112 Best Minimalist Clutter-Free Gift Guide for the Holidays
As the holidays and Christmas season approach and you look forward to gatherings with family members and friends, you may also wonder how you can get through it all without derailing all the progress you’ve made in decluttering your home with some Clutter-free or minimalist gifts.
It is possible. Really!
Yes, the season is full of temptation and expectations from every side to overdo it, but with some thought and planning, you don’t have to fall into that trap.
Why should you think minimalist or low clutter this Christmas?
Maybe you’re already a minimalist, or you want to give gifts to a loved one who has been embracing a more minimalist approach to life. Or maybe you just don’t have a big budget for gifts or simply want less stuff. All good reasons.
Transitioning to a more minimalist way of gift-giving allows you to focus on meaningful and high-quality gifts. It allows you to focus on the relationship you have with the person to whom you are gifting. You are respecting your (or their) values and their physical space.
You also respect everyone’s time when you give a thoughtful gift that will be enjoyed, not discarded immediately. No one wants the extra work in January, getting rid of an unwanted Christmas gift (or worse, letting that clutter take up valuable storage space in your home for a long time.)
Does Giving Clutter-Free Gifts Mean Fewer Options for Minimalist Holidays?
No, keeping low clutter in mind while gifting does not mean you have fewer options.
And you don’t have to be a minimalist to embrace this manner of gifting. It might be a mindset shift for those special occasions, whether a birthday, anniversary, Christmas, graduation, or any other special day you want to celebrate.
While you’re at it, maybe checkout this post (10 Things to Declutter before the Holidays)
Experience Gifts.
When people talk about low-clutter gifts, the first thing that comes to mind is giving someone the gift of an experience they will remember. This might be tickets to a concert, live theatre, or a movie.
Be mindful when giving tickets that have an assigned date. While it might be your favourite tradition to see a holiday play, for someone else, that might add one more obligation to an already hectic schedule.
This can also include passes for regional parks, museums, science centres, amusement parks, and local fitness centres. This is a great family gift. Indoor pool passes can be a sanity-saver when winter drags on too long!
For an activity you will share with your loved one, think about sharing your knowledge or skill. Going out for a manicure or pedicure is an expensive luxury some people can’t afford, but if you regularly do your own nails, you could do this for a friend or family member. Maybe you make fantastic bread, and you could teach someone how they can bake too! A hobby photographer can take updated family photos. Play to your strengths.
Subscription boxes can also give the gift of a great experience, whether it is trying new foods, enjoying fresh flowers regularly (so great in winter!), exploring new reading genres, or experimenting with new yarns. There are so many options.
Music or language lessons are an often overlooked idea. Not only is it fun, but there are numerous documented benefits, including better memory, coordination and it relieves stress. https://stamfordschools.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/18-benefits-of-playing-a-musical-instrument.pdf
If your budget allows, travel might be the ultimate experience gift. Whether it’s a change of scenery to a local hotel with a pool for the weekend or a plane trip to somewhere entirely new, this can replace traditional gift-giving.
With these gifts, also consider ahead whether you are intending this strictly as a gift to them or whether you will also be sharing this time with them. Your gift of time can make an experience gift the perfect one.
Consumable Gifts.
Some people’s love language is gift-giving. It’s how they show love, and they really want to have a physical gift to wrap up. It’s not about the monetary value but the symbolic thought behind the gift. If this sounds like you, consumables are a great way to fulfill that need without adding clutter to someone’s life as the perfect clutter-free minimalist gifts for the holidays.
Food is the obvious consumable. Keeping in mind your gift recipient’s personal preferences, consider the high-quality items that they might not splurge on for themselves. This might be decadent chocolate, coffee beans, olive oil, sea salt, cheeses, hot sauces or salsa. Just writing that out makes me drool! This can also be a good time to share your favourite coffee or favourite tea with your tea-drinking friend or a great local barbeque sauce for your foodie friend. Showcase your local favourites!
Don’t just limit your consumables to food, either.
Hygiene products and cosmetics can be expensive. There is a reason lotion, and bath salts are a common gift. Of course, that’s only practical if you know their preferred kind. You can get creative with this one – hair dye, lip balm, lipstick, nail polish, hair ties, and shave cream. Include a gift receipt in case it turns out to be the wrong one; sometimes, people are too embarrassed to ask for it.
Consider what that person might not have time to pick up. A gift of wrapping paper, tape and ribbons can be a great option for elementary school teachers overwhelmed with school in December. Similarly, during the holidays, I’m sure more than one hostess gift of chocolates or charcuterie has travelled to the next party and the next hostess.
Notebooks, journals, pads, pens and highlighters can be super helpful. Sometimes, I throw out pens that don’t work and forget to get more. Stickers are another thing that grows into short supply once the kids are older. Celebrate those wins – the workouts, goals, whatever – on the calendar with stickers! I’m alllll about my workout sticker chart!
And with kids, consumables are a great idea. Think art supplies, paper and colouring books, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, glow sticks, duct tape, and play dough. Kids appreciate snacks they don’t often get to enjoy (I put a box of sugary cereal with my kids’ stockings!); think waffle bowls and sprinkles for ice cream, coloured popcorn or hot chocolate with fancy marshmallows. Let them play!
Gift cards are another quick one, especially with the grocery stores stocking so many options. It doesn’t require one more trip out to pick up. There are so many options that you can really tailor it to your person. For someone who really wants a practical one they won’t forget for months, consider gift cards for the grocery store, gas station or their favourite restaurants.
And as always, no one will ever turn down cash.
Homemade Gifts.
Homemade gifts can be priceless. It’s the time, the energy and the thought that goes into creating something. I have always been impressed by the homemade gifts people come up with, and often, it’s a hobby they are passionate about. I love sharing that!
Like with experiences, think about the skills you have. Someone with a gifted green thumb could root plant cuttings to gift a new plant. This is much more affordable than a store-bought plant.
One of my favourite homemade gifts is my Christmas quilt. Sewing is not my strong suit, but boy, I love to curl up under this one to watch movies. As long as they don’t have many blankets, these could be perfect minimalist, clutter-free gifts for the holidays.
My friend loves to bake and make cookie platters for her children’s teachers. The teachers were too busy to do much baking of their own, so it was a win. Remember, when gifting homemade food, always include an ingredient list in case of allergies or dietary restrictions.
Digital Gifts.
We all know someone who doesn’t want anything. They insist that even something consumable is too much. Well, that makes them the perfect candidate for a digital gift.
Donate to a charity in their name and give them the digital receipt. Pick something that aligns with their personality and their values.
Pay their phone bill or their power bill. Even their credit card bill.
Cover the cost of their streaming service for the next year, whether Audible for podcasts and audiobooks, Spotify for music or one of the many TV and movie streaming services. I would LOVE if someone got me a gift of 12 Audible books!
Maybe they would appreciate a membership to a gym, yoga studio, or Costco (my fave store!)
Life is expensive. Sometimes, a bit of help can make it a little more financially comfortable, plus this can keep your gifts minimalist and clutter-free for the holidays.
Acts of Service Gifts.
This is another one of the five love languages. This is for people who believe actions speak louder than words. If this is you, you want to make life easier for those you care about. This is about showing, not telling.
Similarly to experiences as gifts, you can offer your services instead of a physical gift.
Maybe you can take their car to have their oil changed and take it through the car wash.
Take care of shovelling the snow off the sidewalk and driveway over the holidays when you know your neighbour is having guests.
Offer to haul their donations away to Goodwill to save them time. This might even be a good bridge into a conversation about helping them to declutter. Maybe you have a friend who would like help with some house or yard work.
How do you Transition to Lower Clutter Gift Giving?
This can be done without making anyone feel like you are cancelling Christmas or making anyone feel bad.
With Small Kids.
It can be really tough if your kids are small. Try limiting the number of gifts to something to wear, something to read, something needed, and something wanted. In my house one year, it was something to wear, something to read, something to get physically active and something they wanted.
With Teens or Adult Children.
With teens or adults, there may be less fixation on gifts, but if your children (or you) aren’t ready to give up the gift exchange, try picking names and only buying for one person. (This is actually a fairly common practice in big families.)
A white elephant exchange can be fun if your family is open minded. Each person buys a gift under a set dollar limit and wraps it. The order for opening is selected – by age or randomly – and each person picks a gift and opens it. Everyone gets one gift.
When Your Children Have Children.
There are a few useful strategies to handling gift giving and a large or expanding family.
- Only buy for children and not the adults. Limit of one gift per child or one gift per family. Maybe you get board games your brother’s children can share.
- Only buy family gifts instead of buying individual gifts for everyone. Think one gift to be shared by each family. For your sister, her husband and two kids, put together a movie night basket with popcorn, snacks and a Netflix gift card.
- Leave gifts to be gifted for immediate family and instead plan occasions with extended family. Maybe that’s a Christmas cookie decorating party or movie marathon with all the kids. Gifts from Aunts and Uncles aren’t expected in some families.
Keep the communication lines open with your family about transitioning to less gifting and more experiences. They will come around.
Thinking Beyond Family & Friends: The Workplace Dilemma.
Many of us have been through those awkward gift exchanges at work with people who don’t really know you, but you couldn’t really opt out of the exchange so you end up bringing home some clutter that you immediately add to the donation spot or you stuff in a closet to re-gift later.
Stop that! This year, be the one who speaks up and suggests a better low-clutter solution!
Instead of a group exchange or Secret Santa, suggest that everyone donate the money they would’ve spent on a gift to fundraise for a local community need. One year, my team at work pooled our money to buy a case of baby formula for your local food bank. Yes, food banks often prefer cash, but with a work exchange, the receipt allowed everyone to see their money did go to the cause.
Alternatively, suggest limiting your work exchange to consumables only with a set spending limit. Consumables you don’t like can often be shared at work and don’t need to be brought home.
Above all, gift-giving should not be a source of stress. When it gets stressful, it is time to rethink and figure out something else. Don’t be afraid to ask what people want or to tell them what would really make you happy. If someone cares about you enough to give you a gift, then they know you well enough for you to tell them.
Enjoy your holidays!