What's the Deal: Last -minute, clutter free holiday gifts

Alicia Vitarelli Image
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
What's the Deal: Last -minute, clutter free holiday gifts
What's the Deal: Last -minute, clutter free holiday giftsWhat's the Deal: Last -minute, clutter free holiday gifts - Alicia VItarelli reports during Action News at 4pm on December 19, 2017.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- While the sentiment is there, sometimes an abundance of holiday gifts can amount to a lot of "stuff."

But there are ways you can give special, meaningful, last-minute gifts to everyone on your list that are clever and clutter-free.

"People feel like they need stuff. There's so much stuff around the holidays," said organizing expert and author, Laurie Palau.

Palau says forget buying for the sake of opening. The author of Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is all about gifting experiences that are low on clutter and big on life

"Theater tickets, concert tickets, show tickets, sporting events...those are great experience gifts you can give and enjoy with the whole family," she said.

They're gifts that give twice!

"You have that wow factor when you open it and then when you go you get to relive it again," said Palau.

She says everyone of every age loves the movies and you can make a fun presentation of the tickets.

"So you have the movie candy, you have the movie popcorn, you have your little bucket," she said.

Palau says practical gifts may not seem glamorous, but they're always appreciated.

"Think things people need, like a gas card to fill the tank or a meal delivery service, lawn care services or car detailing," she said,

Then there's the self-maintenance kind of gift

"Massages, facials, gym gift certificates for a personal trainer," she suggests.

Palau also loves subscription gifts, like a flower of the month club

"Wine subscriptions are huge and what's nice is that you don't have to gift a full year. You can do a 3-month subscription or a 6-month subscription," she said.

Or try digital subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu or iTunes.

And for the little ones?

"Subscriptions to a museum or aquarium or trips the zoo," said Palau. "And again it's the memory you're making instead of having 50 thousand stuffed animals. Teaching them that it's not just about stuff."

And Palau says gifting experiences also saves you time.

All of the above can be ordered either online or on the phone moments before you present them.

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