5 Tips for Joy In A Minimalist Christmas
If you are just getting started on this minimalism journey, or maybe you’ve been at it a little while, Christmas can actually invoke very unpleasant thoughts. You have worked so hard to minimize your home and to train your children to focus on experiences and relationships rather than stuff. You have worked so hard to get their toys down to a minimum, to a manageable state that you are comfortable with, and here comes Christmas.
Why might we dread Christmas? Because of all the gifts and toys that our kids do not actually need. And according to how many gifts they receive, this might seem to completely derail all of the work that you have done.
Today I am going to offer you some suggestions and ideas that can keep all of your minimalism efforts on track and allow you to enjoy this Christmas season!
Let go of the expectation that you can control others. Your great aunt Sally who has never had any children of her own might buy your kids 20 items that they do not need. You cannot control this. The only thing that you can control is what you do with the items when they are received into your house.
Help your family and friends out by creating a wish list that works for your family values. My kids have amazing grandparents. They are very respectful of our choices but they of course love to buy things for their grandchildren and I do not want to rob them of that joy. However, they request that we give them a wish list. This is a great way to select things that your children want and need. At the end of this blog I will attach a list to some items that my kids have received throughout the years and really enjoyed or some items that are currently on our wish list. Learning toys - puzzles. Princess pjs. Fun t-shirts for my growing teen.
For example, my daughter loves her fuzzy robe and slippers, but she has outgrown them. This is something she needs and would be excited to open. Steer the ship.Consumables. Things that will be used up. Example - giant art kit. Science kit.
Things for later. Just because they get 20 presents from Aunt Sally doesn’t meant all 20 need to go in their room. I keep a basket of things for my daughter for later. The later might be for a plane ride, a long car trip, or a special prize. You don’t have to come home from the holidays and immediately open everything. Save some for later.
Experiences. Memories override physical items any day. Think back to your favorite memories - I know mine are not gifts I received, they are memories of experiences I had with people I love. We did this last year and we do not regret it at all. Each of our kids on received a very small ($15) gift on Christmas morning. But during December we took them on a really fun trip. They loved it and have talked about it so much more than any toy they have ever received. If this is something you want to do, I encourage you to talk to your family and friends about it. They can be a part of the trip by coming with you or by contributing. Now that we have a 14 year old, I know that my time with my kids is fleeting. I am so thankful for the memories we have made.
I hope these ideas help to take the fear out of Christmas gifts for you. You can be a minimalist and enjoy Christmas presents. It’s just like anything else in life - we just have to be intentional.