How to Have a Low Clutter Christmas

from ehow.com: http://www.ehow.com/how_4601200_have-low-clutter-christmas.html

By AlohaVikki

How many of us really need more things cluttering up our already overly crowded homes and lives?

Here are some suggestions to minimize the accumulation of stuff that people have to find somewhere to stuff on Christmas.

1. Buy consumable items. Food is good. Can anyone say "chocolate?" Perfume (but make sure she likes and wears it.) Ditto cologne. Things like coffee gift boxes (If they drink coffee, that is.) Flowers are nice for relatives and in-laws. Gas cards for college students.
2. Buy clothes people want. That way they can pass on the things they don't need or want anymore and put the new ones in their place.
3. Provide a service like pampering your spouse for a day with homemade spa treatments.
4. Make your own: soap, candles, cookies, hot cocoa mix kits or whatever to give as consumable gifts.
5. Give a trip or cruise to your spouse with you to somewhere special. (But try not to go picking up a lot of souvenirs while you're there if you want to reduce clutter. Digital photos are good mementos of your trip instead.)
6. Gather up all those pictures of your loved one(s) that are lying around, pick out the best ones, put them in a picture or scrapbook made of acid-free paper and put cute little notes or stories on each page about the pictures.
7. Send Christmas E-cards instead of paper ones.
8. Provide an experience such as kayaking,skiing or flying lessons.
9. Give tickets to sporting events,concerts,theatre.
10. Make edible ornaments for the tree like stringing popcorn and cranberries(for the birds)and making gingerbread men(for the people.) Candy canes can be hung from branches and given to children and guests as well.
11. Instead of buying special holiday dishes and tablecloths, buy white ones you can use all year and
12. Give downloadable e-books,movies,video games or other wanted programs.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to tailor the gifts to the recipients.
• Investments such as savings bonds or college funds might make a good gift, but in this economy, who knows?