Seeing this ongoing #kiss genuinely made me smile because I get to finally share this practical little exchange system I initiated about a year ago after becoming a minimalist. Some years ago, I used to like everything, from hand bags to shoes to perfumes. And even though I’m not a fan of strong scented ones, short heels and other things, I still kept them for decoration.
I remember how my room was more than a boutique during festive seasons because of the gifts I would receive from friends. But now? All thanks to my exchange system, you’d never find twice of anything in my room, not to talk of things I don’t want.
One thing I know about gifting is that, it’s not so right to reject a gift just because you don’t want it. So in such cases, I rely on my exchange system and distribute it to those who need it. I start with my nuclear family. Now this can get very tricky because my mom and siblings are maximalists and they always like everything they see, as far as it’s nice.
So I try figure to out things they would actually use. Just so in the end, nobody is in possession of what they wouldn’t even touch. I then move on to my extended family. Sometimes we are quick to go out there to help people in need but with what I’ve realized, there’s always a cousin somewhere who equally wants some of these things as well, hence family first always.
Now, in the distribution of these gifts, I sometimes get a lot of “oh I even have this bag that I don’t want anymore” or “this wristwatch is just here doing nothing”. So as someone who is part of a charity foundation that helps the needy, I collect those items, make sure they are in really good shape and ship them to the charity house for donation.
This system transcends to my little circle of friends too. Any time someone receives a gift they don’t want, they quickly ask and give it out to anyone who wants it. As someone who prefers stilettos, I don’t hesitate to give out any form of short heels I receive to a friend who wants it. Anyone who also receives something they don’t want, gives it to someone who wants it and would actually use it.
The beauty of this is that, there’s always something for everyone and even those who didn’t receive any gift don’t feel left out. After replacing the old ones with the new, we make sure the old stuff in good shape are added to any extra new items and sent to the charity house.
If I’m being honest with myself, sometimes it takes a lot of courage to give out really nice things received from close certain people even if I don’t want them. That courage behind that action is strongly fueled by the smiles I see on the faces of those that actually want it. And I always love to see it.
Images are mine
