Too Much Stuff
By Ann Krause
It seems like I've always enjoyed the gift-giving aspect of this season. I remember, even as a child, making a list of all the people I wanted to give to, working out my budget, figuring out how much I could spend on each one, and searching for the perfect gift for every special person on my list. When motherhood descended upon me over 10 years ago, I zealously began showering my children with gifts each year.
But this year, somehow, it's different. My perspective on it has shifted, partly because this year my husband and I are both self-employed, which means the money situation has changed. It's not just the money that has shifted my focus this year, though. Over the years, I've watched the pile of toys in my children's rooms escalate-so much so that I can barely walk in either of their rooms. How did we ever accumulate so much STUFF?
And there is a BIG box in our storage room that came home with us last Christmas, full of the goodies and gifts bestowed upon us-some of which are still sitting there, unpacked, unused, brand new. It was fun giving all the gifts last year, fun wrapping them, fun UNwrapping them, but the gifts themselves somehow got left in the dust. What's inside seems to have paled in the comparison to the simple act of giving and receiving. The spirit of the gifts was there, but the stuff inside became more unnecessary clutter in our lives.
So this year I have a suggestion. Let's not give up on the wonderful act of giving; it is an important tradition in the rush of our lives. We so rarely remember to stop and tell the people around us how very much they mean to us. But this year, let's give something more meaningful-gifts of thoughtfulness and love-without the clutter.
Thoughtful Gift Ideas with Less Clutter
By Ann Krause
It seems like I've always enjoyed the gift-giving aspect of this season. I remember, even as a child, making a list of all the people I wanted to give to, working out my budget, figuring out how much I could spend on each one, and searching for the perfect gift for every special person on my list. When motherhood descended upon me over 10 years ago, I zealously began showering my children with gifts each year.
But this year, somehow, it's different. My perspective on it has shifted, partly because this year my husband and I are both self-employed, which means the money situation has changed. It's not just the money that has shifted my focus this year, though. Over the years, I've watched the pile of toys in my children's rooms escalate-so much so that I can barely walk in either of their rooms. How did we ever accumulate so much STUFF?
And there is a BIG box in our storage room that came home with us last Christmas, full of the goodies and gifts bestowed upon us-some of which are still sitting there, unpacked, unused, brand new. It was fun giving all the gifts last year, fun wrapping them, fun UNwrapping them, but the gifts themselves somehow got left in the dust. What's inside seems to have paled in the comparison to the simple act of giving and receiving. The spirit of the gifts was there, but the stuff inside became more unnecessary clutter in our lives.
So this year I have a suggestion. Let's not give up on the wonderful act of giving; it is an important tradition in the rush of our lives. We so rarely remember to stop and tell the people around us how very much they mean to us. But this year, let's give something more meaningful-gifts of thoughtfulness and love-without the clutter.
Thoughtful Gift Ideas with Less Clutter
- Make dip mixes, cookie mixes, soup mixes or liqueurs. Use pretty bottles or jars with decorated covers.
- Make a booklet of "coupons" directed at the person you are giving it to. For a significant other, coupons for a romantic picnic by the Xmas tree to ring in the New Year, a week of doing a chore he/she hates doing, a massage, etc. For kids, coupons for one night off from a chore, free lunch with Mom or Dad, etc.Make an "experience for someone.
- Give a tea-lover a basket with different teas, a pretty cup, and an invite to tea.
- Give a gardener seeds, garden gloves, and garden hand tools.
- Give "A Night at the Movies" baskets (for a family) including a video tape or DVD, microwave popcorn, a beverage for each family member and a couple boxes of "movie theater" type candy. Include tags that look like movie tickets saying "You are cordially invited to a night at the movies ".
- For a child, bundle a few cookie cutters, a rolling pin and a box of sugar cookie mix together with a certificate for "cookie lessons".
- Give a group of friends the same book, and invite them all for a Book Talk party in early February--or give them each a bottle of wine and invite them over for a wine-tasting party. Or give cookbooks and have a cooking party!
- For golfers, a set of balls and a coupon for a golf outing.
- Give a teen-aged niece a set of hair brushes, some styling aids and two or three hairdo magazines--or a set of different colored nail polishes and accessories and an invitation for a "girl's sleepover".
