Holiday Gift Giving and Receiving

The holidays are fast approaching, which means you likely already have been asked for a wishlist and have planned out your own shopping. As an organizer and someone conscious of how much space stuff can take up, I try to avoid gifts that will take up too much physical (and therefore emotional) space. I am not knocking the art of whimsical gift giving, but if you want to give your sibling an indoor bouncy castle for their kids, please double check first.

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Here are a few ways to set boundaries while maintaining the magic of the holiday season:

Gift receiving: when you receive a gift, whether you absolutely love it or immediately have plans for its donation, you have one. single. job. All you have to do is say “thank you so much!”. Bam, after that I pronounce you free of any obligations related to this item. You should not feel any guilt associated with letting that item go once you have thanked the gift giver.

Gift checkups: One concern I often hear when a client is donating a gift is that the gift giver will ask where it is. Unless you specifically requested this gift (which should mean you use this gift for a while), this shouldn’t really happen. Let’s say, however, that your aunt comes over and asks where that little angel statue from Christmas went. Suggested answers:

• “Oh my gosh, where DID that go?”

• “Oh we love it so much that we keep it at work where we see it all day.”

• “It’s around here somewhere!”

Feel free to choose whichever one resonates with you most.

NOTE: Hey, gift givers, don’t check in on those gifts. Your only job as the gift giver is to be wonderfully generous with your gift before moving on!

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Last Minute Gifting

Whether you receive an unexpected gift and want to reciprocate or you have not had time to plan out your gifts, those last minute gifts sneak up on all of us! Here are some thoughtful experience/ gift ideas that anyone will love receiving this holiday season:

Kids activities:

• Local children’s museum

• Local science center

Health and wellness:

• Gym membership

• Thrive Market membership

• Local juicery gift card

Self Care:

• Gift Card for a Flote

• Gift Card for a Massage

  Just for fun:

• Cricut subscription

• NYT subscription (so you can competitively play all the word games AND get their amazing recipe app)

• A gift card for your favorite cafe/ restaurant!

  Of course, if someone you love needs a hand organizing, decluttering, and creating new systems in their home or business Bradstreet Organizing gift cards are available for purchase!

  At the end of the day, I hope you know that your presence (and not your present) is the greatest gift you can give to those you love.

  Happy Holidays!

  Emily