simple meal and watching our favorite version of A Christmas Carol. My husband and I provide the main course and a side dish and my mom and brother bring one or two other side dishes and dessert. The best part is having leftovers the next day so no one has to cook.
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A timely reminder for us all — thank you Catherine.
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Thanks, Rachel. I was reminded of it yesterday; seems apt when we are being bombarded with Black Friday ‘deals’!
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