Big thanks to my sister-in-law for sharing her holiday plans!
The holidays have been relaxed and low-expense for me over the past few years. It’s all about connection now—visiting with family and friends and hearing from those farther away. So in writing about what December looks like for me, I invited my sister-in-law (affectionately referred to as Mother of My Nieces) to share what changes the holidays bring for her family-of-four. MOMN and I are on the same page when it comes to less-is-more—she was instrumental with the downsizing and simplifying I started in 2014. Sure, a low-stress Christmas is easy for a solo Buddhist introvert, but how does that happen in a home where Santa still visits?
My holiday list:
- Support nearby theater company by attending Christmas Concert fundraiser.
- Attend Christmas Carol Sing at the local church.
- Send a holiday note by email to family and friends.
- Send no more than a dozen cards by Canada Post.
- Put up a few decorations in the tiny house.
- Make food and join a family pot-luck.
- Celebrate solstice with neighboUrs.
- Visit immediate family and friends as the weather cooperates.
- Gifting is limited to: my father, step-mother, and two nieces. For my seven-year old niece, it’s an inexpensive toy (the only stuff I give now) with big surprise appeal plus $ for her RESP.
MOMN’s holiday list:
- Get a Christmas tree from around the corner (supporting a local tree farmer) and decorate it as a family while enjoying hot chocolate, a treat, and Christmas music.
- Gather with neighboUrs, family, and friends when invited. Sometimes we hold a hot chocolate gathering at our house (keeping it simple and about the gathering, not the stuff of gatherings).
- Attend the elementary school Christmas Concert.
- Go out to a restaurant brunch with my parents on Christmas Day. This is a 25-year tradition that I not only love, but my children and partner love too and what I will miss (and remember) when that chapter ends.
- Give to the food bank.
- Pick up a bag of locally-roasted coffee for the elementary school teacher as a thank you for the care we know teachers give on a daily basis.
- Go skating at the outdoor rink in the park.
- Purchase gingerbread house kits for my older daughter, her boyfriend, and our younger daughter to make together (and a fourth for the grown-ups in the house!).
- Use reusable cloth or gift bags instead of gift-wrap.
- Don’t over-think gifts—give what we know will be enjoyed or used (they often look like what we have given in years past).
- Beginning around Black Friday, I enjoy purchasing items (mostly online) for a small selection of people in my life. For a large part of the year I live on the frugal side and wait to save money on discounted items when I have two feet firmly planted in the “black.”
Per MOMN, “A calm, quiet December where we do as little or as much as we choose, while enjoying slow time together to send off the last week of the calendar year is the only kind of holiday I ever plan to have.”
References and related links:
- MOMN: Mother of My Nieces, my sister-in-law.
- RESP: Registered Education Savings Plan.
- simpler gifting (post #13)
- black friday (post #67)
- Want to Enjoy More of Your Holiday Season? Remove These 10 Things by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist
Neil says
All so logical and controlled. Where’s the joy andvwarmth and spontaneity of the Christmas Season ?
back is the new forward says
For me, the stress-free holiday allows for the joy and warmth of the season which I didn’t always feel when I was over-doing and over-budget – and not over-booking means there’s room for spontaneity : – )