Christmas is not only a time for giving, but also of consumerism. Of course we all love giving and receiving Christmas gifts, but before you rush out to start your shopping, consider what giving gifts might mean for your recipient. Rather than contributing to other people’s guilty clutter, why not rather buy gifts that can be exchanged or enjoyed, such as chocolate, bottles of wine, flowers, or other perishable goodies.
Some of us have clutter in our houses from gifts already received for many years. Trust me, there are expiry dates on gifts and gratitude as well. People give each other the weirdest things, things that no one wishes for, but everyone gives as friendly gestures. We keep them because we are afraid of offending the person who gifted it or because it might have been expensive. It can be anything from standard, boring gifts for the hostess to personal presents.
If you do not care about the thing, if it does not make you happy, if the price or the person that gave it to you does not matter, it is not part of you. Why should other people decide what we ought to own? I recognize that gifts are given with the best intentions. We all know how difficult it can be to come up with ideas for that perfect surprise. We do our best to make the recipient happy, no?
Honestly, most gifts are not fantastic ideas because we usually choose something simply because we need to come up with an idea, any idea. Even if a present really DOES show that the giver gave it a lot of thought, the purpose was to make you happy. If it does not make you happy, it is of no use to either of you. You are not doing that person any favors if you keep something that will only make you feel bad or guilty because you are not quite as happy as they intended.
If you get annoyed every time you look at something, the decision has already been made. You have to get rid of it before it drains you of more energy. If you have nice, valuable things that others might appreciate, you can choose to give them away to happy and sincere recipients. But, be careful to avoid circulating more bad gifts. If it is something that you do not even want to give away, there is only one thing to do: OUT.
This Christmas, be considerate about, not only what you allow into your home to keep, but also about what you give to others.