Simplify the Holidays

Tired of tinsel? This can be a wonderful time of year. It can also be exhausting, overwhelming and depressing. Some of us come out of the holidays and into January full of regret. The credit card bills arrive, we step on the scale and we wonder: was that worth it? Was all the shopping for gifts and stress and being out many nights in a row and one more piece of shortbread, did it bring meaning to the holidays? Usually the answer is no.

I have a collection of posts here about slowing down in this season and making this time both more relaxing and more meaningful. Enjoy!

90 Clutter Free Gift Ideas: this list is exhaustive. You will have no reason to buy bath bombs. Again. For everyone. Don’t get to the 11th hour this year and leave yourself with no plan other than buying a few hundred dollars worth of gift cards at the 7-11 on December 24th. Make a plan. A plan to give people useful and clutter free gifts.

You Can Buy Happiness this Christmas: Feeling beat down by Christmas wish lists and too many hours at the mall? This post is for you. If you want to feel the real magic of the holiday season, the magic that doesn’t come with a gift receipt, read this post.

How to End a Gift Giving Tradition: you’ve wanted out of the department white elephant gift for years but have never had the courage to say it. Now is the time. Change how you give gifts this year with the strategies outlined in this post. Find more meaning this holiday season when you don’t have to have a stash of ’emergency’ gifts for anyone that you forgot about (or that ambushes you with a gift for the first time).

  • I love that your ‘consumable’ list included so many things that aren’t candy! I love chocolate treats of course…but I don’t need a bag full! Between my husband and I, we have a grocery bag full of candies just from Christmas this year. Its crazy! We have no idea what to do with it all; its a good thing chocolates keep a while. We’ll have treats for the whole year.

  • Great list! We asked our families to gift art, science and sports lessons for our kids this year. Great activities that we just cannot afford to purchase ourselves right now. Helpful and practical!

  • My favorite present every year is the gift certificate to my favorite spa. I wouldn’t buy it for myself but I LOVE the pampering!!!!

  • I LOVE your list! Such great ideas and so creative. One thing I do want to add is that with gift cards, you can buy them off a gift card reseller like CardPool and sometimes get as much as 25% off.

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