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.

Get Organized this Holiday Season!

This week is a busy time for many people. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Boxing Day (or Week), New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are all happening within days of each other, and these holidays usually involve parties, family meals, gift giving, family visits, and a whole host of seasonal activities. We’re here to offer some advice on how to stay organized during this busy time!

Keep a calendar

With all of the events and activities going on, it’s important to make sure you have everything written down, either on a physical calendar or in your phone. You can set reminders a couple days before the event so you know what is coming up, like Christmas dinner, and what you need to be doing before that event. If you’re having family over, this is also important so you can make sure the house is clean and the guest bedrooms are ready. This way, you can enjoy time with your family and not have to run around the day of.

Don’t try to do it all

Many people feel pressured to squeeze in every holiday-themed event or activity that they hear about or get invited to. This should not happen! The holidays are supposed to be a time to relax with friends and family, the keyword being relax. The holidays don’t have to be stressful unless you make them stressful. Sometimes, it’s best to say no to some people and arrange to meet them before or after the holidays in a time that works best for your schedule. December, especially the week before Christmas, should not be the time that everyone tries to get together. It’s okay to say no – it may be that your friends and family are going through the same thing!

Leave some time to relax

The holiday season is notorious for being stressful (see points one and two!) but it doesn’t have to be. Take some time for you to relax – whether it’s at home or with friends and family, as long as it doesn’t involve you feeling stressed or disorganized. Taking this time can help you get back on your feet and assess what needs to be done. It can be easy to forget what’s happening or what needs to be done during this week when you’re constantly moving from one event to the other. Once the week is over and the holidays are done, you’ll be left dealing with all of the other things you may have pushed aside to make room for these activities. Take the time for yourself to re-organize your coming days, relax, and give yourself a break!

Pack ahead of time

For people who are travelling over the holidays or visiting relatives, it’s a good idea to pack as much as you can before you have to travel. This seems like common sense, but it’s easy to put packing off during this time, especially if you’re travelling after Christmas. However, it will make your life easier and more organized if you get as much as you can packed before you have to leave, so that you can enjoy your other holiday events without having to leave early to pack or be rushed to pack the day of. Clothes, shoes, accessories, books, and other items that you don’t use day to day can be packed in your suitcase ahead of time. Toiletry items like toothbrushes and hair accessories can be packed in your travelling bag but left out for you to use. This way, it’s ready to go but still available for you to use before you leave. If you’re travelling by air, it might be a good idea to check-in to your flights online 24 hours in advance, and either print out your boarding tickets or save them on your hand-held device ahead of time.

Once you’re ready to return from your travelling, our Unpack to Organize after Summer Vacation post can help you stay organized before you even get home.

Enjoy the holiday season by staying organized and keeping track of what is happening. Cut down on your to-do list if necessary, and make sure you take time for yourself. If you’re travelling, get as much as you can done as early as you can. This week doesn’t have to be stressful if you don’t want it to be!

Organizing your Holiday calendar

Every year when December comes, it always seems like there are too many things to do in too short of time – from shopping to gift wrapping, holiday parties, dinners and more, there can be a lot of events and activities taking up space on the calendar! Not to mention the amount of time needed for regular activities like going to work, getting groceries, going to sports class and everything else you still have to do on a daily basis. Before the festive season starts in earnest, take some time to organize the upcoming month: 

Mark up your calendar 

The first step in organizing the calendar is to take a good at your calendar for the month of December. Make sure you have everything included that you need – from your usual activities like piano lessons and doctor appointments to any holiday related activities. Consider using a colour coding system to denote what is a regular appointment and what is a festive event. This way, you can keep track of what events are happening when. If you are using an electronic calendar, make sure you share it with your family members fo everyone is up to date on what is happening when. Physical calendars should be placed in a space that everyone has access to and walks by regularly. Everyone should know about any updates made so no one forgets what is coming up each week.  

Don’t forget the little things 

Once you have a full accounting of your upcoming events and activities, figure out which ones require you do to any preparations (e.g. buying a new outfit, shopping for a gift, baking an appetizer) and make sure that you give yourself enough time to complete these tasks. Pencil in some time to go to the store or go through your closet to make sure you have what you need for any upcoming events. Save yourself from getting mixed up or forgetting that you promised to bring a dessert by making notes in your calendar reminders or jotting down some points in your day planner. Be specific and include everything from the time, to the location, any driving/parking notes, dress code information, and details on any items you need to bring.  

Give yourself enough time 

No one wants to be rushing at the last minute to put a dish together, or getting stressed because they can’t find anything to wear. All of the little preparations that need to be done before each event can add up to a lot of time – so make sure enough time is made to actually get them done. For example, set aside some time in the week to get groceries for the dessert you need to bring for the office holiday party. Consider using a recipe that can be made in advance and either frozen or refrigerated so you don’t have to do anything last minute. Read through the recipe and check out the time requirements. Do you have enough time to bake it and prepare the ingredients? The same goes for wrapping gifts or finding something to wear – make sure you take the time a week or a few days in advance to get all the small tasks involved completed. This could include taking stock of what you own, buying what you need, and everything else you need to finish the project.  

Ask for help when you need it 

There can be a lot involved in getting ready for holiday events, so don’t feel like you need to do it all alone. If you need to bring a dish to a work or family function, consider calling up a friend or family member to help you put it together. There’s no harm in stopping by the store or ordering food from a service either – we all get busy and sometimes it’s the best option. When it comes to gift giving, see if anyone else in your family is going to the mall, and if they can stop by a certain store for you instead of making a separate trip. When there is so much going on, it is unpractical to think you can do everything on your own. Don’t be afraid to ask for some help so you can stress a bit less over the festive season. 

It’s okay to say no 

During the holidays the invitations to parties and holiday activities can pile up and occupy a lot of space in your calendar. However, you don’t have to feel the need to always say “yes” to every invite you get. Sometimes, there just isn’t any time to fit in multiple events. Between your regular day to day activities, it is unrealistic to expect that you can squeeze in all the extra events that take place during the holidays. To mitigate this, suggest instead that you meet up with friends and family after the holidays when everyone is less busy and has more time on their hands. You don’t always need a reason like the holidays to get together – having dinner in January doesn’t make it any less special.