How to Host a Minimalist Christmas
Have yourself a merry minimalist Christmas
The holidays are known for stress and excess, but they don’t have to be. In fact, hosting a minimalist Christmas ensures that you re-center yourself around the true meaning of the season.
Read on for minimalist ideas for decorating, gifting, and hosting that oversized family dinner.
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Minimalist Gift Giving:
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Gifting mindfully and minimally is best for the planet; it’s best for your sanity, too.
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– Give gifts you know are meaningful to the recipient. No generic presents!
If you can’t pick out a gift that speaks to you, don’t give a gift. It’s that simple.
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– If you must gift, give no-clutter gifts.
Think: Food. Coffee. Wine. Chocolates.
Think also about packaging: Intentionally purchase consumables with little to no excess packaging.
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– Value your time.
If we care about someone enough to give them a gift, they probably care about spending time with us. Consider gifting your time by doing something enjoyable together instead of a “thing”.
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Mindful, minimalist Christmas traditions:
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Oftentimes we carry the holiday traditions we had as children into our homes as adults, regardless of whether these traditions are actually personally meaningful.
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– Reevaluate, especially as you transition into a home of your own.
When it comes to holiday traditions, know that nothing is essential. You can simply stop attending dinners, parties, religious services, events, family traditions + more.
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– Decorate less.
Put out only the decorations that have meaning. Less decorations mean the ones you DO put out shine more.
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The traditions are what kids will remember. They won’t remember the toy they got when they were 8, but they will remember the minimalist Christmas traditions that connect the family and bring meaning to the season.
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That stressful holiday dinner:
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– Bring mindfulness into the kitchen.
Beginner mindfulness tricks can be found here!
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– Serve less food.
Less food means less food is wasted.
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– Answer strategically when a guest asks, “What can I bring?”
Don’t ask guests to bring an easy dish! Ask them instead to bring a dinner staple that frees up both your oven + your time.
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– Tidy up before the party; deep clean after the guests leave.
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– Entertain sustainably.
More information on sustainable entertaining can be found here.
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A minimalist Christmas embodies the true meaning of the season:
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– Give back annually.
Donate to a charity or a local food or coat drive. Volunteer.
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– Get grateful.
From Thanksgiving to New Years Eve jot down one thing every day to be thankful for. If you have children, make this a family activity!
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Notable Quotes from the episode:
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“A minimalist Christmas is possible. We often equate the amount of love we have for someone with the size of the gift + I think that everyone – every single human being – needs to reexamine that assumption.”
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“There’s such a beautiful season that’s arriving + yet we can turn it into month or of two months of shopping + parties + too many family gatherings + too many school programs + it can be very overwhelming. That’s not the meaning of the season of all.”
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“I’ve let go of the expectations of giving gifts to every friend, every extended relative, every coworker.”
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“If your parents put up a thousand decorations that might be what you do as well. If you don’t pause + realize that you hate that you may just keep doing it for years.”
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“It’s okay to do less.”
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