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My Dear Reader,

It’s that time of year.  Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… With so much change in the air, consider alternative gift giving this year, with love. We do not necessarily HAVE TO BUY things for everyone on our list. Sure, it may stimulate the economy, but this year, consider the following to save YOU money and CLEAR the clutter… 

Here are eleven ideas for you this holiday season. Ho, Ho, Ho.

1. Look around your home – What do you have multiples of? What can you let go of? What’s in your home that’s not ever been opened?  Give the good stuff to those you cherish.
2. Regifting – You know what I’m talking about. That item you received LAST YEAR that simply doesn’t fit in your world. Donate it, rewrap it and offer it to an appreciative recipient.
3. Donate to the needy – This year, more than ever, there are those that are “slipping through the cracks”. Our fellow brothers and sisters are suffering. Donate useful items, those necessary things that make life better.  It might be linens, pillows, self-care items and extra clothes you no longer need or want.  Donate them.
4. Crafts – How many out there love to crochet, knit, make things from scratch? Homemade cards, hand-crafted artwork, and so on…plan now for gift-giving later in the month.
5. Make a list for gifts YOU would like – Rather than others “guessing” about what you would like, why not be direct and make a list (and check it twice), so that it’s less of a struggle to figure out

Your tastes, wants and desires…share your list with loved ones, it’s a kinder way to receive items you REALLY want.

6. Send cards – With so many electronic versions of cards, they are a convenient way to say “Happy Holidays”. Alternatively, picking out cards to MAIL (remember snail mail?) as a gift or notion of the season.
7. Lottery tickets – Along with snail mail holiday cards, why not include lottery scratch offs? They are fun, interactive and easy to place in a card. With luck, the recipient may actually win a few bucks.
8. Gift Cards – Small in size, but large in love, gift cards have been growing ever more popular. Gas cards, Amazon cards, Big Box store cards, Restaurant cards. Good things come in small cards.
9. Make the Call – Reach out to those you’ve been texting with an actual real voice phone call. I contact my 98-year-old “2^nd Mother”. We catch up and say “I LOVE YOU”. It’s a gift of great value.
10. Volunteerism – Help out a local food bank, be of service to your house of worship, help our children “get that they matter”. Find joy in the gift of your time.
11. Experience an event – Concert tickets, tickets to a sporting event, get to the zoo, see a play, experience an event with those you love, for a memory of a lifetime.

Practice the GIFT of letting go!  Clear the Clutter…find hidden treasures and let go.  In so doing, you clear the clutter, you clear the mind, and you help others.

From our family to yours, we wish you the best of the season. 

Light, love and laughter.  

Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy Chanukah.

Clear the Clutter…Clear the Mind ™