Best Results Organizing

You don’t need anyone to tell you that 2020 was a year like no other. And as we zoom (and Zoom) into the holiday season, some aspects of the gift-giving experience are as fraught as the living-through-this-year experience has been.

In normal times, we professional organizers encourage clutter-free gifts, particularly gifts of experiences. But these are not normal times. Perhaps you’re finding that approach to be a challenge this year? Maybe you’d like someone to tell you how you can make the holidays feel special given that so many gift options are not available for those trying to lead as safe a life as possible.

To that end, today’s post looks at options all across the spectrum and offers virtual alternatives to in-person experiences whenever possible. Consider these clutter-free gift suggestions:

EDUCATION

Advice for a normal year: Once learned, knowledge and skills are forever. Usually, my advice is that you consider lessons in cooking, music, or self-defense. Pre-pay for classes in ballroom dance, quilting, horseback riding, driver’s education, scrapbooking or whatever delights your recipient. The options are practically endless, bounded only by the offerings in your recipient’s community.

But in 2020? Well, educational opportunities still abound, but the best educational options are going to be virtual. Let’s say your recipient loves to cook (or, conversely, hates to cook, but likes the idea of becoming more adept in the kitchen). A virtual course, completely online, is going to be safer (and likely, more accessible) than in-person cooking classes. 

For example, consider signing your recipient up a gift subscription for live or on-demand courses from chefs like Serena Wolf of Domesticate.Me. For $29.99/month (and there are also 3-, 6-, and 12-month options), membership in Serena’s cooking club gives you an all-access pass to her live and on-demand courses. (Note: All of Serena’s classes are free to healthcare workers.)

Ali Stafford, author of Bread Toast Crumbs, the Alexandra’s Kitchen blogger, offers similar $29/month memberships with multi-month packages for twice-monthly live cooking classes plus on-demand classes, as well as a $50 package for her book plus one live class. Portion of the proceeds from her classes goes to charity, including $4,000 each to Food Corps, The Okra Project, and Matahari Justice, as well as $1250 to the Hopewell Fund.

Want more variety in instructors? How about online classes from the League of Kitchens, Goldbelly Live! Cook-Alongs, or Sur La Table?

To support local venues, enter the type of class you’re seeking, your locale, and the word “virtual” to see who is offering classes or course memberships in your area.

Perhaps your giftee would like to learn a new language? Options range in price and style from Duolingo Plus (via an Apple or Google Play gift card) to 3 or 12 months or a lifetime of Rosetta Stone to Plimseur e-Gift certificates.

Not sure what kind of classes your BFF or M-I-L would like? MasterClass has you covered with a wide variety of options in the arts, sciences, business, and more. You can purchase a gift of one class or an annual membership pass, granting your recipient access to any/all of MasterClass’s 90+ instructors.

Joyce Carol Oates, Aaron Sorkin, Judy Blume, and James Patterson teach writing. Got some STEM learners on your list? Dr. Jane Goodall, astronaut Chris Hadfield, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson teach science conservation, space exploration, and scientific thinking and communication, respectively. Would your giftee appreciate learning acting from Helen Mirren and Natalie Portman, or perhaps they’d want more cooking advice, perhaps from Gordon Ramsay or Alice Waters? 

FYI, for a limited time only (through December 28, 2020), there are two special deals. First, there’s a Holiday 2020 “Give One Annual Membership, Get One Free” deal. Also, current/active MasterClass members can give the gift of a MasterClass Annual Membership for 30% off the current rate. 
 

ENTERTAINMENT

Advice for a normal year? We professional organizers always encourage experiential gifts over tangible ones because research shows that experiences are more memorable than possessions. Compare what you remember about your last vacation vs. what you received for your last birthday or holiday, and you’ll see why. Experiences are personal and vivid in ways that tangible gifts often are not. So, my traditonal advice for gifts of entertainment runs along these lines:

Buy your loved ones tickets to sporting events, concerts, or comedy clubs; take them to the symphony, a lecture series, or a theater event. Check out local community theaters, universities, and even high school schedules for their music and entertainment offerings. From a booklet of movie tickets to a Broadway show, their memories will live onafter the big holiday night or Christmas morning.

But in 2020? To stay safe and protect our loved ones, most of us are not attending sporting events, concerts, or comedy clubs. We’re not going to movies or theaters. Luckily, technology still gives us plenty of gift options.

Buying for TV and movie fans? Gift someone three months or a year of Amazon Prime, buy them a gift card for Netflix, or a monthly or yearly subscription to Hulu if you want to stick with the big guns. Or you could buy gifts of individual channels like Disney+ (for friends with kids or fans of Marvel movies), CBS All-Access (for those who love Star Trek), or Acorn or BritBox for fans of shows from the UK. Almost any streaming service offers a gift option, so a little searching may find you programming your recipient didn’t even know existed!

For serious cinephiles, The Criterion Channel might be your best bet, with gift subscriptions ranging from one to nine months or for a full year. Criterion brings your movie buff one thousand “important” classic and contemporary films, plus a constantly updated selection of Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent films from major studios and independent distributors.

Maybe your recipients prefer stage performances to cinemas? To keep them entertained, from Shakespeare to Hamilton, comedies to dramas, Ibsen to Spongebob (the musical), consider a monthly or annual gift subscription to BroadwayHD, ranging from $8.99/month to $99.99/year. 

For music-oriented recipients, 2020 has little in the way of safe live events, but streaming music services abound. Consider gifting your loved ones premium levels of something like Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer (yeah, I’ve never heard of it either, but apparently it covers the globe and has 35 million songs), or Tidal.

PRACTICALITY

Advice for a normal year? Any drivers on your “nice” list would benefit from gift certificates for oil changes, car washes or detailing, and even annual memberships in AAA or their favorite auto club. Unlike the streaming services mentioned above, you can’t usually get a gift certificate for multiple months of internet, cable, satellite, or cellular service but you could gift your recipient cash earmarked for pre-paying those services. It’s practical, because it means your giftees will have extra pocket money to spend something fun that just pops up during the year. So, in the practical realm, the usual advice holds.
 
Special tip for 2020:  In a year where many of our friends and family members, especially those with more delicate constitutions, are staying close to home, grocery delivery has become an important service. Depending on the availability in your giftees’ areas, consider gift cards for Instacart or Shipt (which is currently offering 50% off an annual membership for unlimited same-day deliveries, available through 12/27/20). Individual national and regional grocery stores, like Walmart, Aldi, Safeway, Publix, and Wegmans have their own services with gift options.

Iangelidaki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
 

ADVENTURE

Advice for a normal year? In past years, I’ve advised: For the thrill-lovers on your list, choose certificates for hot-air balloon or zip lines. For racing lovers, try a ride-along at the NASCAR Racing Experience program or Daytona Speedway course. Athletes appreciate a week of baseball fantasy camp, pre-paid rounds of golf, and time in the batting cages. 

But in 2020? I’m not sure what “adventure” really means to us in 2020, as even adventures that don’t require close contact with others usually require travel to get where you’re adventuring. Note that many of the usual adventure venues currently have “COVID guarantees” promising refunds if the activity isn’t available due to regulations or restrictions for 12 months from the date of purchase, so be sure to check. Consider gifts that allow for adventures with a social distancing component, like an annual National Parks Pass to explore the country’s great natural beauty and experience some elbow room. 

PAMPERING

Advice for a normal year? In past years, to gift anyone with too much stress, I’ve advised: gift certificates for haircuts and styling, spa facials, or a massage. Many day spas have special packages for sportsmen and for teenagers (boys, as well as girls), gifts that most people are unlikely to purchase for themselves. For a friend struggling to quit smoking or lose weight, pre-paid sessions with a hypnotherapist or acupuncturist might be the offbeat support that helps them conquer their troubles. For a more lavish gift, consider a 3-month gym memberships or a night at a cozy bed & breakfast. 

But in 2020? Yeah, gym memberships, nights at B&Bs, and spa days are on hold for most of us for a little longer. But that doesn’t mean you can’t give the gift of self-care without clutter. In addition to consumables (like spa and bath products), consider items that help your loved ones be their best selves. Fitness trackers, like Fitbit, make a good “big” gift for the outer self, and apps like Calm and Shine are good virtual stocking stuffers to nurture the inner self. 

 
CONSUMABLES

Advice for a normal year? Let’s face it — dining is the ultimate clutter-free experience. By the end, the only clutter is the wrapping (and perhaps the extra calories). You can send one-time or subscription gifts for almost every food type you can imagine: cheese, fruit, vegetables, steaks, cookies, and more.

A few great options are Harry & David, Russ & Daughters, Goldbelly (shipping local restaurant delights nationwide), Mouth, and my personal favorite, Zingerman’s. (Editor’s note: Friend of the blog Linda Samuels recommends the artisanal fruits and preserves from American Spoon, so I’ve added that link, too.) If you don’t know what someone likes to eat, there are always gifts of ingredients, like spices from Penzeys, or hot sauce gift boxes from Fuegobox. 

But for 2020? Let’s be real. We’ve been eating all year. We’ll be eating next year. Nobody is going to complain if you gift them with something they find delicious. As Paper Mommy would say, “Eat and be well!” 

While gifts of experiences are key to having memorable holidays, we know that there are people on your list who want something they can hold in their hands. We have two more installments of Clutter-Free Holiday Gifts for the Weird Year of 2020. We’re going to look at gifts you can give to loved ones that also give back to others, and gifts that can make life more organized.