Holiday Gift Guide 2021: Simplified Giving

Tis the season….for shipping delays, endless to do lists, managing expectations and sadly immeasurable stress. You know, alongside festive cheer, family time and the magical winter season! For a number of reasons, this year’s holiday season feels a bit different than year’s past – from the supply chain issues leading to a sense of urgency for holiday shopping none of us have experienced before to figuring out the balance of managing your family’s transition (or lack thereof) from social distancing. The holiday season is always stressful but this year we all need a little additional help managing the details. As with most things in life, adding in some organization can help you manage stress and create a sense of calm. You can see some of my past holiday organizing tips including a downloadable gift tracker here, here and here.

With this season (and all of the extra baggage) also comes my annual gift guide. I love putting together a gift guide each year with some of my favorite products and sharing those with all of you but I always want to be mindful of how the holiday season can impact our daily lives. The holidays can bring about a lot of clutter of all kinds: mental clutter dealing with all of the details and extra to dos and physical clutter both in the form of extra decor, gift wrapping supplies and everything that comes along with holiday prep but also the physical clutter after the holidays from all of the gifts received. Mental clutter can be conquered with to do lists, gift trackers, being mindful of what you put on your calendar and setting realistic expectations for yourself and others. And there are two main ways that I suggest dealing with the physical clutter: pre-holiday prep and mindful gift giving.

For pre-holiday prep, there is no greater time to declutter and organize your home than before the holidays. Decluttering NOW allows you to create a blank slate for the holidays and give your home room to breathe with the extra “stuff” that is headed your way. The second way I suggest keeping clutter in mind for the holidays is with mindful gift giving and this is where my annual gift guide comes into play. It is important to make sure you are giving your family and friends gifts that will add to their lives and not simply add clutter. With this in mind I have created two gift guides this year: the first is a traditional gift guide with products that I love and that I believe add something to the receiver’s life whether that be a little luxury, a little joy or a little something to improve their health or everyday life. And the second is a gift guide of clutter-free gifts like experiences and non-physical gifts. Both options can truly add value and be a wonderful gift for the receiver as long as thought comes behind the gift.

It is just as easy to think good gifts only come in a box with a ribbon as it is to slam physical gifts as clutter but both have a place. As you create your gift list this year be mindful of what the receiver truly needs and what will add value, not clutter, to their lives. With this mindset you will help your family and friends leave the holidays feeling loved and cared for and not overwhelmed and bogged down with “stuff”. Check out my gift guides below for ideas for all types of gifts and I truly hope these ideas help you have an organized and peace filled holiday season.