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Christmas was such an exciting time for me when I was a kid. It was a special time of extra homemade goodies, extra family and friends, and lots of extra presents. My mom went all out for Christmas every year with extravagant gifts, lots of homemade goodies, and plenty of time with family. There was nothing simple about it for her. Except maybe the decorations and she would agree with me on that one.
When we started having a family and the older kids were finally old enough to enjoy Christmas, I wanted to recreate the same Christmas for them that I had.
Until I actually recreated it.
The kids may have had a magical Christmas that year, but the stress of it turned it into a nightmare for me. The magic and joy of Christmas had been zapped out of my heart.
I decided right then and there that from now on Christmas will be simplified.
What’s a Simple Christmas to Me?
A simple Christmas in our home isn’t less of the spirit of Christmas, it’s less of the stress of Christmas, and that inevitably invites the spirit of Christmas in our hearts.
I’ve come to realize that when my heart is too full of stress and a to do list there’s no room for the love of Christ to shine through. And CHRISTmas is supposed to be all about Christ right?
A simple Christmas is prioritizing what’s most important to me and if I don’t have room for all the other stuff, so be it. Here are ways that I do it.
5 Ways to Have a Simple, Stress Free Christmas
1. Don’t Over Commit
You know the old saying from Red Ribbon Week in school, “Just Say No.” You can practice that now. Get in the habit of saying no. It will change your life, I promise.
As a family, we figure out what traditions, family get-togethers, and ministry opportunities are most important to us and stick with it. I refuse to be over burdened with more stuff to do.
We committed years ago when we first got married that we would stay home on Christmas day and spend the day quietly. We still stick to it most years. There have been a few years we’ve went to my family for some reason or another.
I know, to some of you this may seem selfish. But, I have to ask myself, “What’s the TRUE meaning of Christmas?” Not what our culture tells us is the true meaning. The true meaning of Christmas is the coming of Christ. The Messiah. The filling of of our hearts with Christ.
If we’re filling our hearts with commitments and to do lists there’s no room for what really matters. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way.
2. Don’t Over Buy
We give our kids a few gifts a piece and stockings filled with goodies and such. I go out of my way to NOT make Christmas about the gifts we get.
Set a budget and stick with it. Don’t let Target ads draw you in to buy more of something you never intended to buy in the first place.
Here’s what happens when we over buy at Christmas.
- We rack up debt that stresses us out because we spend the rest of the year trying to pay it off or we skimp on paying necessary bills just to buy presents that will be forgotten in a few weeks.
- The added clutter overwhelms us and adds another stress to our life.
Related: 10 Things I Don’t Buy to Save Money at Christmas
I remember my mom having a great big list to finish buying by Christmas and her stressing about getting it all done. She made numerous shopping trips to the city just to finish this list and make Christmas special to us.
I know that she done this because she never got much at Christmas as a kid and it was out of the goodness of her heart. But, I hated to see her stress out about something that, even as a kid, I wanted less of. Yes, even as a kid I wanted a simple Christmas. I know, weird, huh.
3. Plan Ahead
If having everything written down helps to declutter your mind and help you relax, find a Christmas planner. Yellow Bliss Road has the best free Christmas Planner for you. She’s done a really great job of putting it together.
Get everything that you can do finished a few weeks before Christmas. This includes grocery shopping and gift shopping. Plan your meals ahead of time and cook and freeze what you can early.
Also, invest in and utilize a crock pot. It’s a lifesaver. If you don’t have a good one I have this one and it works just as good as the expensive ones.
4. Be Okay With Not Doing Every Tradition
I know that Christmas traditions are the center of Christmas memories, but sometimes a tradition can cause more harm than good memories. If a tradition is causing you extra worry and it’s not going to add those blessed memories to your children’s mind, abandon it.
I remember, as a kid, my mom and I making homemade Christmas treat boxes for friends and family one year. I thought it would be great idea to do it for our friends a few years ago and it was wayyyyyy more work than I remember it being. I decided that this was taking too much time away from the things that mattered and it made me not very nice to my family at the time.
Maybe I just don’t like cooking enough to do that.
If a tradition doesn’t bring you joy to do it, don’t do it just for the sake of tradition.
5. Make Simple Traditions
My favorite Christmas memories from childhood are watching the Christmas classics and waking up before anyone else on Christmas morning to see the lights sparkling on the tree in the darkness. It was pure magic to me.
More than likely these simple traditions will stick in your child’s mind, too. Set aside some time to make some simple traditions and they could possibly replace some extensive traditions over time.
One tradition we do every Christmas is What God Wants for Christmas. It’s just a little nativity advent game and the kids know what’s coming before we open every box, but they love this time together.
Time to Stress Less
Take some time before the Christmas season kicks in to evaluate what’s most important to you this year. What brings your family the most joy but also brings you less stress?
What are some ways you simplify Christmas?
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