#37 of 100 Simple Suggestions... Reduce knick-knacks and unnecessary clutter

As a newly-wed, I was invited to a candle party. You know, like a Tupperware party, only pretty scented candles in all sorts of lovely glass and ceramic holders. In those days, I was crazy about candles and often had at least one burning.

Then I had children. When my eldest learned to crawl, the first thing she went for was the shelf where the pretty candles sat, and they soon found their way into a box which is still stored under the stairs. Life without candles soon became life without knick knack clutter. A lot of statuettes, souvenirs, and other gifts from well-meaning friends who felt they had to buy something to mark some occasion or other have been donated to charity sales after a suitable interval. Most of my friends and family know me well enough now that they don't buy me presents that have to be dusted or stored. Instead, I get consumables like chocolate or homemade preserves, or a ticket to a show, or a perennial for my garden, or useful things - like these pretty rubber boots my sisters gave me for my birthday last year.

Even with my youngest at the non-candle-breaking age of eleven, I can't bring myself to unpack those candles, mainly because I have come to prefer free space over clutter. Don't fence me in with stuff, and don't ask me to dust around fancy little knick knacks. There are a thousand things I'd rather do. So candles and candle holders remain under the stairs, and if I'm not mistaken, there's still one more box of knick knacks down there somewhere, too. Eventually I'll get around to giving them away. Any takers? Life is full enough without them.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.