By Christina Morton DesAuguste
Christina is the founder of The Organizing Company and has been organizing professionally since 2013. She is currently loving cozy sweaters, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and Hello Fresh meal kits.
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As a professional organizer, I can’t help but encourage clutter-free and decluttering gifts. My clients so often feel overwhelmed by all the stuff they’ve accumulated and they end up donating so many things that were gifted to them that they never wanted (and even some things they thought they wanted but never used).
If you are trying not to add to the clutter in someone’s home, or if you know they really value organization and minimalism, or you know they are trying to keep their kids from becoming materialistic- these are all great reasons to give clutter-free gifts at the holidays, and always.
If someone sent you this blog post it *might* mean that they really prefer clutter-free gifts, but don’t want you to feel unappreciated for all the physical gifts you normally give. Usually in situations like these, I hear clients express how much they love the gifter and don’t want to hurt their feelings.
I would rather give a gift that is less exciting to me if it is more loving and respectful to the recipient, and I’m guessing you would feel the same.
That should always be at the heart of gift-giving, but especially when you consider the clutter factor.
Below are over 160 ideas for experiences, memories, and more to share love without adding mess or stress.
Pro Gifter Tip:
For the most thoughtful gift, remember to cover tips for anything you gift that requires a tip to the service provider, especially if you know the recipient is on a budget.
Trips and Events
My paternal grandmother is all about this one. When each of us grandkids turned 13 she would take us on a special trip together. I got to take a train to Toronto and see a musical with her. I don’t think I could name more than two physical gifts she gave me, but I remember the Toronto trip and subsequent trips and experiences she and my grandpa gave us like weeklong seminars (it was more fun than it sounds) and trips overseas for family reunions. And college visits. They really nailed this category.
You can do these things together or you can gift them to do solo/with someone else.
Weekend getaway (2-3 hours away) or hotel staycation
Right of passage trip
Concert tickets
Theater tickets
Ballet tickets
Tickets to a talk show/late night show (either of the Jimmy’s, Drew Barrymore, etc)
Swim with dolphins
Disney World/Land
Cruise
Take a “Heads Carolina” kind of roadtrip
Gift your kids time at an overnight camp (they’ll still be excited about it this summer, I promise)
State Parks road trip
Seminar/workshop admission for something they are interested in
Surprise your kids each Christmas/Hannukah with what the family vacation will be
Movie tickets (I don’t remember the last time I went to a movie! Could be a treat for someone)
Lift tickets or a stay at a luxe place in a ski town that they would never normally stay at
Superbowl tickets (or any sporting event)
Tickets to the Westminster Dog Show next year
Visit every show on the strip in Branson, Missouri (family friendly and guaranteed to be a unique experience)
Camping
Glamping (Airbnb has some cool options)
Teach Or Create Something Together
What is your “thing”? Invite your family to create something with you, or teach them how to do it. Don’t just give them the supplies. Make something they can keep or enjoy. My Grammy was an artist and it was a right of passage to create an oil painting with her. I never got the chance, but my sisters still have theirs and the memories.
Fishing
Teach how to make your famous chicken salad/homemade pasta/whatever it is
Hunting or shooting range
Archery
Build a dollhouse or dog house together
Repair an old car
Golfing
Painting
Scrapbooking
Woodworking
Experience Something Together
My Grampy used to take us trout fishing and mining for fool’s gold every time we visited them in North Carolina. It was a tradition we looked forward to and remember fondly even now. For the holiday season I love to do things like make gingerbread houses with my nieces and nephews. Think of something that can be a tradition, especially for the holiday/winter season.
Cut down your own Christmas tree together. Make a day of it.
Bake holiday cookies
Bowling
Sleep under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve
Write cards to foster kids or people in need
Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen
Gather donations of gifts for foster children or kids in low income communities and help distribute them
Gather and distribute coats and blankets for the homeless
Gift a mission trip/service trip to another country
Make homemade gifts for the grandparents/extended family together
Take a Christmasy carriage ride
Escape room
Comedy club
Helicopter tour
Boat tour
Learn to scuba dive
Horseback riding
Repaint a room or hang wallpaper (Tip: Give it as an old school “coupon” for your teenager to redecorate their room)
Rock climbing
Splunking
Laser tag or paintball
Mini golf or go-carts
Trampoline park
Water park
Botanical garden
Museum (children’s, art, nature & science, planetarium)
Zoo
Aquarium
Paint and sip event
Magic show
Ice skating
Skiing or snowboarding
Arcade night
Ice sculpture park/ice castle
Ziplining
Ropes course
Online (& In Person) Courses
Some of these things are also great ideas for things you can do together, especially for couples looking to start a new hobby together!
Organizing (early 2025 I’ll be launching an organizing course. You can gift them a gift certificate to The Organizing Company that they can use for coaching or the course or hands-on services. Email me to chat about the best option for you. Christina@theorganizingco.com)
Masterclass membership
Coding
Cooking
Dance/tap
Sommelier class/certification
Gardening
Personal styling
Interior decorating
Cigar making
Improv/acting
Singing lessons
Instrument
Foreign language
Lifetime sports: Golf, tennis, pickleball (or a sport you know they’re into)
Brewing
Painting/knitting/drawing/any art or craft
Survival course/wilderness course
Business/social media course for entrepreneurs
Memberships & Subscriptions
Avoid anything that will get shipped to them (no subscription BOXES or physical items. These are clutter-free gifts!)
Golf club or Top Golf
Cigar lounge
Rec center/gym/the Y
Rock climbing gym
Zumba/aerobics/dance classes
ClassPass membership
Peloton app (they don’t have to own equipment)
Car wash membership
Audible
Kindle Unlimited
Apple Music/Pandora
Magazine subscription
HBO
Canva Pro (a must for small business owners/solopreneurs)
AAA roadside assistance
Museum membership (children’s, art, nature & science, planetarium)
Season tickets to sports/theater/etc
Meal kits/service (pay for X meals/week for X weeks. Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, etc)
State Parks pass
Kids gym/drop in daycare center
House cleaning services (1x/mo for a year or something like that. Remember to cover tips)
Organizing maintenance services (that’s me!)
Costco/Sam’s Club
Amazon Prime
Local theme park membership
Community pool pass
Meal prep community memberships (There are influencers who share weekly meal plans for freezer meals, etc for members only so you don’t have to hunt and peck for ideas)
Entrepreneur photo shoot membership: FemForce is in a bunch of cities nationwide and will shoot reels and images for your social media. They even offer editing and other services now. Heck, thinking about all they offer, I might rejoin!
Stock photo membership for entrepreneurs. HauteStock is a great option.
Consumable Gifts
Think food and drink. What do they always order at restaurants? What do they compliment or ask you to make more of? Gift it.
Champagne/Scotch/Wine
Your famous sourdough (or friendship bread) starter
William Sonoma cinnamon roll mix (or any of their quick breads!)
“Fancy” coffee beans
A jar of cider mix/holiday fragrance for the stovetop (William Sonoma will hook you up)
Candied nuts
Holiday cookies (of course!)
Premade freezer meals (This is great for new parents. Remember to include ingredient and heating instructions)
CSA, Butcher Box, or The Good Chop membership (Be careful with this one since it regularly sends physical items- even though they are consumable. If they don’t get eaten fast enough it becomes a three freezers in the garage situation (true story).)
Cigars
No-Product Gift Cards
For thoughtful and clutter-free gifts, avoid general gift cards like Visa and Amazon. Give them something they can use for an experience/event/food/digital product/etc.
Massage, facial, mani/pedi, spa day (If you’re in Boulder/Denver, the St. Julien is THE spot. Or head to Evergreen to the Tallgrass Salon & Spa)
Organizing gift certificate (I do virtual coaching anywhere in the world, or can do hands-on organizing!)
Game Center/App Store/Google Play
Photo session gift certificate (couples, singles and their pets, families all love this)
Personal chef services
Gas gift card
Sessions with life coach/business coach/career coach
Children’s art archiving service
Photo scanning service
Document scanning service
Personal trainer (Be careful with this one if they haven’t expressed interest in it! Don’t want to offend!)
Whew. That’s a lot.
Whatever you decide, remember to choose gifts that they would want, not what you would want them to have. If that’s your guide, you can’t go wrong.
Happy gift giving!
Christina
PS: To inquire about organizing gift certificates or my organizing course, shoot me an email: Christina@TheOrganizingCo.com
PPS: Have more ideas? Click here to head to a post on this topic on my Instagram page to comment with your ideas!
November 26th, 2024
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