December is a day away and Christmas is close. It truly is a magical time of year. As I continue to learn and grow as a mom, my heart consistently longs for A Simpler Christmas. Our family snuggled in Christmas jammies watching The Polar Express. Delivering handmade gifts to neighbors. Reading the Christmas story with hot cocoa and cookies. Embracing both the rush of holiday gatherings and the slowness of nights at home. A Simpler Christmas allows for all of it.
What seems like just yesterday (and which was actually five 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 and is still one of my most favorite Christmases. I learned a lot that year about how I wanted Christmas to look and feel and have tweaked it each Christmas.
A Simpler Christmas will look different for all of us depending on our preferences and desires for the season. For example: I enjoy having my Christmas shopping done before December. You might love the hustle and bustle of shopping during the weeks leading up to Christmas. I keep decorations simple and limit the pretty things I get out each year. Decorating might be one of your favorite things and so you go all out. Neither is right or wrong. My hope is this list of ways our family has simplified Christmas will inspire you to find your own ways to A Simpler Christmas.
Here are some ways our family does A Simpler Christmas…
A Simpler Christmas
Simpler Gifting
If you’ve been following along with the Christmas Gift Challenge, you know I am done Christmas shopping. I had a goal of being done by Thanksgiving and I (thought) I made it this year. However, over Thanksgiving my husband and I changed lanes with a few of our kids’ gifts and made a last minute detour. All the gifts are now purchased and accounted for. I’m learning: It’s okay to break my own rules. I am excited to have gifts done and have more space to enjoy this month with my people.
Batch shopping, less gifts, shopping early, and purchasing gifts locally and online is one way I simplified Christmas gifts this year.
Simpler Wardrobes
I love for our family to look festive when we are out and about enjoying holiday events. However, dressing four kids and myself is no joke. To simplify our wardrobes, I first subtract some non-holiday clothing from closets and then add in a few pieces for the month.
The boys each have 2 festive shirts for December and Lily has some hand-me-down Christmas dresses to wear for the next several weeks. I have a dress and a festive top to wear to fun Christmas things this month. We will wear these items over and over to alllll the things. The kids also have matching Christmas jammies they will wear on repeat because matching jammies make me so happy.
Dressing our families for Christmas doesn’t have to be complicated. If we have 1-3 outfits per person, we know there is always something we can pull out to wear to see Santa or to deliver Christmas gifts.
Simpler Decorating
I want a festive, cozy house at Christmas time. But I want it with less stuff. Myquillyn Smith gave me permission to create a cozy minimalist home at Christmas.
Before I do any decorating, I subtract things around our home, exactly the way I do in our closets. I tuck away some of the decorative things I have out year round to make room for all the Christmas things.
If everything is special, nothing is special. Over the years I have slowly let go of the filler stuff and simply kept the meaningful decorations that bring us joy. The nativity from my husband’s grandma, a candy dish from my grandma, the Christmas plates and mugs, meaningful ornaments from Christmases past.
I also utilize consumable things for decorations: fresh flowers, Christmas candles, cut greenery. These things get used up during December and I don’t have to store them 11 months out of the year.
Using fewer, more meaningful decorations at Christmas time allows our homes to feel special and cozy without the stress of getting bin after bin of decorations out of the garage.
Simpler Advent Calendar
When I was a young mom with littles, many days I would forget about the Advent Calendar. This year there will be no forgetting because I have a nine and seven year old to remember for me. If you’re a mom of littles, give yourself grace with the advent calendar or simply save it for another year.
Our advent calendar is simple with activities for each day of the month. We will do three random acts of kindness for our gifts to Jesus and the rest of the days are filled with simple things like: eat popcorn and watch a Christmas movie, make s’mores, or read Christmas books by the tree. The week of Thanksgiving I planned our countdown to Christmas activities by looking at things we already had on the calendar and then planning the activities around those commitments.
I use this super simple Advent calendar to help us remember the reason for the season.
Counting down to Christmas can be both special and simple. Our kids don’t need to do all the activities and crafts and see every Santa in town, unless, of course, that matters to you. Make the Advent Calendar work for you and your family.
Home Days
This year I decided to designate Home Days on our calendar. I have one day each week we will spend at home as a family. Now of course there are other days we could be at home as well, but these days are nonnegotiable. I decided on our Home Days based on clusters of activities. For example, we have three days in a row where we will be doing fun, holiday things. On the day after those activities, I designated a Home Day. I know my crew will need a day to rest and recharge before moving on to other fun things.
I think Home Days are valuable for everyone. Deciding how many home days and how often to put them on the calendar will vary family to family. But, I don’t think any of us will regret making time and space to spend with one another at home during this season.
Simple Mealtimes
I know it’s shocking, but our families still have to eat in December. 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, crock pot meals, and snack trays 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. Hack #3: One night a week clean out the fridge and the snack cabinet and make up a big snack tray for dinner.
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 and My Family 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. The God of the Universe coming to earth is reason 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 quiet time or at night after the kids go to bed.
Over the course of the next month there are bound to be let downs and meltdowns: both from me and my kids. I know there will be times I feel rushed, anxious or disappointed. There will be times my kids feel the same. I want to give my kids and myself space to acknowledge and feel these things and then help each other move forward to enjoy the season.
Grace upon grace upon grace for us all.
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, but I’m thankful for this Christmas season with my people nonetheless. Keeping it simple can keep the focus on the real reason for the season: the baby born to save the world.
Merry Christmas to you and your family! My prayer is your Christmas is magical, full of grace, and simple!
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