Like many of you, I have spent much of the past year following the KonMari Method of decluttering my home. What I learned from reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up has been a constant theme in my life. “Does this item spark joy?” is a question repeating over and over again as I’ve been faced with the decision to declutter something or even bring something new into my home. It’s a method that has worked wonders in my life…until Christmas.

As I look at the giant stack of boxes that keep coming into my house for Christmas presents, I wonder where I went so wrong. How did I once again get caught up in the value of “things” over “joy”? Simply seeing these boxes and knowing the impact the clutter inside will have on our house makes me anxious. In fact, many of the things I’ve “KonMari’d” from this past year were Christmas presents from past years. Why did I allow myself to get caught up in shopping, shopping, shopping, yet again?

I’ve already made the mistakes I’ve made this year, but I vow right here and now that next holiday season will be different. Instead of choosing things, our family is going to choose experiences. It’s the experiences we share together… from big to small… that brings happiness to our lives. By not allowing more clutter into our house and by bringing more experiences to our life, we will be released from the stress of being suffocated by a house full of things.

As I think to next year, some ideas I have for experience gifts for my family are:…

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The post The Joy of Choosing Experience Gifts Over Things appeared first on Dine and Dish.

This giveaway is now closed. The winners were Shari from Tickled Red and Joshua. Congrats to you both!

It’s the time of year when Dear Santa letters start to stuff the mailboxes of neighborhoods everywhere. Dolls, toy trains, clothes and more show up on many lists. I’m glad that Santa takes care of all of that for us, as sometimes finding the perfect gift can be overwhelming!

For the more adult crowd, I’ve been sharing ideas through my holiday gift guide to cover the perfect present for the cook in your life (make sure to enter the KitchenAid Pasta Extruder Attachment giveaway!) and the small business owner / Type A gift recipient (the NeatDesk Giveaway is perfect for them!). How about the electronics enthusiast on your list? As someone who would rather receive tech gadgets than diamonds, you know I wouldn’t ignore this category!

My friends at T-Mobile and I are partnering up to share tips for holiday shopping – especially what to look for when buying electronics for those on your list. If you are a social media user (Twitter, Blog, etc) local to the Kansas City area contact me about the local event I’m hosting with T-Mobile next Thursday, December 8th. There is promise of great food, awesome swag bags and giveaways galore!

For the rest of you, T-Mobile wanted to let you in on the action too. They are giving away one T-Mobile myTouch (ARV $279) or one T-Mobile myTouch Q phone (ARV $279) to two lucky Dine & Dish readers! Both of these phones are feature rich, simple to use, run on the largest 4G T-Mobile network and would be an ideal gift for anyone on your gift list.

To enter the giveaways, simply answer this question in the comments section of this post: What is the biggest question you have when it comes to buying a wireless product as a gift?

For additional entries:

1. Become a fan of T-Mobile on Facebook. Leave an additional comment on this post letting me know you did this.
2. Follow T-Mobile on Twitter. Leave an additional comment on this post letting me know you did this.
3. Tweet the following: “Enter the #giveaway to #win a T-Mobile myTouch or myTouch Q phone (ARV $279) on @DineandDish #TMobileHolidays http://su.pr/7Z6ehi ” Return to this post and leave an additional comment letting me know you completed this.

All entries must be received by midnight CST on Wednesday, December 7th 2011. Winners will be chosen by Random.org and notified via valid email address. Sorry, but this giveaway is available for US readers only.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of T-Mobile. I am receiving compensation from T-Mobile for my participation. T-Mobile is also providing the giveaway items.  All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Holiday Giving {Giveaway – T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q Phones} CLOSED appeared first on Dine and Dish.