5 clutter-free gift ideas for the holidays

Shopping for the holidays? Calm Order recommends giving a gift than can be experienced or consumed. This way, your loved ones can enjoy their gift without adding unnecessary clutter into their lives. If you’re having trouble thinking of gift ideas, don’t just buy something at random. Chances are, whoever gets the gift won’t be able to use it and will end up having to give it away or put it in storage and forget about it. Don’t be afraid to buy gift certificates or tickets for gifts that won’t turn into unwanted clutter.

 Enjoy dinner and a movie

This classic weekend activity is a great gift to give anyone on your gift list. It can easily be customized to everyone’s tastes and interests because you can be general movie passes that aren’t specific to a certain movie, theatre or time. This way, your gift recipient can make plans to use their gift whenever works best for them. Better yet, it can be a completely clutter-less gift! Consider buy the movie passes and restaurant gift certificate online and sending them over electronically. You can print out a certificate or card that can be opened the day of but doesn’t need to be saved (and most likely lost) when the recipient goes to use it. This idea also works well as a couple or group gift.

Give a night at the theatre

Calgary is home to many different theatres and performance groups that provide entertainment for all ages. From musicals to comedy shows and family-friendly performances, there are many different performance companies like Theatre Calgary, Pumphouse Theatre and StoryBook Theatre that can also make great gifts for family and friends. If there is a specific show you know your loved ones will love, then it might be a good idea to purchase specific tickets for them and other friends and family before they sell out. You can even consider purchasing general admission tickets, so they can see a show whenever they want. This gift can be a unique experience, and an activity they may not have thought to do on their own. If you have friends or family that really enjoy seeing performances, consider also buying them season passes to their favourite place.

Explore Calgary’s museums and galleries

For an even more engaging gift, consider giving friends and family passes to one of the many museums and galleries in Calgary and the surrounding area. From places like the Glenbow Museum, Heritage Park or even the Royal Tyrrell Museum, season passes, or one-time admission tickets make a great gift for any individual or group. Admission passes will allow recipients to make a visit at a time that works with their schedule and be a fun afternoon or day activity for them to experience by themselves or with other friends. If you’re looking for a bigger gift, you could buy multiple admission tickets to multiple places, and cut down on the number of physical items your loved ones will receive this holiday season. Give them a gift they can actually experience and remember!

Test culinary skills and taste buds

If you know anyone that likes to cook, bake, or eat food, find a cooking class or demonstration on a food type or cuisine they like, so they can enjoy an afternoon or evening learning about (and eating) something they love! Most classes can be group or partner activities, so this could be a great idea to do with your recipient, or to give them to do with someone else. There are classes available in Calgary from a variety of organizations like ATCO Blue Flame, The Cookbook Company Cooks, Sunterra, and more. If your recipient isn’t a fan of cooking, try a tasting or pairing event instead, which usually offers beverages and food samplings for guests to try. Restaurants and bakeries offer events like this that allow people to purchase tickets in advance, which makes for a great gift to enjoy after the holidays. Not only are they engaging activities, they can also be very educational!

Treat your loved ones

After a busy holiday season, nothing is better than getting a relaxing day at the spa! Whether it is a massage, pedicure, or full treatment, consider giving a gift certificate to a spa for your friend or loved one. It could be their regular treatment, or something new they wouldn’t normally get to do. There are also spa treatments available for couples or groups that you can also give. Some packages may also offer the option to get food or drinks to turn it into an even more engaging activity. A spa-day is the perfect gift for friends and family who may need rest and relaxation after spending a busy few days with family or travelling.

Give a gift that won’t just take up space in the homes of your friends and family. This year give them something they can actually experience and enjoy. Not only will it save you time and eliminate your gift-wrapping time, you can be assured that your recipients will actually use and appreciate their gift without adding more clutter to their lives.

Post-Holiday Organizing

The holiday season might be over, but that doesn’t mean the work is done! Once the celebrations are over there is plenty to clean-up, go through, and put away. From decorations, to presents, and all the leftovers, there is a lot to do. To help you get through the busy post-holiday season, we’ve outlined a few tips on how you can stay on track of what needs to be done:

1.     Use up the leftovers

Holiday meal leftovers are inevitable. There will always be plenty of extra turkey with all the fixings, so after the holidays are over, try and clear out room in your fridge by using up the leftover food. There are many different recipes you can make with the leftovers that go beyond just reheating the food – from turkey pot pie to turkey soup, sandwiches and other casseroles, leftovers can be remade into new meals you can take to work for lunch or enjoy for another meal. If there is still food leftover, try freezing some of the food to extend its shelf life. Just don’t forget that you have the food in your freezer!

2.     Go through your gifts

Most people just want to be able to enjoy the gifts they receive as soon as they get them. However, there are always times when clothes are the wrong size, something doesn’t work when its opened or needs to be assembled before use, or you get a gift that just isn’t right for you. Take stock of all the items you received and make a pile for anything that needs to be returned to the store. Make sure you have the proper gift receipts attached to the gifts so you don’t encounter any issues when you go to return. Check out how long you have to exchange the gift too – if you don’t have to go right away, then plan to make the trip later in January when the stores aren’t too busy.  Another pile can also be made for any clothes, blankets or other items that need to be washed or altered before use. This should be more of a priority so you can use your new gift as soon as possible! For gift certificates, tickets, or other time-sensitive gifts, make sure you take note of the use-by date and set a reminder for yourself on your phone or calendar so you don’t forget it. Lastly, make sure everything is put away in the place where it belongs, whether that is your closet, kitchen or toy bin.

3.     Put away the decorations

It might not be as much fun to take down all the holiday decorations as it was to put them all up, but your home can’t stay stuck in the holiday season forever. Start by removing all the boxes and bags from your storage and sort out what items need to go where. To make the decoration take-down seem less overwhelming, work on one room at a time. You don’t have to do it alone either – get your whole family, or even some friends, and make an activity out of the clean-up. If the weather is nice, it would also be a good time to take down any lights or outdoor decorations before they are forgotten in the New Year. This is also a good time to go through your decorations and take note of anything that needs to be replaced, like any burnt out light bulbs, broken garland strands, chipped ornaments, or broken branches. Make sure these items are either fixed or properly disposed of and set a reminder in your phone or place you regularly check to replace these items in time for next year. Once all the boxes and bags are packed up, return them to their proper storage place.

4.     Catch up with the people you couldn’t see

There never seems to be enough time to visit with friends and family over the holidays, and sometimes it is just easier to catch up in the New Year when the holiday activities are over and schedules free up. Once the regular routines set in, it can be hard to remember to plan a get together with the people you weren’t able to see over the holidays. Instead of saying you’ll just catch up in the New Year, set an actual date for later in January or even February so you have it booked and in your calendar before other activities start booking up. Make a serious commitment to get together, not just a general agreement to do “something sometime soon.”

5.     Start planning for next year

It’s never too early to think about next year! Often there are a lot of sales over Boxing Day and into the New Year, so you can start thinking about gifts early on. Start planning a shopping schedule to space out your spending and not make gift-giving as much of a financial burden. You can also take the time to plan out any new decorations you might want to purchase or make for the holidays next year and start saving any new recipes you come across for baking or holiday meals. Just make sure that anything to find or make is saved in a place you will remember so you don’t duplicate any of the items next December!

Reduce your mental holiday clutter

When people think about staying organized over Christmas, more often than not they focus on physical clutter, like organizing presents and decorations. However, over the busy holiday season, people can develop mental clutter that can make it difficult to truly enjoy the season. Many people have a lot to do over the holidays in addition to their regular jobs or tasks – there’s visits with family and friends, holiday parties, gift shopping, gift wrapping, decorating, and plenty of other obligations. This holiday season take some time to organize your mental clutter to avoid feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

Remember: you’re not in this alone

If you’re hosting a meal for family and friends, don’t think that you have to do everything yourself. Ask your guests to pitch in and help with the meal by bringing a side dish or beverages so you don’t have as much to do. Cooking a turkey and bringing it as a guest can be difficult, but if you handle the turkey, it is easy for someone else to bring a salad or vegetable. Desserts and appetizers are also easy to delegate to other guests.

 When you’re assigning items for guests to bring, be sure to write down what each person is bringing so you or another guest don’t accidentally make the same thing or forget to bring a dish. Make sure you know what everyone is bringing, and if they will need to heat up their dish or keep it in the fridge until the meal is served. This way, you can plan your own dishes accordingly.

Change your gifting habits

A lot of mental stress during the holidays comes from having to buy gifts for your friends, family members and co-workers. Not only is it difficult to come up with ideas, but shopping can be very time-consuming and financially draining. Consider reducing your gift consumption without sacrificing the fun of giving and receiving gifts. Instead, try drawing names for “Secret Santa” or hosting a gift exchange with a lower budget. This way, everyone still gets a gift, but you won’t have to spend the same amount of time or money.  

Gifts don’t have to be expensive, and they don’t have to be a tangible object either. Consider going out for a nice meal with friends instead of buying each other gifts or take a loved-one to an activity or performance. These “clutter-less” gifts don’t have to be enjoyed during the holiday season either – they can wait until sometime in the New Year, so you aren’t scrambling to fit everything in December. Postponing your gifts will also help keep your spending down during the holidays.

Take time to relax

There may be a lot you want to do over the holidays, but it is important to make sure to do set time aside to relax and spend time with friends and family. Plan on meeting with friends for lunch or set aside time for after-work drinks. If you really want to relax, a trip to the salon for a quick pedicure or manicure with friends might also be a good way to unwind. It doesn’t have to take up a lot of time but getting together can be a great way for you to take a break while spending time with your loved ones over the holidays. Finding time to get together can be more special than just sending them a gift.

Purchase supplies ahead of time

It’s not too early to start purchasing your groceries for the holiday meal. Start looking for sales on cranberry sauce, condiment spreads, crackers, pickles, and other non-perishable foods. Turkeys, hams and other meats and fish can also be purchased in advance and frozen – just be sure to give yourself enough time to safely defrost them before preparing. Some desserts and baked goods can also be made up ahead of time. You can start baking simple bars, dessert squares and cookie dough now and freeze them. Whenever you have people over or need a dessert, you can simply pull them out of the freezer before the meal, so they are ready to go when you need them.

It can be hard to have fun over the holidays when mental clutter is weighing you down. Take time to relax over the holidays and make visiting family and friends a priority. Do what you can ahead of time but remember that you don’t have to do everything on your own. Giving gifts is a popular holiday tradition, but it doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time or money. With these simple steps, you can enjoy the holiday season!