{"id":6672,"date":"2017-01-18T06:00:57","date_gmt":"2017-01-18T11:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.elfster.com\/?p=6672"},"modified":"2025-07-30T10:31:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:31:44","slug":"year-simplicity-embrace-minimalist-gift-giving-trend-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/18\/year-simplicity-embrace-minimalist-gift-giving-trend-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"A Year of Simplicity: How to Embrace the Minimalist Gift Giving Trend of 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"simple<\/a>
Image courtesy flick\u2019r user A\u2665<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wandering aimlessly through the mall, I hunted for the perfect gift: an item that would be useful <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> beautiful\u2014something that says, \u201cI care about you,\u201d without saying, \u201cHere\u2019s another knick-knack that I know you probably don\u2019t need.\u201d How in the world are you supposed to give a gift to a minimalist?<\/span><\/p>\n

2017 is the year of consumer simplification\u2014and that can make gift giving even more challenging. Many of us are being influenced by the minimalist lifestyle, from Marie Kondo\u2019s <\/span>viral decluttering magic<\/span><\/a> to the popular streamlined Swedish aesthetic and \u201cclean eating\u201d movement. According to <\/span>recent predictions<\/span><\/a>, consumers are immersing in the digital world, reducing waste, and thinking globally even more in the new year. <\/span><\/p>\n

As being online gains an ever-growing importance, our physical lives become more and more simplified, slowly but surely reducing our collective love affair with \u201cstuff.\u201d Here\u2019s how to embrace minimalism when picking out a gift for anyone on your list in 2017\u2014the year we all hope to finally get our lives decluttered. <\/span><\/p>\n

Minimalism in Virtual Reality<\/h4>\n
\"Watership<\/a>
Digital versions of classics abound | Image courtesy Amazon.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What in the (digital) world can you give to the friend who lives fully online? My buddy George is a knowledge enthusiast, always diving into the world of learning. Sometimes, it\u2019s focused on his photography business, sometimes a new hobby like bookbinding or making homemade pasta\u2014you\u2019d think he\u2019d need to have his own library! But, actually, he does all his learning via the world wide web.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, I\u2019m gifting him with an online course for his birthday. Skillshare, for example, is <\/span>a fantastic online resource for learning<\/span> new crafts, hobbies, and trades, from digital photography to video game design. With a gifted subscription to a class, anyone can learn from the most popular and influential teachers of the day in almost any industry you can imagine\u2014without stocking the bookshelf. Here are a few of the classes I\u2019ve put on my own list:<\/span><\/p>\n