Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

A Minimalist Holiday Season: How To Simplify Gift-Giving Without Being A Scrooge

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Dec, 2016 01:16 PM
    TORONTO — Rachel Jonat and her husband didn't purchase any Christmas gifts for their three sons when they were too young to understand the tradition.
     
    Now, she asks extended family to ease up on presents and plans to shift to a no-gift policy once Santa is out of the picture.
     
    "I think deciding early on to ... not give them the moon at Christmas will make it a lot easier to manage bigger requests," says the Vancouverite and author of "Do Less: A Minimalist Guide to a Simplified, Organized, and Happy Life."
     
    While asking friends and family for a scaled-back holiday can be tricky and require laying some careful groundwork, the news may come as a relief to loved ones during what can be a stressful season.
     
    This year, Canadians plan to spend an average of $884 on holiday gifts, up from $766 in 2015, according to a survey by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.
     
     
    And that figure jumps when factoring in other seasonal costs. Last year, Canadians planned to spend an average of $1,551 on presents, travel, entertaining and other items, like decorations, during the holidays, a BMO survey found.
     
    In an effort to prevent some of that potential December budget overload, some people limit their gift-giving through "Secret Santa" exchanges in which members of a family are randomly assigned a person to whom they give a gift.
     
    For Rebecca Saha, who blogs about minimalism for the Green Moms Collective, Secret Santa exchanges with her husband and their three kids involves each person receiving four gifts: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.
     
    Saha, who co-owns resale shop iSpy Clothing in Etobicoke, Ont., often looks to secondhand goods first for these gifts. She suggests bundling used items in a theme, like a book about trains with conductor overalls, for a special touch.
     
     
    But if you're attempting to negotiate a leaner Christmas with extended family expect "a tricky conversation," say Jonat. It helps to drop hints early, she says, like talking about a preference for fewer toys in the home or for experience-based gifts that don't take up space.
     
    Sometimes that's enough to influence how others give. But when the Jonats receive superfluous gifts, they're returned, like she did with about half of her boys' loot last year.
     
    "(We) used the store credit when we needed it to pay for a new car seat," she says.
     
    It's also okay to opt out of gift exchanges with friends, acquaintances and colleagues, Jonat and Saha say.
     
    One year, when Saha became overwhelmed with her list of people to shop for, the family decided to sponsor a child through charity on behalf of all those they wanted to stop exchanging presents with.
     
    They shared the information in their holiday cards.
     
     
    "It soft-peddled the news," Saha says, adding people reacted positively and she found it less awkward than stopping cold turkey.
     
    While adults may be relieved by a leaner Christmas, Jonat says to be prepared for some disappointed kids the first time a family decides to try it out.
     
    Still, she adds, "we're in changing times now and the kind of excessiveness that, you know, may have been en vogue and popular is definitely waning."
     
    Fewer presents instead gives families more money and time to spend together, having fun or helping their community, she says.
     
    Saha sees things the same way.
     
    "We are big believers that traditions and experiences are more valuable — even to kids — than objects," she says.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    A Jaipur chaiwala’s bank account was shockingly 'Credited' with Rs 4.8 crore!

    A Jaipur chaiwala’s bank account was shockingly 'Credited' with Rs 4.8 crore!
    Rajkumar, who sells tea outside Jaipur’s Udyog Bhawan, was apparently picked up by I-T department officials and grilled for over five hours as his bank account showed the entry of Rs 4.8 crore having been credited to his account

    A Jaipur chaiwala’s bank account was shockingly 'Credited' with Rs 4.8 crore!

    American Airlines Flight Attendants Demand Recall Of New Uniforms in US

    American Airlines Flight Attendants Demand Recall Of New Uniforms in US
    American Airlines flight attendants' union in the US have demanded a total recall of their new uniforms claiming that the outfits have made more than 1,000 workers sick, according to media reports.

    American Airlines Flight Attendants Demand Recall Of New Uniforms in US

    Indian-Origin Student Sues Oxford University For 'Boring' Teaching

    Indian-Origin Student Sues Oxford University For 'Boring' Teaching
    An Indian-origin student has sued Oxford University for "boring" teaching which allegedly resulted in him getting a second class degree and in turn led to loss of earnings in his career as a lawyer.

    Indian-Origin Student Sues Oxford University For 'Boring' Teaching

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wins Online Reader's Poll For 2016 Time Person Of The Year

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wins Online Reader's Poll For 2016 Time Person Of The Year
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the online reader's poll for TIME Person of the Year 2016, beating out other world leaders like US President-elect Donald Trump, incumbent US leader Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wins Online Reader's Poll For 2016 Time Person Of The Year

    Kehkashan Basu, UAE-based Indian Teen, Wins Children's Peace Prize

    Kehkashan Basu, UAE-based Indian Teen, Wins Children's Peace Prize
    An Indian schoolgirl based in UAE has won this year's International Children's Peace Prize for her fight to save the planet.

    Kehkashan Basu, UAE-based Indian Teen, Wins Children's Peace Prize

    Cheers Greet British Veteran, 89, As He Starts His New Job

    Cheers Greet British Veteran, 89, As He Starts His New Job
    An 89-year-old army veteran who made national headlines in Britain with a newspaper ad seeking work has started his new job.

    Cheers Greet British Veteran, 89, As He Starts His New Job