Simplify Your Holiday for a Stress-Free Simple Christmas

Are you wanting to simplify your holidays and have a stress free simple Christmas? In this post you will learn how to achieve this goal. I know it seems audacious in our current society but believe me it’s possible and totally worth it!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, at least that’s how the song goes. But is it really? If you are really honest with yourself is your Christmas season full of joy, peace and generosity. Would you describe it as simple? I think if we are being honest with ourselves, many of us would have to answer in the negative. For many the Christmas season is full of stress, debt and the pressure of more. But does it have to be? In this article we will learn all about how to simplify Christmas.

I have been accused of being a scrooge around the Christmas season.  For a while I honestly thought I just didn’t like the holiday. After further personal reflection I’ve come to realize that it wasn’t the holiday in and of itself but it was the consumerism, the hectic schedules and the overall pressure that “more is better” that had me worn down over the years.

When I first began living a minimalist lifestyle my initial idea was to just scrap it all. My solution to simplify Christmas was no gifts, no tree, and no cheesy songs. (the cheesy songs still need to go). I truly enjoyed this type of simple Christmas for several years. My Christmas experience probably would have continued down this path long term until I met my husband.

I ended up marrying a wonderful man, that happened to love all things Christmas. Not only does he love Christmas but we’ve also had children. I love watching their eyes light up with joy at the magic that the holidays bring. This change in my family dynamic required me to rethink what it means to have a simple Christmas.

Everyone’s simple Christmas will look different. I have worked really hard and put thought into ways to make Christmas more meaningful for me and my family. My goal has been to keep it SIMPLE and stress free. I want to share some of my top tips so that you too can make your Christmas more simple. With these tips I hope to restore the joy, peace and generosity of the season.

The first question that might come to your mind when you think of a simple Christmas is. “How do I decorate?” When it comes to Christmas decorations we first have to simplify our Christmas decor.

How do you decorate for a simple Christmas?

1. Remember that less is more
2. Limit your decoration storage containers
3. Purchase a smaller Christmas Tree
4. Decorate simply with live greenery, such as branches, pine cones, oranges and cranberries

When it comes to decorating for the holidays remember that less is more. Try to choose a few key items that you truly enjoy setting up each year. Don’t be afraid to let go of the rest. My family and I have accomplished this by committing to store all of our Christmas decor in TWO containers. If our holiday decorations begin to overflow outside of these two containers then we know we need to minimize.

One of our storage containers is an ornament holder. All of the ornaments that go on our tree (we purchase a small live one) go in there. Ornaments are probably my favorite Christmas item because they hold so many memories. However, when we hang them each year there is inevitably a few that we decide to get rid of.

Our second Christmas container holds all of our other items. These items include stockings for the mantle, two nutcrackers that were a part of my husbands collection as a boy, (we got rid of the rest) and an advent calendar for the kids. We also put items for the tree in this container such as lights, stand and tree skirt. We also have a simple nativity set that we keep in its original box.

Another great idea for minimal Christmas decor is to use live greenery. I personally do this and it adds so much natural decor to our home. It makes Christmas feel more whimsical and magical in my opinion. We get greenery from our local Christmas tree lot for free. We also decorate with rosemary clippings from the bushes in our front yard, dried oranges and cranberries. The options are really endless when you decorate with nature and the best part is you don’t have to store it once Christmas is over.

Each year we enjoy decorating with the items from our two containers and natural items. Our total decorating time is only about an hour. Afterwards we are able to relax and enjoy our simple Christmas decorations. This year as you are putting up your simple Christmas decor, consider which items you would like to part with. Remember less really is more when it comes to decorating for the holidays.

How do you simplify your calendar during the holiday season?

Another area of stress that many encounter during the holiday season has to do with their calendar. The abundance of events, activities and social gatherings that we receive invitations to are endless. Creating boundaries around your calendar is essential. If you don’t, the month will be over and you will be left feeling stressed and exhausted.

1. Create boundaries in regards to your time before the month begins
2. Politely refuse invitations to social gatherings, performances, & gift exchanges
3. Decide what time during the holidays is specifically for you and your family and communicate these decisions to extended family
4. Give up all of the “extra” activities of the season and choose one activity for you and your family

Boundaries are so important to life in general but especially during the holiday season. Guard you and your family’s time, it is precious. Don’t be afraid to politely refuse an invitation to a social gathering. Make sure this refusal is not because you have another event to attend but for the simple fact that you are keeping your Christmas, calendar and life…simple.

When my husband and I had kids we chose time for our immediate family to celebrate. We decided that Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning were just for our immediate family. We kindly told extended family that we would wanted to see them but that it couldn’t be during these times. Our family members have respected our boundaries and we still make it a priority to spend time with them.

My suggested activities to “give up” during this time of year are all of the extra stuff. The tree lighting, the festivals, the Christmas show vendor fairs, and the church productions. While all of these events might be fun. Trying to attend all of these events just because they are a tradition is a sure way to bring stress to your season.

This year try to pick just one extra event outside of family gatherings that you plan to attend. Your life will be much less stressed. You and your family will cherish the memories made at the single outing more.

How do you approach gift giving for a simple Christmas?

1. As the giver: communicate with family and friends your desire for a simple Christmas and that your gift giving will be different this year
2. As the receiver: communicate to your family the types of gifts you would like to receive such as practical gifts, experiences or consumables
3. Building out a Christmas list is very helpful in keeping your holidays simple

Oh gifts. You knew it was coming. If I had to chose an area of Christmas that is the most difficult to minimize it would be gifts, both giving and receiving. Like I said earlier in the post when I first discovered minimalism I just went cold turkey. I explained to family and friends that I had discovered minimalism and I wasn’t giving gifts and didn’t expect to receive them either. (this was all pre-marriage and kids) This cold turkey approach might work for a select few of you but let me give you a more gracious approach to try.

Let me start by saying that I believe generosity is a wonderful thing and that giving gifts to others is special and full of joy. I just believe that the simplicity of giving has been forgotten and in its place is a holiday full of consumerism and the idea of more, more more.

As a minimalist I never want to push my convictions on others and especially during the holiday season I don’t want to rob someone of the joy of gift giving if that is something that they truly enjoy. So here are my tips concerning gifts both as the giver and the receiver.

As the Giver

As the giver make it a priority to have honest conversations with the other adults in your family. It could be that they are on the same page as you concerning exchanging gifts but have been afraid to bring it up. If there are select family members that you really do want to get a gift for this season, consider an alternative gift option. There are so many gifts that can be given outside of physical things. Gifts such as experiences, time spent with or serving others, food gifts or other consumable items. Try to think outside of the box when it comes to gift giving this year.

As the Receiver

When it comes to receiving gifts you can’t really tell everyone not to buy you anything. Well, you could but they probably won’t listen. (I may or may not have tried this before) Over the years my husband and I have really tried to communicate with our extended family to limit the gifts we receive each year in order to minimize the items that are entering our home during this season.

Our parents still enjoy getting us things but on one side of the family we get VERY practical gifts like socks and on the other side of the family we get a bag full of consumable items like coffee, chocolate and trail mix. These are great gifts that we appreciate and look forward to because they are things we need and items our family will eat and enjoy.

Adding children into the gift receiving equation has proved to be the most challenging when it comes to having a minimalist Christmas. Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles and everyone in between love buying gifts for children and I can agree…giving presents to children is a ton of fun. I know I’m repeating myself but I want to emphasize here, especially when it has to do with gifts for your kids, communication is KEY.

In our family we follow the simple Christmas, three gift rule and we have asked the grandparents on each side of the family to follow it as well.

What is the simple Christmas 3 gift rule?

1. Something they need (like a clothing item)
2. Something to read (a book or magazine)
3. Something they want (usually a toy for fun)

A great idea for improving the gift giving experience is building out a Christmas list for your kids that you can share with all of the family members who are wanting to purchase a gift. I usually start my kids list early in the year and just keep adding to it throughout the year as I think of things such as indoor and outdoor toys, educational items or practical items that they need. Fill your kid’s list with equal amounts of indoor toys as well as outdoor toys so that not all of the items must be stored inside. Having a list really helps to ensure that your home isn’t overrun by an abundance of toys that each include a hundred pieces each (cause lets be honest no mom loves that kind of gift) and that your children receive toys that they will enjoy tons of playtime with.

When it comes to minimizing gifts during the holiday season don’t be discouraged. Your holiday might not transform into the perfect minimalist Christmas at once but every year work on communicating a little more with family and friends and as each year passes hopefully your holiday will become more and more simple.

By working to simplify and minimize these three areas of your holiday:

• Decorations
• Social Gatherings
• Gifts (giving and receiving)

You can bring more joy and peace back to your holiday season. Who knows, when it is all over you too might be able to say, “it’s been the most wonderful time of the year.” I would love to hear ways that you and your family have created a more simple Christmas season. Leave your comments below.