As the world goes crazy more and more families are looking at a different holiday this year. If your family is looking to pair down to a minimalist Christmas to help make it easier to make the most of the holiday you may be surprised just how easy it can be. By ensuring a minimalist Christmas with your family you are able to ensure that your kids still get to have a great time while reducing stress so you can focus on happy memories for them rather than your kids seeing you all stressed out.
Limit Gifts
The biggest drain on the Christmas budget also tends to make your home overflow with stuff you eventually have to clear away the gifts. There are many great benefits of limiting the gifts you give your kids for the holidays like being able to put your budget into just a couple of things your child really wants instead of getting them a bunch of junk just to show them that they got more gifts.
Try a minimalist Christmas gift selection for your kids. Something they want, something they need, an article of clothing, and a book (aff link). A simple set of gifts that allow you to put your time and money into quality over quantity.
Add a Personal Touch
You can make the most of your minimal gifts by adding a personal touch that tells your child that you know them and their likes and dislikes, that you listen to them when they talk about their day, hobbies, or other interests. by taking the time to choose a gift with a personal touch you are telling your child that they are important to you.
Create a New Tradition
If you are going from a big and elaborate holiday to a minimal one you may see some pushback on the change. To fight this try to work in a fun new tradition that helps to build happy memories for your family that doesn’t revolve around stuff like planning a Christmas movie night, baking cookies to give to friends and family, or going for a walk to look at Christmas lights.
You can use a new tradition to help bring some joy back to the holidays and make it special for your family so everyone can enjoy it and see the real meaning behind the season rather than waking up to a room full of wrapped boxes.
Make the Most of Your Holiday Meal
Whether you are putting together a last-minute holiday dinner with a less than a traditional menu or have plenty of time to gather the ingredients you need to put together a traditional feast, remember that the holiday meal is about sharing time with loved ones and making the most of every moment. Set aside differences and make sure to give the kids plenty of attention rather than leaving them to their own devices while the adults spend time chatting. This will help make wonderful memories of the holiday and seeing people they may not get to see every day giving them love and attention.
Families are pressured during the holidays to go big even if that means taking on debt in order to pay for Christmas. But there is no reason that you should go broke trying to keep up with the Jone’s. Give these tips a try and do your best to have a minimal Christmas even with kids.
I love this idea! I hate how materialistic Christmas has become.
We have a budget for gifts. I also make gingerbread cookies to share with everyone.
I’ll be honest, we don’t do the minimalist thing. We probably should, but we always tend to go a bit overboard during the holidays. I do strive to not go TOO crazy though.
This is great advice for those parents who want this, or are dealing with small spaces or funds.
I love this. I try to be careful with getting to many gifts because most of the time they end up not even being used. I always liked the idea of going somewhere instead.
I like buying my kids experiences. One year we did a water park hotel.
We have been trying to cut down on anything that is wasteful. It is nice to pare down the holidays and be more meaningful in our ways.
I think limiting gifts is a really great idea. I’m gonna share this with my friends.
I think a new tradition can help a lot and make Christmas even more special. We do make our whole menu at home and all together. This is even more fun!
Every year I want to cut back on the amount of gifts we buy our kids. It’s my fault for over doing it so now they expect it. But they’re getting older now so I think they’ll be more understanding.
I think having a minimalist Christmas is a really good idea. A great way to save money and reduce stress.
Love this so much! Really takes the stress down when you create limits and expectations ahead of time.
I think Christmas has got out of control for a lot of people, and this post will help me reign it back in that’s for sure
I love these Ideas, with everything that is going up and the holidays are around the corner. It reigns in people back to their roots. And create new traditions as well.
This looks like great suggestions for having a minimalist Christmas with your kids, however, I just loooove going all out too much to make that change!
We haven’t had a consciously minimalist Christmas but we have had smaller Christameses for various reasons. We do try, however, every Christmas to keep the holiday in check and focused on the spirit of the holiday. Thank you for sharing this perspective.
You’ve shared some great ideas! I do celebrate minimalist Diwali & Durgapuja (Indian fests) with my family. I agree with you on creating new traditions!
We don’t give our son everything that he wants. We always stay in a budget. But we make the most of our holiday meal.
we do one big family gift that is usually an experience and then smaller gifts. to me it’s a win win for everyone.