The holiday season has ended. Your home is strewn with opened boxes of gifts, holiday decor and half eaten leftovers. Now what? How do you recover from a whirlwind of gift giving and receiving?
The Gifts You Love
We are very happy for you that you received gifts you love! Not everyone is as lucky. These gift should be put away immediately. In fact, if they replace an older item you already have take the old item and put it in a donation bin pronto.
Got Duplicates? Re-gift
Bummer. You got a gift that is something you already own. There are options. Donate the old item and refresh with the new. Or re-gift it. Be sure to note who gave you the gift so you don’t re-gift it back to the person who gave it to you. That would be embarrassing!
Create a spot in your home to store “gifts to give.” You may already have a few things that can live in this designated spot. Make it a place where the gifts won’t get squished or scratched. You want the gift to look brand new when you give it to the lucky recipient. Also, make sure it’s a place that you stumble upon often so you don’t forget about this treasure chest of goods. We suggest a craft room, guest room closet or bin under the bed.
Additionally, you can create an ongoing re-gift list in an app like Wunderlist. So when you’re out shopping you can check your inventory anytime.
The Other Gifts
Some gifts just aren’t winners. If can’t re-gift it there is still a great opportunity here! Practice gratitude and love and tell the person “Thank you so very much for your thoughtfulness. Would it be ok if I tried to exchange the gift? No one wants a gift they gave to sit on a shelf and go unused.
You can donate the gift. But what if you’re worried the person who gave you the gift will ask you about it in the future? We suggest that you cross that bridge when you get there. Don’t save it for fear of being called out later. This will bring you angst every time you see the person or uncover it from the clutter you try to clear out. You aren’t doing them or yourself any favors. Odds are they won’t ask or remember what they gave you.
Ok, so what if they do ask? It’s simple. You simply state, “I am not in a position where I can find that item right now.” You would not be lying.
Sometimes clearing the clutter is not about keep, toss, donate. It’s about communication. Practice saying “Thank you, but no thanks.” Put YOUR sanity and needs first. Create healthy boundaries that make communication a little easier.
How do you handle gifts you don’t need or don’t like?