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A Roomful of Surprises: What Gifts Can You Find in Your Room?

It’s giving season. How can you give on a budget?

By Mariana Schuetze

New year, new me, right?

Before the new year comes around, I thought I’d get rid of some clutter in my room. In doing that, and with my Christmas shopping list in mind, I ended up finding some iconic things I might just give some friends in this giving season.

Tote bag

I bet all my left hand you also have at least a handful of tote bags hanging around your room right now. Slightly-loved tote bags, after some well-deserved washing, will make for a great gift to a friend or loved one. They can also be the packaging of another gift but with a little extra touch of you and extra help for the environment.

Green snake-patterned tote bag, with black handles, hanging on a white wall.
I bought this tote bag when I first went to New York in 2016. It was very helpful back then, and I’ve used it a bunch since. Now, it will serve as a great gift bag for my friend. (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Journal

An empty journal is another classic staple in my room. I counted at least five when doing this year’s decluttering. You can even fill them up with some little notes, pictures and lovely memories, making it a great, personal gift.

Purple journal on a white background. The cover of the journal says: "I was born to be wild. But only until 9pm or so."
This one is actually a re-gift (another classic, am I right?). I got this from my mom last year, it was an extra journal she got as a work gift, I believe, and I have never used it. Therefore, it’s ready to be handed to someone who will love it better (maybe back to my mom, hoping she won’t notice?) (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Friendship bracelets

Friendship bracelets are all the rage lately, and I believe they’re a really cute gift, especially when they’re made with the person in mind. This wasn’t the case for these ones, to be honest; these are testers from my do-it-yourself bracelet kit, but I still love them. In a lovely case, and maybe with a handwritten note and some chocolate, this can be a perfect gift.

Two hand-made bracelets on a white background. They are both made with plastic beads. The bracelet on the left has beads with the colours: yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and green. The one on the right has the colours pink, purple and blue.
Fun fact: these two bracelets are supposed to represent the LGBTQAI+ and bisexual flags. The one on the left has similar colours to the Pride flag, and the right one is the bisexual flag (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Fun glasses

Help your friend see the beauty of a last-minute gift through sparkly-coloured glasses! These ones are from a 2022 Elton John concert. They are fun-shaped, and they light up with the push of a button. In all, a really fun gift and perfect for a costume party or for when your friend wants to put on a stadium tour performance in their room.

Blue start-shaped glasses in a white desk
These glasses also present a fun exciting packaging challenge, and the options are endless: do I wrap it up? Put it in a bag and tie it with a bow? Maybe put it in a box? (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Glee DVD

I have to admit, I had a Glee phase–some might say I’m still in it– and for some reason, I decided to ship a season four Glee DVD all the way from the United States to Brazil to be able to watch and rewatch this season (why season four, though?) anytime I wanted. I don’t care about Glee that much now, and it’s all available on streaming, so I think I’m ready to part ways with it.

Glee season four DVD
Season four’s “Guilty Pleasure” used to be my favourite Glee episode, and after rewatching it recently, I’m starting to reconsider all my opinions — what a random episode (Mariana Schuetze/CanCulture)

Well, I hope after this journey through some hidden treasures in my room, I’ve given you some ideas on how to turn clutter into love.