Ideas For The Minimalistic Christmas

It's that time of year already! Gifting season has begun. If you are like me, or even if you aren't...if you have any kids at all, you also have a lot of STUFF. Everyone LOVES to get kids toys because kids love to get toys! But for the small, minimalist home, or for the family with 4 to 6 kids (or more if you are literally completely insane...even more than two in my opinion is a wee bit on the looney tunes side).

Anyway, another mom blog to share.

A Friendly Holiday Suggestion From The Mom With Too Much Stuff

It's sort of geared towards their particular area, but there are general ideas here that are actually really great. I call these "clutter-free gifts". Mostly because...well I was inspired by my mother. She likes 'stuff' and has enough 'stuff' to probably fill up the entire state of Nebraska (ok maybe not QUITE that much, but it's a lot). So her children (me and my bros) all decided to try to get her gifts that are not tangible. Things like gift cards to her favorite restaurants, gift certificate for a massage, or a pre-paid giant dumpster to throw all her sh*t in (ok we haven't done that last one yet, but don't think we haven't thought about it! We're not sure she would see the thoughtfulness in that gesture as clearly as we would hope. ;) ).
Another thing about these clutter-free gifts is that they often provide a level of thoughtfulness that might not otherwise come with a material gift. Material gifts can certainly be thoughtful, but most of the time we simply buy things that people have put on their wish list. So maybe they aren't quite as thoughtful as say getting your wife a gift certificate for a massage and mani/pedi, but they are thoughtful with respect to people wanting to make sure they get you something you will like/want/need. You could get a gift certificate to someone's favorite coffee place. A wine club or beer club subscription for a year would be an idea as well, although those do tend to be a bit on the pricey side. 

For kid's the clutter-free gift might be a little more challenging, depending on their age. Not many kids probably get massages (or maybe they do...I tend to be out of tough with the latest 'trends' most of the time). But consider perhaps a mommy & me painting class or ceramics decorating class. If they live in an area where they have access location-wise to cool things like a children's museum or a zoo, you could get them a season pass for a year (as long as it's not a significant burden for the parent's to be able to get them there). 

Consumables are also really great gift ideas. Things like maybe some healthy granola or a basket of goodies (good for you or bad). Hot chocolate and/or peppermint schnapps. Booze is a great consumable that we often exchange in my family (we like alcohol...don't judge us). I once did a "movie night basket" for my nephew. I packed a little tub or bucket with popcorn and a few other snacky foods, a dvd, and fuzzy socks. Or a relaxation basket with lotion, bath salts or epsom salts, and other yummy smelling things that can be used up quickly. 

Another idea we've done in the past is making a specific request that if people want to give us gifts, they simply send us the money they would have spent so we can use it to buy a new TV. We didn't get enough to cover the whole cost of the TV, but it was something we both wanted and we were able to get it for a bit cheaper then because people sort of gifted half of it to us. 

Just a few ideas as we approach shopping season. I hope you enjoyed our time together. Until next time...love yourself!