How to Request Clutter-Free Gifts with Gratitude
Give Less Clutter & Receive Less Clutter
Defining a “clutter-free gifts” holiday season
What is a “clutter-free” holiday season in terms of gifts? To me, it means that the gifts you give or receive are either:
Something that is intentionally wanted and will be used
An experiential gift
Everything else is just…well, clutter.
To get yourself out of the clutter-giving or clutter-receiving zone, here are a few strategies:
Strategy #1: The wish list
The circulated “wish list” makes shopping easy on the gift giver, and ensures you receive something you actually want and need.
Amazon Wish List - Amazon makes it really easy to create lists that you can share. (It’s also a great way to keep a list of items you’re interested in for Black Friday!).
Giftful app - I recently learned about this app, which lets you create a shareable wish list and you can add a link from any website.
Digital Notes app - I have an iPhone and use my “Notes” app (which is connected to my iCould) to add items that I’m interested in, but is not an urgent purchase. Throughout the year, I’ll add links, photos, and screenshots to this list. When the holiday season comes along, I refer back to this list when someone asks, “What do you want for the holidays/birthday/special occasion?”
Reciprocity - If you don’t have a history of asking for wish lists, you might be thinking, “I don’t want to just send them a wish list! What if they don’t ask me for one?” If this is the case, I encourage you to be the first to ask for their wish list. This often gives them the open opportunity to also ask you about what’s on your wish list.
“One In, One Out” Rule - If you want to take it up a notch, for every new item you add to your household, commit to also discarding or donating an old item. This will help manage your total collection at home.
Strategy #2: Experiential gifts
If you want less “stuff”, requesting experiential gifts is a great alternative. Experiential gifts place more emphasis on quality time or a unique activity and experience. These things are consumable and take up little to zero physical space.
Examples:
Food and drinks
Entertainment, attraction or activity tickets/passes
Gift certificates, memberships or subscriptions
Living plants or succulents
Treating them to quality time together
➡️ Check out my CLUTTER-FREE GIFT GUIDE, updated for 2023, for more gifting ideas.
Strategy #3: Get proactive if you have children
Many parents become overwhelmed by the influx of gifts that their children receive from generous friends and families, so finding balance can be key to sanity. For some family and friends (F&F), giving gifts is a love language. So to meet their expression of love with understanding, you can try and guide them in the gifts that would be most meaningful and helpful:
It could mean:
Having your children create “Wish Lists” for F&F to choose from. This still leaves some room for surprises when opening the gift.
Having the child choose one large gift that several F&F can contribute funds to in purchasing.
Requesting experiential gifts only, like an ice cream playdate or movie ticket.
Explaining to F&F that your family’s goal is to simplify the home and strengthen times for connection can help them understand how they can best support your goal and show their love.
Sometimes, it’s hard to put into words these goals and asks, so I’ve created a downloadable framework template that you can customize, copy/paste, and share with your own F&F.
The “clutter-free gifts, please” letter for friends & family
Strategy #4: Be ready to donate
There is that saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” and it is so true. Despite your best efforts, you may receive a gift that does not bring you joy or functional use. Shifting your mindset from “I must keep every gift,” to “who can best use this gift?” will help prepare you to bless forward any gifts and help simplify your home.
If you are the gift giver, being aware and thoughtful of your recipient’s desires around gifts, will make all the difference.
For more tips on how to peacefully let go of gifts and any gift guilt, check out: “Saying Goodbye to Gift Guilt”.