Simplifying New Gifts

December 30, 2024

For many, this past week has been a flurry of activity with tissue paper and wrapping paper flying everywhere. If you are like me, you may be ready for peace and calm again after all the paper drama.

While I realize that not everyone celebrates Christmas, most of us deal with an influx of gifts and extra items at some point: a birthday, graduation, new marriage, Hanukkah, etc. There are times in life when our homes and spaces have more than they can hold and more than we need.

Simplifying new gifts can be a stressful venture, especially if you have little ones involved in the process. It’s not easy making hard decisions about what to keep and what to let go. My husband and I try to mentally prepare our children each year that while it’s fun to receive new gifts, there will be a letting go process involved. We simply cannot keep every gift given to our family due to space limitations and our family’s mental well-being (namely mama’s!).

In today’s post I want to share my mental flow chart, if you will, of how I categorize new gifts and then what I do with the gifts once they are “labeled.” These ideas may or may not work for you, but perhaps these ideas will spark an idea that will work for you.

First, I start by asking myself this question, “The new gift falls into which of 2 categories?”

• Temporary—This item will have a limited life in my home.

Items such as seasonal knick knacks (that I don’t plan to keep), books that I plan to read once, etc. I include gifts that I do not like in this category. By deciding that a gift has temporary status in my home, I remove the guilt of having to keep the present that really isn’t my style or isn’t useful to me.

I also include what I call “disposable” items in this category. What is a disposable item? It is something that has intentionally limited use and will be “used up” quickly such as edible items, body products, kid’s craft supplies, etc. These are “one and done” type items that are trash after a designated number of uses. I do not stress about disposable items in my home because I know that they will be gone relatively quickly.

• Keep—This gift is useful or beautiful to me, and I plan to keep it.

Second, after I decide on a new gift’s status, I can then move forward mentally in how to deal with the item.

Here is how I actually deal with the items:

• Temporary—I try to use each item at least once in some small way so that if the giver ever asks, I can thank him or her for its use in my home. Once I have “used the item”, I either dispose of it or put it in my donation pile.

For example, my mom put together “Family Fun Night” kits including popcorn, hot cocoa, cookies, and other goodies. Once we use these items, they are done! All done, and no stress.

• Keep—I follow the “one in, one out” rule. It’s really quite simple: if I (or a member of my family) decide to keep a gift, a similar item must go out of my house either in the trash or into the donation pile.

For example, our family received some new games this Christmas. I went through our game drawer and pulled out several old games that we don’t play anymore or never figured out how to play. Voila! I made room for the new games.

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I hope this post is a help to you. In the past I have wasted a lot of time in tears and mental turmoil about new gifts, and honestly, while I wish the influx of Christmas gifts didn’t happen every year, it does. And so I must deal with the influx. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath, and work a little at a time on dealing with the new items. It will get done, and life will get back to normal (that’s what I’m telling myself, anyways!).

Happy New Year, friends!

-Ashley

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Personal Disclosure

As the author of Ashley Qurollo Blog, all opinions are my own. Any possible applications are universal in nature, not directed at any one individual or people group. My sincere desire is to help others by sharing what I am learning. Nothing stated on this blog is ever intended to hurt others. Ashley Qurollo, owner of Ashley Qurollo Blog and Website, is not held liable in any way for any application of the ideas and thoughts stated here.

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