BY HAND: Give the gift of taking something AWAY: old car in the driveway, big pile of branches, pile of dead computers, whatever.
Individual charms for a zoppini charm bracelet, so that it builds up over time (and takes no additional space).
A favorite unusual dessert for the end of the celebration meal
Tickets for hoarder and friend to attend a show in their hometown (waiting at Will Call so they can't be lost!) A TOOL KIT geared towards ladies (since a repairman won't be allowed in).
For Christmas, my standard gift for the last 20 years, has been a large size calendar. He likes to keep all his appointments, lunch dates, utility bills, rainfall amounts, temperature etc. written down. I guess it's part of the OCD. The calendars are all kept together for reference. He loves them and they are always used. I'm lucky I found that one item that he wants and uses and one day will be a record of his daily life for me to treasure.
Last Christmas I gave my mom and dad a paper shredder. Often people are afraid to put their personal papers in the garbage nowadays. I thought this would help to get rid of some of the papers with a sound mind.
BY HAND: For someone who uses their computer a lot you could gather screensavers, games, pictures from the internet for desktop wallpaper, family pictures for wallpaper or a screensaver, recipes, fun links or links to information about a hobby and copy them to a disk for them. The possibilities are endless and there's a lot of room on one disk!
I would like a gift of having all my knives professionally sharpened. So I am guessing that at least one other person who cooks a lot might like this same gift.
How about paying for a month (or 3, etc.) of her internet service provider?
A spare car key and a place to hide it on the car.
I know this may sound a little strange, but how about a fruit tree. They can plant it in their yard to enjoy and it (my f-i-l's fruit trees are full and beautiful). This also allows you to have fresh fruit certain times of the year (YUMMY!). I bought one for my Uncle and he loves it. He doesn't have a problem mowing around it either.
Last year we gave my elderly mother-in-law a cell phone and we pay for her bill. She has the peace of mind that she can get help if she's out and needs it. She got lost one time and drove all the way back home to call and discover that she had not driven quite far enough. She is decluttering, too, and doesn't want or need "STUFF", and really appreciates having the phone.
My mother-in-law is 81 years old and has a very cluttered home--has not thrown anything away for over 45 years. It has been very difficult to find a gift that she would not "store". Our family has discovered a gift that "Grandma" truly enjoys and is thrown away every month. We give her a "gift certificate" for a monthly bouquet of flowers (delivered by her grandchildren). She receives them the first of every month and enjoys them until they are "gone", and happily awaits her next bouquet!! We are all very happy with this !
My parents have so much STUFF, my father is German and loves German food. I was lucky enough for my Grandmother to live long enough to teach me how to cook some of his favorite foods. My kids and I now make one or two dishes as his Christmas, Birthday or Father's day presents. He loves it and I feel like I am passing something important to my children; family tradition and how to give gifts from the heart!
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