- Nov 28, 2018
- 2 min read
I blinked and Hanukkah begins this weekend, Christmas is not far off, and I’m starting to
panic. Not because we haven’t ordered our holiday cards yet or have an overly ambitious itinerary for trip to London for Christmas with my husband’s family.
I’m panicking about what the hell I’m going to do with all of the gifts and toys our friends and family will generously bestow upon our 15-month-old Theodore for Christmas.
Our apartment already looks like a disheveled daycare. Toys, books, stuffed animals, puzzle pieces and egg shakers can be found in virtually every corner of our living room. Our guest room closet is stuffed with old baby gear and new toys he’s yet to play with; we still have at least six birthday gifts we’ve yet to bring out (you bet they’re going under the tree for Christmas).
The amount of stuff that comes with a child is truly overwhelming. No one ever warned me about this.
I don’t think anyone in my life would describe me as tidy or overly organized. My desk is notoriously covered in layers of ‘stuff’ and my closet, well let’s just not talk about my closet. But my living room, where we spend time with friends and retire in the evenings with a big glass of wine after our son goes to sleep is kind of sacred to me. I like to zone out to our Netflix shows knowing the area around me is clean and clutter-free.
But as the kid grows, so does the amount of stuff we’re harboring (I can’t even begin to consider how overwhelming this must be for families with multiple children!) And when you live in an apartment, you’re pretty limited on space to store all of the crap. The idea that over the next month we will be bombarded with more clutter is daunting.
So, please, HELP ME! How do you manage gifts, stuff, storage and all-things-kid-products?
Here’s what we’ve set into action thus far to (hopefully) keep holiday gifts and clutter to a minimum:
It’s impossible to tell our parents/family ‘no gifts!’ for our son. So, we created an Amazon Wishlist of products we need (or wouldn’t mind having around the house) to choose from.
We’ve also shared details of our favorite classes and museums, suggesting gift cards/memberships as gifts.
We’ve explicitly let friends who will be visiting over the next few weeks know gifts are discouraged (their presence is present enough! See what I did there?)
We plan to comb through all of our toys and gear post-Christmas, and donate old items to local charities.
… What did I miss? Any tried and true tricks to share?
As we work to bring Theo & Co. to life, we hope to bring new solutions to families in similar situations by allowing rentals of not only ‘the essentials’ but also toys, gadgets and other kid stuff that has (let’s face it) a short shelf life with kids’ attention spans. We’re still a little ways off from making this vision a reality, and appreciate your advice, ideas and suggestions along the way.
Stay sane, and happy holidays!
Em
