Holiday season is about giving, but it also involves getting more things. Some people already feel overwhelmed with too many possessions. During this hour of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks with guests about decluttering, and about how to navigate the process of handing down heirlooms and other collections.
We also cover the generational differences that might mean it's getting tougher for older adults downsizing to pass on their collections to their children. Associate Professor in the University of Iowa Department of Sociology Alison Bianchi and Mary Weinand, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Human Sciences Specialist, join the discussion.
Bianchi says that she has talked with her graduate students about the generational differences they see, and they have told her that there are some important cultural differences.
"Their cultural beliefs are really that experiences have much more value than stuff—I also noticed they have a lot of toys, let's be honest[...]but they have fewer of them, I would argue, than generations before them," Bianchi says.
To start the show, we hear from a group hoping to encourage local sharing of possessions.
