Post 15 / Consuming Commentary
Christmas Gifts, 2024 Photo taken by Tori Klotz
2024, An image of re-gifting sentimental items for gifts for this holiday season.
“Presents are not “things” but a means for conveying someone’s feelings.”
— Marie Kondo
The confidence I can complete this project:
Through the roof! Only one week left and we’re at the final stretch. Just like papers, sentimental gets two weeks. However you celebrate the winter holidays, I wish you a merry season and the time and space to indulge in the family photos and memorabilia….and maybe even find an opportuity to gift!
We’re down to the final stretch
With just two blogs left, they’re all about the hardest category: Sentimental items.
As I took my first steps into this deeply emotional category, I realized how much it mirrors the feelings we experience during gift-giving. Sorting through old photos, letterman’s jackets, family videos, and scrapbooks stirs up the same emotions as picking out a meaningful gift for someone we love. And yet, tackling Sentimental items stands out for another reason—it’s the only category that isn’t about consuming.
This revelation hit especially hard as the season of giving is here. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, honoring the winter solstice, or engaging in another cherished tradition, this time of year often brings us the joy of gifting. A thoughtful gift can make someone feel truly seen, or it can remind us how well we know someone special. Even in leaner times, a small token like a wildflower, an old love note, or a re-gifted memento can create powerful connections with the people we hold dear.
And yet, as I prepare for gift-giving and receiving while tidying my Sentimental category, I can’t help but feel the weight of contradiction. After all, most categories we tidy—clothes, consumables, papers—are tied directly to consumption. Sentimental items, though, exist for a different reason. They aren’t about utility or consumption but about capturing moments and emotions. These are relics of time capsules, items that serve as reminders of where we’ve been, who we’ve loved, and the stories that shaped us.
So, the question naturally arises: How do we participate in the season of giving without compromising our intention to live a simpler, tidier life? And perhaps even more ironically, how do we embrace the act of giving and receiving while we’re simultaneously tidying the most humble and sacred of objects—our sentimental treasures?
When I realized the hypocrisy and irony, I thought to myself two things.
To remain tidy is not to avoid consumption entirely. We must honor how we give and receive love and cherish those feelings. When viewed from this perspective, “you don’t need to feel guilty for parting with a gift,” nor should you be upset if you learn someone has tidied your gifts. “Just thank it for the joy it gave you when you first received it.” This sentiment is one we can continue to apply to our sentimental category.
This irony and hypocrisy is a great segue to introduce what you can expect in the New Year from Psyche Butterfly. Although you’ve experienced the values of simplicity, community first, and inner work during this 16-week journey, the next 26-week series will dive into the ironies of our participation in society and how we can remain active while acknowledging the gray areas of life. In the next series, I will aim to empower us to bring awareness to the negotiations in our daily choices, understanding how our decisions ripple through constructs and either amplify or detract from them. We’ll address societal systems, explore political realities, and get more introspective. With your physical space in order, it will be time to focus on the mental work behind Psyche’s intentions.
Before we get too sidetracked by the future of the blog, it’s important to focus on the present, or perhaps “presents” 🎁. We’re in the midst of the hardest category. My iMemories box for photos has taken longer than expected to arrive, so I haven’t been able to send in the family photos and videos yet. A big win, however, is finding my old baby doll clothes in my parents' basement. It’s such a beautiful combination of Marie Kondo’s lessons on gifts and sentimental items. What better way to give life to sentimental belongings than gifting my niece, who is just learning to play pretend, with my baby doll clothes? This is something that no longer serves me but can now bring her joy.
Although many sentimental items will need to be let go, I found happiness in matching a piece of my past with the new experiences of my niece. Not all sentimental items will find new life in your community, but remember, if they no longer align with who you are, it’s time to let them go.
If you’re in the midst of shredding old photos, burning sentimental kid drawings, or recycling scrapbooks, you can still find joy in participating in this year’s gift-giving season, all through the lens of tidiness.
Here are a few ideas to help you give with intention:
Prioritize Consumables: If you love giving surprises, this is a way to ensure minimal waste.
Gift Precisely a Need or Desire: While this might take away the surprise factor, it ensures the gift will serve the receiver well. Ultimately, it’s up to them to decide when to tidy it.
Gift a Sentimental Item: I’m gifting my baby doll clothes to my niece and a picture frame set to my brother with photos of him as a kid. What better way to give life to sentimental items than by turning them into meaningful gifts?
