With Christmas fast approaching, you may already be feeling the tension of the Holiday Season. Endless to-do lists, what to buy, where to buy it, who to buy for, what to eat and on and on. Take a deep breath….it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Here are some of my thoughts and ways that I seek to keep this Season simple. Maybe it may help you in some way also.:)
(Note: Our family doesn’t celebrate Christmas with a tree and Santa etc but we do give the children gifts as more of an end of year thing. This is why the post is more focused on the holiday season rather than the specific event of Christmas Day).
Drop the expectations
This is a hard one for me. When I decide to do something I put my whole heart into it. Yes I’m kind of a perfectionist! This means I put undue pressure on myself to make whatever I am doing GREAT! Maybe you can relate. Christmas time often brings expectations of not only ourselves but of others. Everyone tends to have their own ideal of what Christmas should be and this can often be a source of stress within the family. The truth is, you don’t need to meet others expectations. The Holiday Season can be what you want it to be. If you want a simple yet wonderful Holiday Season, then decide what you would like to do but relax and have fun with it. Nobody wants to be around stressful miserable people!
Minimal yet meaningful gift-giving
In our family we seek to keep gift-giving super simple. We are not going into debt to buy stuff. Nor are we going to buy lots of presents that may not even get used. We usually ask what family members would like rather than give gifts that aren’t wanted. I personally love to give and receive simple hand-made gifts or consumables. Always thinking about what the person enjoys or may be useful to them. E.g consumable gifts of chocolates or cookies. If the person enjoys a certain craft then you can gift them something for their collection that they can use. Grandparents love photos! A nice frame with a sweet photo of the grandkids. you get the picture!
Keep entertaining simple
Whether you are doing the big Christmas dinner or just entertaining throughout the holiday’s. Keep it simple. If you love to spend hours in the kitchen then great. If not, keep it light and stress-free. Ask guests to bring a dish to share or perhaps have a cook-off together! Otherwise you could outsource your food. The main thing is to enjoy each other’s company. When preparing the house for guests, ask family to pitch in and help. The less you own the easier it is to keep tidy.
Embrace being home
With borders closed, you probably won’t be travelling far this year. Instead of feeling disappointed about not going on a holiday, embrace the opportunity to stay home and do things you don’t usually have time to do. Enjoy spending time with family and friends if possible. We don’t usually go far during the holidays but we enjoy day trips, getting work done on the house as well as having down time together. One thing I like to do is challenge myself to find frugal things for us to do as a family and it does not need to cost much to have fun meeting up with loved ones.
Count your blessings
Last but not least. Count your blessings. It’s easy to get swept up with all the hustle & bustle at this time of year. Perhaps you are still recovering from a difficult year that was 2021. Slow down and reflect on the things that went well and all that you have to be thankful for. When we look to be thankful for the little things each day, we will find there is much to be thankful for.
In short I have found that the more Simple life is, the more content I feel.
Happy Holiday Season to you all.x