A Simpler Christmas

December is here and the Christmas season is in full swing.  It truly is a magical time of year. I have been a mom for eight years and have slowly learned my heart longs for A Simpler Christmas. This year, more than ever, the savoring and slowing down of the season is just what my soul needs.

What seems like just yesterday (and which was actually four 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 Gifting

If you’ve been following along with the Christmas Gift Challenge, you know I am done Christmas shopping! I set a goal in My Christmas Plan to be done shopping by December 1. I am so incredibly happy to be finished and enjoying this season with my people.

This year I simplified gifting by shopping online as much as possible. I also am gifting similar gifts to groups of people.  For example, I am giving one simple gift to neighbors and one simple gift to the kids’ friends. I want friends and family to feel loved and appreciated this season, but I think it can be done in a way that doesn’t bring loads of stress to the giver.

Simpler Fashion

Dressing myself and four children during the holidays is no joke.  Although there aren’t many places to go or things to do this year, I still want our crew to be festive to make the season a bit more fun.

Christmas pajamas will be our go-to the next month. I have one festive out-of-the-house outfit for each of us this season. The boys have a festive shirt and joggers and Lily some Christmas dresses (Lily has more than one festive outfit because she is Lily). For myself, I have a sweater with leggings paired with a pair of Charli Dean Designs Christmas earrings, along with a pair of pajamas. In the past I have needed a dress, but that won’t be the case this year. Kevin is on his own, because he always looks good and selecting male clothing is not my gift.  A festive outfit ready to go will eliminate sifting through closets the next month.

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.  In the midst of Covid, it is one of the things that isn’t cancelled! After cutting down the tree, we spend the rest of the day pulling out ornaments and lights. We decorate 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 last weekend and my heart is still full.

The easiest and most straight forward way I have found to simplify Christmas decorating is this: Use less stuff.

The year I was very pregnant, I cut back on decorating a ton.  And you know what, it was still magical and we all still had a wonderful Christmas.  I have found twinkle lights do wonders and the kids each have their own special decorations that make the season magical for them.

Candles, fresh flowers, and cut greens are simple things I do to make our home festive.  And a bonus, I don’t have to store them away when the new year rolls around.

Simpler Advent Calendar

Lucky for me, I have an eight 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.

Fewer Gifts

If you’ve been around here long, you know our family tries to limit the amount of stuff coming into our home.  Toys, too.  Two of our kids have birthdays in November, so they are already overloaded with stuff come Christmas.  In our early days of being parents we did four gifts at Christmas: something to wear, something to read, something you want, something you need.  While four gifts seems simple enough, there were times our babes didn’t need anything and I was buying things unnecessarily to fit each gift into a category.

My mother-in-law told me about giving three gifts to each child to represent how Jesus received three gifts. I grabbed hold of that and we have been doing it ever since. Each kid receives three gifts, no guidelines involved. They will also get their stockings filled with small consumables like new toothbrushes, Reese’s treats, and a craft.  This simple way of doing Christmas has worked well for us.  

Margin on the Calendar

In November, Kevin and I sat down and discussed what made Christmas feel like Christmas.  For me it is cutting down the tree and visiting Santa at the Durham Museum.  It is having lots of time at home to be together, watch Christmas movies, sing Christmas songs, and make cookies. Kevin simply said being home on Christmas together and giving things to people who need them. We also included the kids this year. Luke said he wants to play Outer Rim (totally not Christmas related), Lily said she wants to eat dinner by the Christmas tree, and Jude said he wants to roast Lucky Charms marshmallows by the fire. All doable, praise Jesus.

Kevin and I sat down and mapped our Christmas season on the calendar and put in all the big things and little things to help us visualize the month.  In years past, there were things we would skip in lieu of having time together at home. This year, we simply don’t have to think about the calendar as much as the majority of our Christmas season will be spent at home.

Something I always need to remember during this season when it comes to all the fun Christmas things…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 it to our plate this year.  Every family is different. There is no right way to do Christmas.

Simpler Mealtimes

We still have to eat!  Even in this full season, my people still need to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 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 Christmas season.  And no leftovers go to waste. A few hacks that will help me this month: Hack #1: Double the meat for taco night and use the leftover meat in chili the next day. Hack #2: Use leftover rotisserie chicken for chicken noodle soup or chicken pot pie later in the week. 

Some of my favorite meals I will be making this month: chili, change your life chicken, chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie, butternut squash soup, 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.  This year has been wild, but Christmas is NOT CANCELLED. There is still so much to savor, enjoy, and celebrate.

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.  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 and disappointments intertwined with those memories because #life and #2020, but I’m thankful for this Christmas season nonetheless. Keeping it simple can keep the focus on 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!