I'm Dreaming of a Simpler Christmas

By
I know it's early, and I dislike rushing Christmas, but... if you want to simplify your holidays this year, now is the time to be thinking and planning for that!  And just in time, I've created a fantastic resource for you.  My newest book, A Minimalist Holiday,* is available now on Amazon Kindle (which can be read on any device, even your computer, with their free app) and in a beautiful paperback edition!


* This blog is reader-supported.  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.  


Meanwhile, here's a sneak peak.




I don't care for the MAC.


I don't want to do it this year.  Just thinking about it is depressing.


I'm talking about the Christmas that starts now, before Halloween.  I'm talking about the canned music, the packed parking lots, the over-heated stores, the ads, and the wish lists.  The jam-packed schedules, plastic reindeer, and way too much food.


Some people thrive on the noise and the hype and the busyness.  I too used to believe I loved all of that.  But when I think about what really makes me happy, it doesn't look anything like the Modern American Christmas.  In fact, almost everything about the MAC makes me think I'm missing something that should be wonderful.


Would you like to join me?





5 ingredients of a simple, heartfelt Christmas


Everyone's version of a simpler holiday will look different.  Here's how I picture it:


1.  More time.
Christmas schedules can get crazy, with so many extra holiday activities, plus shopping, baking, wrapping, mailing, traveling, and hosting guests.  Normal routines get lost.  Clutter and chaos build because we don't take time to do maintenance.  When my children were little, their needs took a backseat to my to-do list, and I'd shuttle them with me from place to place all day.  (I'm sorry, kids.)


I'm aiming for no more than one holiday activity per day, even on the weekends.  That might not seem like much, but I want to have more time to relax or to be spontaneous.


We don't have to fill every time slot.  A little white space on the calendar is a good thing.



2.  Less food.
There are so many special holiday recipes!  It's not the same without them, right?


Wait a minute.  Is your holiday about food?


Okay, maybe there are a couple of dishes I don't make at other times of the year that I would miss.  But there is no law that says a holiday dinner must include multiple appetizers, a large stuffed bird, three vegetables prepared in some gourmet manner, three different kinds of pie, from-scratch whipped cream, eggnog, mulled wine, and more.  Christmas dinner really doesn't need to be a huge four-course feast, especially if we've been snacking on cookies for two months.


Is it heresy to suggest a little moderation and ease?  Can I be saved from exile in the kitchen without ruining the holiday?


A simpler meal will save everyone indigestion and regret.



3.  Homemade fun.

Instead of tickets to the big-city Nutcracker extravaganza (complete with dressy outfits and expensive parking), choose the local community theatre's holiday play instead.  Choose more family board games, ice skating, star gazing, caroling, and reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever aloud to each other, and less time sitting in traffic and shopping at the mall.


We need to make more of our entertainment, rather than buying it.



4.  Minimal décor.
In years past I spent a lot of money on Christmas décor.  Displaying all of it was quite a production, and took an entire day both to put up and take down.


Then my mother went into assisted living, got rid of most of what she owned, and gave me a pair of choirboy angels she bought the year I was born.


I remembered those angels.  I had loved them as a child.  When my husband and I downsized to a small apartment, the angels came with us.


Now holiday décor consists of a fresh evergreen wreath with a big red bow.  A couple of red plaid toss pillows and a lot of white candles.  A simple nativity scene and the red-robed singing angels.


Cue Christmas music by Nat and Bing, because I'm done.



5.  Creative giving.

There's one good thing about seeing Christmas items in stores three months before the big day:  it gets you thinking about gifts in time to make something.


I'll slip some cash into my grown children's Christmas cards, but I might also be able to craft something small they'd enjoy, like a sugar body scrub or a personalized tee shirt.  Co-workers might appreciate a jar of bean soup mix.  My grandson might enjoy a thrifted dress-up kit collected into an old suitcase.


By starting early, I can take my time and enjoy the process, rather than turning my creative efforts into yet another frantic rush job.  There are a lot of ways to give without buying, and that seems more personal, too.





If you're ready for a simpler Christmas, start that conversation now.  You may find that your loved ones share many of your feelings.  Even children may be excited about a holiday that includes more togetherness and less stress, with opportunities for them to participate rather than be shuttled around as you check tasks off your never-ending list.



Want more?  Look for my book, A Minimalist Holiday.  It can be your guide to

  • remove clutter and prepare your home for Christmas
  • budget money and time for maximum satisfaction
  • inject humor and comfort into common holiday challenges
  • deal gracefully with difficult relationships and sad memories
  • discover that the most wonderful parts of the season have nothing to do with gifts
  • and much more!




Updated September 2022

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Fun, No-Risk Ways to Try a Minimalist Wardrobe Today

By
Image
Is your closet bulging with clothes, yet you feel like you have nothing to wear?  Do you shop often for new pieces, yet still feel unsatisfied with what you own?  I've been where you are.  Maybe, like me, what you really need is a minimalist wardrobe. A minimalist wardrobe is a small, carefully chosen collection of versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched to create dozens of outfits.  When you streamline and craft your wardrobe in this way, you can break free of the never-ending cycle of buying, purging, and buying even more clothes. I realize that a minimalist wardrobe can sound scary.  When you're used to an overstuffed closet, the idea of paring down in order to gain more usable choices seems impossible, impractical, and like something you're going to regret. I had similar feelings when I first tried a minimalist wardrobe years ago.  That's why I've created this list of ways to test the idea before you make a full commitment.  It's an approachable way t
Read more

9 Best Shopping Hacks for Your Successful Minimalist Wardrobe

By
Image
If you haven't already checked it out...  I was named an expert in an ApartmentGuide article. Check out the featured article : How to Declutter Your Home Fast: Tips From Our Experts | ApartmentGuide I used to spend most weekends and even some evenings after work shopping for clothes.  I often told myself I was "just looking," but the truth is, the more we "look," the more we buy.  I couldn't keep money in a savings account, and I always had credit card debt, but it took me many years to notice the connection between my shopping habits and my lack of funds.  (I know – dumb.) So I had a closet full of clothes, but "nothing" to wear – or so I told myself as I made yet another trip to the mall.  I'd buy clothes that I'd wear once or twice, at which point I'd realize I didn't like them as much as I thought, they didn't look as good on me as I had believed, or they had stretched, shrunk, faded, balled up, or otherwise been ruined in
Read more

6 Ways Minimalism Will Make You Happy

By
Image
Maybe you've been decluttering and organizing for a while now.  You're making progress, but you're not really feeling that serenity and happiness all the minimalists talk and write about. Yes, things are more manageable in your home.  You're not spending so much time searching for things or deciding what to wear.  And yes, your home is... shall we say prettier ?  You're looking at fewer piles of neglected things, fewer things that you kept out of guilt or inertia, and more things that you actually enjoy seeing.  The things that bring a smile to your face.... Oops.  Sorry, that just snuck in.  I'm writing about how you're not feeling the joy, and how you're wondering why you should continue with all of this minimizing.  Let's try again. 6 reasons to get excited about having less 1.  You're saving money. Seriously, start keeping track of the money you save because you're not buying stuff you don't need.  Remember the cute merchandise you
Read more

How Minimalism Has Made Me Rich

By
Image
We only get to spend our money once.  So every time we buy something, we're making two statements: I don't have enough (which might be true when it comes to food, gas, toilet paper, or some other things). This thing is more valuable than anything else I could have done with my money (again, sometimes this is true). Every time we make a purchase, we have less money for something else.  Yes, we can make more money, but that takes our time and energy – and those things are finite. So our choices of how to spend are more momentous than we think. That's why my Starbucks habit is a problem, or maybe why your clothes-buying or music- and app-downloading habits might be problems.  Maybe we can technically "afford" those things (that is, we aren't using credit to buy them), but is that the best way for us to use our money? A true windfall I recently received a small bequest from my Uncle Clarence, who passed away early last year.  His wife Alice, who predeceased him, w
Read more

Here Are My 10 Essentials - What Are Yours?

By
Image
I was reading an older post by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame, and he mentioned a semi-regular feature on GQ called 10 Essentials .  Each entry features a designer, entrepreneur, or celebrity naming 10 things that are essential to them. A valuable exercise I won't link to GQ's feature, because within moments of looking I could see that it was basically a hard sell for luxury consumerism.  But I love the concept, and think it would be useful – and possibly fun – to think about the 10 things that are my essentials. 1.  What I wear Jeans.   Almost every day I put on a pair of black or dark wash jeans.  I love the comfort and versatility of jeans (you can dress them up or down).  The ones I buy are designed for my plus-size body, but almost everyone can find a style and cut of jeans that fits them, looks and feels good, and wears well. 2.  What I also wear Sketchers Go Walk shoes.   Affordable, comfortable, simply designed – black Go Walks * are my daily shoes. * This blog is read
Read more