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DigitalVision / Getty Images En español | It's a generational mismatch: Boomer parents have been dutifully amassing stuff and can't wait to unload it on their offspring. But many

millennial children abhor all their parents’ physical and emotional clutter, and look upon the prospect of receiving this unwanted stuff in the same way that someone with bibliophobia might

view inheriting a boxful of books. Ah, but there may be a happy middle ground. Many millennials say they actually would be interested in some of the stuff — but typically only in small

amounts, and mostly the stuff that's long on memory and short on size. “They don't want stuff for stuff's sake,” says Rita Wilkins, 71, a noted interior design expert who has

written a best-selling book, _Downsize Your Life, Upgrade Your Lifestyle: Secrets to More Time, Money, and Freedom_. “It's about a deeper longing for the stuff that's enwrapped in

family memories." Here are a dozen things that some millennials say they actually would like to have passed their way: PHOTOS, BUT LESS IS MORE E+ / Getty Images What your kid

doesn't want are all 163 of your family photo albums that date back to the Civil War. But how about doing what Wilkins and her 40-year-old son, Kevin, do each time he's in town:

sit down and look through one photo album. That's when he lets his mom know the more meaningful photos he'd actually like, which are typically about 25 percent of the photos his

mom shows him. “You can't do this in one sitting, but it's nice to do over time,” says Kevin. MEMORABLE KNICKKNACKS Susan Williams, the founder of Booming Encore, a digital media

hub for boomers, vividly remembers the horror of receiving countless boxes of stuff she didn't want when her folks downsized years ago. She's vowed not to do this to her kids. Her

27-year-old daughter, Sydney, says the things that would mean most to her are small items that she remembers her parents or grandparents actually using — like her grandmother's serving

dish. “If something isn't part of our family history, I don't want it,” she says. iStock / Getty Images TOYS OF THEIR YOUTH For Sydney Williams, there's a special attachment

to the stuffed animals that she grew up with — and her mom has saved them for her. “I've never wanted to let go of them, and passing them along to my own kids someday would be a real

bonus,” she says. Besides stuffed animals, some millennials are particularly interested in getting their old board games or favorite toys that can range from gumball machines to baseball

mitts. HOLIDAY MEMORIES These can be the strongest memories of all, says Laura Francica, the 33-year-old niece of Rita Wilkins. She has her heart set on inheriting a carved wooden indoor

nativity scene that her grandfather, an Air Force veteran, brought home after serving in Germany in World War II. “That was something we'd use every year and it connected us to our

grandparents,” she says. She hopes this same nativity scene might someday connect with her four-month-old son, Jack. Stone / Getty Images ASSETS For Rylan Williams, the 24-year-old son of

Susan Williams, there is very little interest in physical stuff. He says he doesn't want or expect to inherit anything. Perhaps some online photos. But, if his parents decide that they

no longer want the family car — or even the family home — he'd be interested in those. If he got them he says that he would keep them, not sell them. ------------------------- AARP

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services, and the information you need to benefit every area of your life.  ------------------------- iStock / Getty Images GRANDMA'S RECIPES It's not just cookbooks that Sydney

Williams would be interested in, but the actual handwritten recipe cards from her grandmother. She still remembers her grandma taking the cards out and using them while she cooked when

Williams was little. “I'm trying to learn to cook, and these cards are irreplaceable." ACCENT FURNITURE Few millennials have space — or interest — in hulking pieces of furniture

like sofas or breakfronts, says Rita Wilkins. But many have a keen interest in timeless accent pieces, typically smaller pieces, like a rocking chair. Most important, she says, is to let

your children make the choice themselves about what's actually important to them. You shouldn't choose for them. E+ / Getty Images DAD'S VINYL COLLECTION It's too late

now, but Kevin Wilkins only wishes he'd asked his father — who downsized years ago — to save his record collection for him. It's not that he cares so much about the collector value

of it, but he vividly remembers his dad playing the vinyl albums and singing along with them. “It would sure be neat to have that on the shelf now,” he says. THE FAMILY TOOLBOX While Rylan

Williams isn't at all sentimental about the family tools, that's the only physical thing he might like to have passed along to him. But he only wants the tools that are still in

good condition and that he knows he would use, like the hammer, screwdrivers, saw and drill. He doesn't want any older tools that aren't 100 percent in working order. EXTRA SPECIAL

JEWELRY For Kevin Wilkins, his interest in family jewelry is limited to those pieces that radiate family memories. For example, his grandma wore a special ring with a small diamond. If he

inherited the ring, he says he might be interested in removing the diamonds and placing them into a pendant for his own daughter, if he ever has one. iStock / Getty Images ARTWORK THEY MADE

AS KIDS Rita Wilkins was surprised to find out that her own kids will someday want the cherished arts and craft pieces they made when they were little — like some ceramic items and, of

course, the picture frames decorated with painted pieces of macaroni glued on. REPURPOSED MEMORIES There's a family quilt chest that Kevin Wilkins says would be very meaningful for him

— even if it meant just repurposing the wood used to make the chest. Sure, he could convert the quilt chest into a children's toy chest, but he says he could also use the wood from the

chest to make, say, a children's chair. His mom, Rita, says she wishes she'd had the conversation earlier with her kids about who wants what — and why. But at least she's

having it now. “I know now,” she says, “that anything that weighs them down they don't want." _Bruce Horovitz is a contributing writer who covers personal finance and caregiving.

He previously wrote for _The Los Angeles Times_ and _USA TODAY. _Horovitz regularly writes for _The New York Times, _the_ Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Investor's Business

Daily, AARP Magazine, AARP Bulletin, Kaiser Health News, _and _PBS Next Avenue_._ ALSO OF INTEREST * 10 surprisingly valuable collectibles hiding in your home * Here's what to do if

you're inheriting a house * 17 states with estate or inheritance taxes