jingle_bell_santaWhy is there so much STRESS during what is supposed to be the JOYOUS holiday season? I realize I’m biased, but I believe it comes down to the clutter.

Gifts

The most obvious offender is holiday gifts. You may well be thinking “Hey, that’s the best part!,” but hear me out. If you are able to buy good heartfelt gifts quickly, then the greatest gift is your talent, because it is exceedingly rare. More often than not, finding the right gift brings a bad choice, or a disproportionate expenditure of time, or both. I know this because of the high percentage of clutter I see in people’s homes that is explained away as “oh, somebody gave that to me.” Translation: “I have no use for this item, but it is difficult to part with because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.” While it is true that it’s the thought that counts, it’s also true that that thought may well go something like this. “I’m exhausted. Another late night at work and I STILL have to buy a gift! I have to buy SOMETHING. Guess I’ll just buy the Billy Bass Singing Fish and get it over with.” The best solution I have found is the Amazon Wish List. At least you save time and stress because you are purchasing something that the recipient actually wants. When it’s wanted, it gets used, and when it gets used you avoid the clutter.

Decorations

I had a neighbor in Brooklyn who struggled for storage space. Why? Perhaps the biggest reason was a full size plastic Santa and sleigh with reindeer; a complete plastic manger scene; and loads of other holiday decorations. It was not uncommon to hear him cursing as he got tangled up in lights, tried to get Rudolph’s nose to light in that “real cute” way, or reconstructed the wooden stable every year. His kids had grown up and moved out, but every year he still felt compelled to perform this long exercise in frustration. If there was any joy in this ritual, I never saw it. I know he would have been much happier spending his day off inside watching football. This may be an extreme example, but it is very common to see folks try to make the holidays happier by buying more stuff then being a slave to it. At least ask who you are doing it for and why.

Shopping

I don’t buy casually. I’ve had a DVD player for the last 10 years and it’s been sick for the last year, so when a friend told me about a $78 dollar Blue Ray player at Walmart, I took notice. Of course this deal was attached to the Black Friday phenomenon, which admittedly, I’ve never experienced. I’ve also never experienced scurvy, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like it. I imagine getting up at 3am, getting in line with uninteresting unbathed strangers at 4am, being herded like cattle as the anticipated hour draws near, then making a mad dash for the “prize” when the doors bust open at 5am. We claw over the boxes like a pack of rabid hyenas ripping shreds of meat off the carcass.
I could be wrong.
Anyway I passed. I found the same Blue Ray player online for $119. What I did not find was a verification of the $78 deal. Other sites said $109. Call me a spendthrift, but I’m happy with my decision. I suppose a targeted purchase is not directly related to clutter, but this sort of shopping madness makes me think of the disproportionate stress we put ourselves through during the holiday season in the name of accumulating more STUFF.

Food gifts

I applaud the idea of food gifts because at least they are “intended” to be consumed. The problem is they all too often are not. Gingerbread houses, candy canes, and the much-maligned fruitcake are all examples of holiday “treats” that tend to do more to create holiday clutter than holiday joy. So it sits around and maybe we DO feel obligated to eat it, which leads to stomach clutter and artery clutter. Ho, ho, ho.

Gift Wrap

Finally, I wrap up with gift wrap. I can’t recall ever buying gift wrap, but somehow I always have way more than I could ever use. Many of my clients buy those tall Rubbermaid gift wrap container to store it, but given the huge quantity of gift wrap, that container is just a bad joke. Gift wrap seems to grow all over, like mushrooms on the forest floor. I see those numerous tubes getting in the way 365 days a year and gettng used only five days and for what? You use it wrap up Billy Bass! The paper litters the floor, the gift offers MINUTES of fun then joins the gingerbread house, broken dvd player, Jingle Bell Rock Santa, and other holiday clutter that take over your home.

Happy Holidays!

TODAY’S KEY TO UNLOCKING CLUTTER: If you want to enjoy the holidays, seek joy, not stuff.