The Christmas season is in full swing with Thanksgiving behind us and, just like that, December is here. It truly is a magical time of year. A few years ago I was met with the dilemma of being very pregnant with two babes, little energy and the same four weeks in front of me. I decided to simplify our Christmas season while holding tight to the joy and magic. Friends, it was one of the best things I have done as a mom. I learned a lot that year about how I wanted Christmas to look and feel and have tweaked it each Christmas. Here are some ways I have found to A Simpler Christmas…
Simpler Fashion
Dressing myself and four children during the holidays is no joke. When we are going to a fun Christmas event or party, I want us to look somewhat presentable, even if it’s inevitable I won’t get a picture of all of them looking at the camera. This year I have two to three outfits picked out for each of us for this season. Think Christmas Capsule. Luke and Jude have a few shirts, a sweater and jeans and Lily a few dresses. Jack has two festive outfits to wear to fun Christmas-y things. I have a few tops paired with jeans or leggings and one dress for more formal gatherings. Kevin is on his own, because he always looks good and selecting male clothing is not my gift. A Christmas capsule eliminates sifting through closets on Saturday mornings in December.
Simpler Gifting
If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you know I am done Christmas shopping! I set a goal in My Christmas Plan to be done shopping by December 1. I am a week late, but I made it!
This year I simplified gifting by shopping online as much as possible as well as think about gifting similar gifts to groups of people. For example, I am giving one simple gift to all of Luke, Lily, and Jude’s church teachers and some groups of girlfriends. I want people to feel loved and appreciated this season, but I think it can be done in a way that doesn’t bring bunches of stress to the giver.
If you want more ideas, head to my post on 3 Ways to Simplify Christmas Gifting.
Simpler Decorating
We are a family who bundles up, trudges out to a tree farm, and chooses a Christmas tree to cut down. It’s one of my favorite traditions we have as a family of six. After cutting down the tree, we spend the rest of the day pulling out ornaments and lights and decorating the tree and the rest of the house. It is a fun day and usually ends with something slow cooking in the oven, crusty bread, and hot chocolate. We did this thing last weekend and it was a little bit magical.
The easiest and most straight forward way I have found to simplify decorating is this: Use less stuff.
As our kids have gotten older, they have wanted to help with making our home look like a winter wonderland. I try as hard as I can to give my Type-A personality the back seat and let the kids drive the decorating. We get done what we can on decorating day and let the rest wait until another time or never.
The year our house was under renovation and I was pregnant, I cut back on decorating a ton. And you know what, it was still magical and the kids still had a wonderful Christmas. I have found twinkle lights do wonders and the kids each have their own special decorations that make it more magical for them.
Candles, fresh flowers and greens, and dishes filled with candy are simple things I do around Christmas to make our home a bit more festive. And a bonus, I don’t have to store them away when the new year rolls around. Check out more about Simplifying Holiday Decorating in this post.
Simpler Advent Calendar
Lucky for me, I have a seven year old this year. He doesn’t let me even think about forgetting the Advent calendar. Mommas of super littles, someday you will have a little person to keep you on track (whether you want them to or not).
Our advent calendar this year looks similar to the past few years. I decided on three random acts of kindness and the rest of the days are filled with simple things like ‘have a pajama day’, ‘make cookies’, ‘sip hot cocoa’, ‘watch a Christmas movie’. The week of Thanksgiving I planned our countdown to Christmas activities by looking at things we already had on the calendar. There are many nights I will do some late night switching because I realize we just aren’t going to ‘make cookies’ the next day.
I use this super simple Advent calendar to help us remember everyday the ‘why’ behind Christmas.
Tip: If you aren’t into Advent calendars or it’s just going to stress you out, it’s more than okay to say no to this one.
Fewer Gifts
If you follow this blog, you know we try and limit the amount of stuff coming into our home if we can help it. Toys, too. Two of our kids have birthdays in November, so they are already overloaded with stuff come Christmas. Sometime before Luke was born I found a Christmas gift idea on Pinterest that included four gifts: something to wear, something to read, something you want, something you need. We did this for a few years and while it seems simple enough, there were times Luke didn’t need anything to wear or there wasn’t anything he needed and it made it tough because I felt like I was buying things unnecessarily.
My mother-in-law told me about giving three gifts to each child to represent how Jesus received three gifts. That is what we have done the past several years. Each kid will receive three gifts, no guidelines involved, just three gifts. They will also get their stockings filled with small consumables like new toothbrushes and a magazine to read on Christmas day (a new tradition this year). This simple way of doing Christmas has worked well for us. A bonus: Luke and Lily have picked up on this tradition. They know they get three gifts and can tell us the exact gifts they want under the Christmas tree.
Margin on the Calendar
After a full fall, I have been wanting to create some margin on our calendar for this fun season.
In November, Kevin and I sat down and discussed what made Christmas feel like Christmas. For me it is cutting down the tree, going to Lauritzen Gardens and the Durham Museum to see Santa. It is having lots of time at home to watch Christmas movies, sing Christmas songs, make cookies and drink hot cocoa. Kevin simply said being home on Christmas together and giving things to people who need them. We also included the kids in it this year. Luke said he wants to build a snowman (come on snow!) and Lily says she wants to build a gingerbread house. Jude just said choo-choos and, lucky for us, we have lots of Christmas train options in Omaha.
Kevin and I sat down and mapped our Christmas season on the calendar and put in all the big things and little things. This helps us visualize the month and also allows us to see if it’s all doable.
Since November, lots of fun, exciting things have come up to do or go to. We have said ‘yes’ to some of them, but ‘no’ to lots of them. It is oh so hard for me to say no to good, fun things, but I know if I want this season to be beautiful for my family, I must do it.
A last caveat to this…when I see a family on Facebook or Instagram doing something totally Christmas-y I…#1 do my best to not feel guilty about not doing said activity and #2 promise myself I will not add that incredible tradition to our plate this year. Every family is different and none of us can do it all.
Simpler Mealtimes
We still have to eat! Even in this full season, my people still need to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Madness. Meal planning will save me this month. Even though it’s tempting to put planning dinner on the back burner, I know I will pay for it if I don’t. Soups and crock pot meals are my go to during this full Christmas season. And no leftovers go to waste. Some of my favorite meals I will be making this month: chili, change your life chicken, white chicken chili, and tacos (always tacos).
Giving Myself Grace
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and I want to take in as much as possible and enjoy the magic and wonder that fills December. I love to read a Christmas book and watch Christmas movies on the couch cuddled under a blanket with a cup of peppermint hot cocoa. I am giving myself permission and grace to do this the next few weeks during nap time or at night after the kids go to bed. Besides, this season only comes around once a year.
As one of the best seasons comes to life around us, I want to slow down, take it in, and make as many memories as possible. They may not be picture perfect and there might be tears intertwined with those memories because #life, but I’m thankful for this Christmas season nonetheless. Keeping it simple can help keep in focus the real reason for the season: the baby born to save the world.
Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your Christmas is merry, bright, and simple!