Recent studies are showing that people of all ages are craving more community and personal connection. No amount of physical items will ever be a good substitute for this need. And while we traditionally give tangible items to express love for our friends and family, our good intentions often miss the mark and don’t fit their taste or lifestyle. Instead, how about some clutter-free gifts instead?
7 Ideas for Gifts of EXPERIENCE, rather than STUFF:
- Schedule a lunch or dinner out ~ each person pays their own bill and you get quality, focused time to reconnect.
- Instead of a book club gift exchange, plan a special outing to see the movie version of one of the books you’ve read (or hear an author’s presentation.)
- Offer to teach a skill ~ knitting techniques, gardening hacks, changing the oil in the car, or basic home plumbing repairs.
- If your grandkids/nieces/nephews live in town, give a “gift certificate” for a monthly outing with you. These dates together will be precious memories for you and them…and a gift of a day off for their parents!
- Instead of giving the elderly neighbor cookies they might not be able to eat, present them with a promise to shovel their driveway/sidewalk anytime it snows this winter.
- What have you always wanted to learn? Pay for you and a friend to take a class together and learn to weld, brew beer or mold pottery.
- Organize your friend group or family to pool their money together to purchase a holiday dinner or gifts for a local family struggling, instead of giving each other things no one needs.
Not only do these presents help our homes stay clutter-free, they also:
- Connect us to another person.
- Spread the cost of holiday gift-giving throughout the year.
- Give you and the recipient something to look forward to in the new year.
What ideas do you have for clutter-free gift giving? Share them in the comments!