From A Woman's Perspective: November 30th, 2024 "Clutter-Free Holiday Gift Ideas- Part one"

CLUTTER-FREE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS- Part one
 

Good morning, Marilyn! The sudden dip in temperature reminds us that the holidays are indeed around the corner. If your listeners are anything like me, the LAST thing I need is more stuff cluttering up my space at home. 

This year I am making a conscious effort to only ask for things that do not take up physical space. Furthermore, this is going to be my shopping strategy for the seniors I love and buy gifts for this holiday season as well.

Here’s a list of clutter-free gift ideas you can request for yourself that will keep you on everyone’s “nice” list:

1. Tickets to events 

Whether a subscription to the local community theatre or a one-off purchase of tickets to a big Mirvish or TSO production, asking for tickets is a great holiday gift request - especially if this is something you wouldn’t normally splurge for yourself. It’s made even more special if the gift-giver agrees to come along with you! 

2. Ask them to buy you classes

Check out your local community centre, college, and seniors 55+ centre for classes that you pick and they pay for. I love anything educational to keep the old synapses firing. You’ll be amazed at the variety available: everything from zoomba, conversational French, to introductory art classes.

3. Digital photo frame

Everyone listening probably has a few (or a few dozen!) photo albums stored away. They are a wonderful archive, but that’s not how photos are taken and shared today. New digital photo frames allow users to send photos to your frame for viewing no matter where they are in the world. The pictures are then shown on a rotating display that can be enjoyed any time throughout the day. 

4. Tablet computer pre-loaded with digital and audio books

Another great technology gift is a tablet computer. The display size can be increased so that content is easily read, or even listened to, saving you lugging around heavy books. It’s easy, convenient and accessible. All public libraries now include digital and audio book borrowing as part of their services. Imagine downloading the latest spy thriller from the comfort of your own home, listening or reading it at your leisure, and then not having to worry about physically returning it to the branch. The link simply expires at the end of your borrowing period or you can renew it online if you need more time. 

5. Digitize old photos

Speaking of those old photos, did you know that they have a lifespan? Traditional photographic prints can begin to degrade from exposure to light in as little as 60 years. If you have photos worth conserving, you might consider asking that your loved ones pay to have old photos digitized. There are plenty of services in the GTA that do this exact service for a reasonable price. Or if you have a tech savvy person in your sphere, they are likely able to do it with the only cost being their time. Even old slides can be kept and captured by this technology.

6. Home movie conversion

Here’s another wonderful, nostalgic gift that someone in your family might want to arrange: the conversion of home movies to digital storage formats. My grandparents captured all the important life events on Super 8 film, my parents recorded on a huge VHS camcorder, and now we shoot video on our smart phones. The issue with each of these formats is that as they become obsolete, it’s difficult or impossible to watch their content. By converting them to digital formats they can be saved on MP4 files and stored securely on your computer’s hard drive or cloud storage. (PS: If that all sounded like Greek to you, don’t worry your kids and grandkids know exactly what I mean and how to help.)

We’ll continue the list next week, Marilyn, but for now, let’s just remember that whether requesting for yourself or shopping for a senior, you’ll be doing everyone a favour to limit the amount of STUFF, and focus instead on 1. Experiences 2. Services 3. Consumables 4. Education 5. Shareables.

This holiday, staying clutter-free is the gift that keeps on giving. For more decluttering help, visit our website, smartrealtysolution.com and request your copy of The Decluttering Battle Plan booklet or register for The 30-Day Decluttering Challenge. 

If you’d like to start the conversation about other aspects of downsizing, please call me at 416-460-5636 any time. My name is Sharon Parenteau and these have been your SMART Realty Solutions.

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