5 Ways to Simplify Christmas and Enjoy this Holiday Season

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Have you ever spent much more than you thought at Christmas? I know it can be the most stressful time of year for some of us.

Today, I’d like to share with you how to simplify Christmas with a minimal perspective. Have a simple Christmas with these 5 minimalist approaches, you’ll stress less and enjoy the holidays more.

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How to Simplify Christmas and Enjoy the Holidays More

1. Simplify Christmas Gift Gifting

My husband and I don’t exchange gifts during this time of the holiday season. Honestly, he doesn’t need to buy me a gift to make me happy. We have the same financial goal and we budget our money. We would love to celebrate Christmas without breaking the bank. We want a nice dinner together at our favorite restaurant instead of exchanging gifts.

As a believer, Christmas is celebrating Jesus Christ and His birth. We both love to spend time together as a family and celebrate Christmas with a simple holiday joy without gifts or fancy stuff.

We let our extended family and friends know not to exchange gifts. Buying gifts for fewer people makes me less stressed about family and friends gathering. I don’t have to worry about buying something that they might not like.

Of course, there are some people who we still keep buying gifts for, just as our parents, kids, teachers, etc.

Knowing how many gifts you have to buy, save up in advance. Set a budget and stick to it. 

2. Give Experiences Instead of Material Gifts

We all know that we have to spend money this holiday season. For us, we have chosen to value experiences over material things.

We would rather spend money on traveling than buying stuff. The joy of travel keeps happiness in our memory and no one can steal it.

The last time we took our daughter to see The Phantom of Opera when we were in New York City, she enjoyed it so much. To this day, she still remembers and talks about the story. Yes, the tickets for this Broadway show are expensive, but they are worth every penny.

Don’t get me wrong, we still enjoy gift-giving. We have participated in our community’s “Adopt a Family” program in the past few years. Donating new toys, new clothes, and Christmas baskets is another way to help needy families.

Giving back to the community this Christmas season by donating to charities, or volunteering not only can help those in need but also make you feel happier yourself.

3. Start Christmas Shopping Early

I always shop online to avoid the lines and big crowds in stores. Many retailers now have online stores and provide coupon codes and big discounts for the holidays.

Plan ahead, do some research and compare the prices. I’ve always found the best deals during Black Friday than at Christmas.

A gift card is a great option when you don’t have time to shop or are not sure what is the best thing to buy. We all love gift cards, right? I like Starbucks gift cards for my daughter’s teachers with handwritten notes. My thought is even if they don’t really like it, they can pass it on to someone else. It’s easier than a physical gift.

Minimalist Money-Saving Tips:

5 Simple Ways to Have a Debt-Free Christmas

16 Ways to Save Money with a Minimalist Mindset

 

4. Make Time Together

It could be stressful if you have too many events and parties to go to and spend that much money to buy gifts. Get yourself involved in the parties you like the most and politely say no to the invites you don’t want to go to.

We’re just too busy in our daily life. Don’t stress yourself out to attend all the parties. It’s the time of the season to relax and spend time only with your loved ones.

For us, spending quality time with family and making memories are much more important than anything. There are a lot of fun things to do during the holidays. We like to bake Christmas cookies, DIY crafts, make a gingerbread house, watch Christmas movies, play board games, see Christmas lights in the neighborhood, go ice skating, and so on.

Our family also has a Christmas tradition. We have been going to Niagara Falls during the festive season for many years now. Stay a night there, have some good food, and see the falls and the Winter Festival of Lights. The family is a blessing and all these things will give lasting memories for all of us.

 

Related Minimalist Christmas Ideas:

18 Minimalist Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas

25 Easy DIY Scandinavian Christmas Decorations

Gift Ideas for Minimalists

100 Christmas Bucket List ideas

Free Printable Christmas Planner

5. Simplify Christmas Decorating

We love to decorate our house during this festive season though, we just keep things simple with minimal decorations. We’ve always used decor items from the past Christmases.

Instead of putting up a bunch of Christmas decorations, we have a pre-lit Christmas tree and only a few hand-made craft ornaments from my daughter.

We also like hanging over the windows with some very pretty dollar-store plastic snowflakes. We enjoy minimal decorations, listening to the holiday music and seeing the Christmas tree lights twinkling throughout the holidays.

Try simplifying Christmas decorating this year. Decorating with fewer pieces can save you time and money.

Final Thought

Let’s focus on what really matters during this festive season. From gift giving, menu planning, parties, and events to Christmas decorating, finding ways you start to simplify, you will experience more joy and less stress this holiday season.

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