How to Have a Just-Simple-Enough Christmas
Make this the year you say no to festive stress and yes to joy and meaning
Laura Gaskill
10 December 2016
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
With an overblown, all-out, retail-fuelled holiday frenzy at one extreme, and an all-natural, homemade Christmas worthy of Little House on the Prairie at the other, I’m guessing most of us have a festive season that lies somewhere in the middle. If you find yourself struggling to balance a desire for simplicity and sharing deep lessons with the urge to make the holidays memorable, fun and festive, you are not alone. Here are nine ways to simplify the holiday season – just enough.
1. Set intentions
Try to sum up the Christmas experience you want to have in one or two words. For instance, ‘playful’ or ‘meaningful grace’. Use this easily remembered word or phrase as a litmus test when deciding which activities and traditions to pursue.
2. Create small, special moments each day … they add up!
Indulge in hot chocolate at breakfast, light candles and sit around the tree in the evening, read a special Christmas story, listen to music from The Nutcracker and dance around the living room. Often these little, everyday moments are what end up being the most memorable.
Try to sum up the Christmas experience you want to have in one or two words. For instance, ‘playful’ or ‘meaningful grace’. Use this easily remembered word or phrase as a litmus test when deciding which activities and traditions to pursue.
2. Create small, special moments each day … they add up!
Indulge in hot chocolate at breakfast, light candles and sit around the tree in the evening, read a special Christmas story, listen to music from The Nutcracker and dance around the living room. Often these little, everyday moments are what end up being the most memorable.
3. Think of ways to simplify a tradition
Instead of ditching a popular Christmas tradition altogether, think of a way to scale it back a bit, so it’s easier (read: more enjoyable) for you. For example, bake three of your family’s favourite kinds of cookies instead of 10, or turn your Christmas lunch into a potluck.
Start a new holiday tradition this year
Instead of ditching a popular Christmas tradition altogether, think of a way to scale it back a bit, so it’s easier (read: more enjoyable) for you. For example, bake three of your family’s favourite kinds of cookies instead of 10, or turn your Christmas lunch into a potluck.
Start a new holiday tradition this year
4. Set limits on gift giving
There are so many ways to do this, and many of them are actually fun!
There are so many ways to do this, and many of them are actually fun!
- Give local: Perfect if you want to avoid the shopping centre. Sticking with shopping at local small businesses can be a fun self-imposed limit and will benefit your community to boot.
- Give vintage: There is so much cool old stuff out there. Think vintage records and a turntable for a music-obsessed teen or a lovely china platter for your mother-in-law.
- Give handmade: Either made by you or bought from a crafter online or at a local shop.
- Give experiences: Or even better, shared experiences. Try tickets to the symphony, a museum or zoo membership or cooking classes.
- Give gifts that give back: Choose gifts for which part or all of the purchase price goes to a charitable organisation. It feels good knowing the gifts you are giving are actually helping people or the planet.
- Give a certain number of gifts per person: This can be helpful to rein things in, especially in households with kids. If you’ve given with wild abandon in the past, maybe cut back gradually, with fewer (but carefully chosen) gifts this year.
- Give gifts under a certain dollar amount: Decide on a realistic budget for all of your gift shopping, figure out how much to spend per person, and stick to it.
5. Fill stockings with consumable and needed items – that is, stuff you would buy anyway
Gifts in stockings, if you participate in this tradition, are meant to be fun surprises. But for many tired and shopped-out parents, filling stockings with tons of trinkets at the last minute can feel like a burden.
Starting last year, I adopted the tradition of filling stockings with only things that are needed – and it’s working beautifully so far. Think crayons, watercolour sets and silly underwear for kids; hand cream, pretty postage stamps and socks for grown-ups.
Gifts in stockings, if you participate in this tradition, are meant to be fun surprises. But for many tired and shopped-out parents, filling stockings with tons of trinkets at the last minute can feel like a burden.
Starting last year, I adopted the tradition of filling stockings with only things that are needed – and it’s working beautifully so far. Think crayons, watercolour sets and silly underwear for kids; hand cream, pretty postage stamps and socks for grown-ups.
6. Remove visual chaos
Regularly remove packaging, shopping bags and glossy catalogues instead of letting them pile up. These are visual reminders of your holiday to-do list, and they have no business junking up your house. Being mindful about TV watching and screen time can also go a long way toward keeping the home feeling like a haven.
Regularly remove packaging, shopping bags and glossy catalogues instead of letting them pile up. These are visual reminders of your holiday to-do list, and they have no business junking up your house. Being mindful about TV watching and screen time can also go a long way toward keeping the home feeling like a haven.
7. Try on a new tradition for size
Feel like shaking things up a little this year? On the theory that lots of little moments can be more meaningful than one big blowout event, for December try adopting a daily tradition that gets at the spirit of the season. Here are some ideas:
Feel like shaking things up a little this year? On the theory that lots of little moments can be more meaningful than one big blowout event, for December try adopting a daily tradition that gets at the spirit of the season. Here are some ideas:
- Daily giving: Popping a few dollars into a stranger’s parking meter, volunteering at the animal shelter, donating to the food bank – it all counts!
- Daily gratitude: Start each day by quietly thinking (or writing down) one thing you are thankful for in your life. If you have kids, by all means get them involved too.
- Daily moment of silence: Each evening after dinner, turn down the lights and sit quietly, either by candlelight at the dinner table or next to the Christmas tree, for one minute.
8. Breathe
Which is another way of saying stay in the moment. The stress of the holidays usually comes not so much from our experiences, but from that running commentary in our head listing the many things we feel we ought to be doing.
The next time you find yourself getting wound up about Christmas, breathe. Realise that what’s really important is to simply enjoy what’s going on around you right now, in all its imperfect glory.
Mindful living made easy
Which is another way of saying stay in the moment. The stress of the holidays usually comes not so much from our experiences, but from that running commentary in our head listing the many things we feel we ought to be doing.
The next time you find yourself getting wound up about Christmas, breathe. Realise that what’s really important is to simply enjoy what’s going on around you right now, in all its imperfect glory.
Mindful living made easy
9. Take some time out
Put on some music – not Christmas carols for a change – and do something you usually love but have let slip during the busyness of the holidays: go for a walk, read or just take a nap. It doesn’t have to be all festivities all the time!
TELL US
How do you keep things simple during the holidays? Share your tips in the Comments below.
MORE
Read stories about decorating
Put on some music – not Christmas carols for a change – and do something you usually love but have let slip during the busyness of the holidays: go for a walk, read or just take a nap. It doesn’t have to be all festivities all the time!
TELL US
How do you keep things simple during the holidays? Share your tips in the Comments below.
MORE
Read stories about decorating
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lovely article enjoyed reading.
lovely ideas, ask small children to start a tradition, making paper laterns, paper loop garlands, painting "conky" nuts or glitter them & put them in a wreath. collect feathers and tie on a branch, things we did as children a Long time ago !! :) Happy Christmas to all