What To Do With Gifts + Unwanted Gifts After The Holidays
Your holiday decor might still be sprinkled around or you’ve happily packed it away…but guess what’s still lingering around in your home? ALL THE GIFTS! While there’s nothing wrong with friends and loved ones showering you with joyful bits and acknowledgement during the holidays, have you ever considered that not all of it has to stay?
Gifts, whether they’re something you asked for, were giving on a whim, you love the gift or it’s not your jam…they ALL have an impact on your home.
Now that it’s deep into January, we’re going to quickly assess all the items that have come in the door in the last few months from the holidays, decide what to keep and what needs to go (resourcefully/responsibly) in a quick effort to reset your home for the new year!
1. ASSESS WHAT’S WALKED INTO YOUR HOME DURING THE HOLIDAYS.
Take a scan of ALL the things new to your home since the holidays. Gifts, decor, treats, etc. This includes things you brought in for yourself + things that others gifted to you.
+ While you’re doing this, take inventory of items you either
1) Do not like 2) Are on the fence about. Pull these items aside to assess further in our next steps. You can do this room by room or simply by doing a quick walking scan throughout your home or wherever these items have landed.
+ Recycle any bulky packaging, boxes, papers that are no longer needed from gifts. Most wrapping papers cannot be recycled unfortunately. Brown kraft paper and 100% paper based gifts wraps can be recycled! Recycle papers, manuals, paper-based receipts you don’t need to instantly lighten your load of ‘stuff’ in your home. These are all the “clutter extras’ that often come along with gifts that can take over your home if you don’t keep tabs on it!
2. ASK MORE QUESTIONS AROUND GIFTS YOU ARE ON THE FENCE ABOUT OR DO NOT LIKE.
Here’s a quick checklist to help you assess gifts you’re unsure about or aren’t sure what to do with them next.
ASK:
+ Do you like the item at all? Would you consider buying this item with your own money (whether it was on sale or not)?
+ Do you already have something similar that you use regularly prefer/love more? If keeping this item, is it a duplicate and will it actually get used regularly?
+ Do you have space for the item? Are you OK with the time it will take to manage/care for the item in your home?
+ Does this item have a negative association with it? Does it trigger a negativity memory, reminders or thought patterns just by looking at it? (DON’T KEEP)
For gifts you do not like, are not your aesthetic, you already have or simply has a negative association with it, these items need to GO.
FOR ITEMS YOU’VE DECIDED NOT TO KEEP:
+ You can seek a return/exchange if you can nail down where the item came from + get something else you’ll enjoy more or need more at this time.
+ Donate or giveaway the items (assuming it’s a good shape + can be useful to someone else). Also consider the option to recycle the item when applicable (check locally).
+ Check locally for charities where someone in need could use your household items immediately (women and children’s shelter for example).
+ Do a swap with a friend. They might have a few things they’d love to swap with you for something you happen to have!
+ Consider re-gifting this item for a future gift to someone else. While this might sound tacky initially, I think this idea is resourceful + helps minimize waste, especially if you know someone who would love an item that you don’t love.
+ For items you plan to re-gift, make sure you have space to hold onto it until you can gift it. If you’re worried about giving it back to someone accidentally, add a little note to the item of who is was from, so when you go to create your next gift, you know who NOT to give it to! Easy!
3. FOR ITEMS YOU PLAN TO KEEP, LET’S FIND THEM A PROPER HOME.
Just because you love the item, doesn’t mean it’s going to easily find a landing spot in your home. Here’s how to find your ‘keep’ items a new permanent landing spot.
+ First, confirm if by keeping this item IF something else in your home needs to leave. Ex. You received a new chopping knife you prefer MORE than your old one because you like the size even more than what you currently have. The old chopping knife can go (donate if still in good shape) + keep the new one. No need to keep both!
+ Consider the 1 in 1 out rule, if this is applicable to you + your home right now. Ex.1: You received a new book + you can let go of another book you’re not going to read or enjoy again. Ex. 2: You’re in the process of rebuilding your sweaters collection + you want to keep what you have plus the new sweater you just received (the rule would not apply here because of your current needs to rebuild part of your wardrobe).
+ Figure out what area of your home this item should live. If you were gifted a new blanket, put it near your favorite cozy reading corner or over a piece of furniture/end of the bed to grab easily. Make it easy to enjoy and use this new gift in your home.
+ For items that don’t need to stay out all the time, tuck it away in a place where you will use it the most. Ex.1: You have brand new gloves. During this colder season, put them near all your outdoor gear in a hanging basket that’s easy to grab on your exit route out the door. Ex.2: You just received a new kitchen utensil - place the item in the drawer ideally right below the counter top where you will use it the most, based on its function.
Put things where you’ll use + enjoy them the most. Keep it simple!
4. SET STRONGER GIFTING BOUNDARIES MOVING FORWARD.
For future holidays, birthdays, etc. remember to communicate needs, preferences + requests with those you’re closest to.
+ Real reality, this still might not work…in which case, please revisit steps 1-3!
+ If you receive something that you already have or have something very similar to, it’s OK to let them know + respectfully try to sort out a return/swap. This just happened to me with sunglasses! I was able to work with customer service over email + return the sunglasses for a new pair that I now love + wear daily!
+ Intentionally declutter before these times of the year so you have more clarity on your needs before going into the holiday season so you can give family/friends some specific, clear direction on preferences.
+ Remember: Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind! Communicate clearly for best results!
+ Know that you can be gracious + grateful for a gift + it still not work for you. You can then do something resourceful with this unwanted gift or send it on it’s way WITHOUT GUILT. Deal?!
After a gift has been given to you, it’s now YOURS + YOU get to decide what YOU want to do with it. Don’t let the fear of guilt force you into keeping something that will simply become clutter in your home. Nothing about this is a gift at all!
WHAT TO DO NEXT:
+ Download my free declutter guide to get you taking quick + easy decluttering action in your own home (linked in profile).
+ Click the follow button for @fuzzyhipposhop to follow along for more decluttering tips + basics to get you unstuck in your home on instagram!
+ Check out more free decluttering resources HERE!
+ Check out more decluttering tools + guides HERE!
Thanks for following along as we lighten the load of home AFTER the holidays + reset our spaces/routines for the new year!
Sending you lots of love + peace in 2025.
Please drop any comments + questions below. I’d love to here from you! // Kristin
