Minimalist Christmas – ways to celebrate the Christmas season without accumulating more stuff

Being a minimalist with kids can be difficult at times. Trying to celebrate the Christmas season without accumulating more stuff can be hard, especially for those new to this lifestyle, but it is completely possible. We began this journey toward minimalism for a couple reasons. The top three were to lower the amount of stress in our home, to prepare for long-term travel, and we were just starting our debt-free journey. All of those reasons are still true today and they all affect our celebrations during the Christmas season. We have found many ways to join in on the holiday festivities while still honoring our journey and I wanted to share some of them with you.

1. Small seasonal arts and crafts are great. I bought two Christmas kits at the Dollar Tree and a Christmas themed coloring book. The kits each came with a very small coloring book, 4 crayons, and a sheet of stickers. The girls had fun playing with these. Once they had finished with them, they left the house. No need to hold onto them forever to have a day of entertainment. The coloring book will be used as a daily activity for our toddler while her sisters are in school. We normally do 1-2 coloring pages per day. She is able to display her work for the day and then she replaces it with the next thing she makes. By coloring Christmas pictures, her display becomes part of our Christmas decorations.
2. Make Christmas cards or crafts to give as gifts to extended family. We will be making up our cards soon. We do this every year and everybody seems to really enjoy it.
3. Go on a holiday outing. There are so many fun things going on around the holidays. We try to enjoy at least a few festivities every year. We always go to see Santa Claus somewhere. We like to go to at least one place with Christmas light displays. We have been to quite a few different ones over the years and it’s always a good time. The walking and driving ones are both fun. If you are short on cash, look up free fun in your area. Christmas tree lightings are a good time. Walking around the neighborhood to look at everyone’s Christmas displays is a great way to have a fun, free evening.
4. Take the time to beautifully wrap gifts. Make it a family affair. Make pretty bows. You could even make your own wrapping. We made stamped paper and painted newspaper one year when our oldest was a toddler. It was free and a lot of fun.
5. Use/Make disposable Christmas decorations. We like to make construction paper chains and hang candy canes on our tree every year. The kids love to eat the candy canes off the tree.
6. Watch a Christmas movie with your kids. There are so many amazing holiday movies. Why not share some of your favorites with your kids?
7. Listen to Christmas music. We love to jam out to our Christmas playlist. You can find a list here: Favorite Christmas Songs
8. Donate to Charity. This is a great way to get into the spirit of the holidays and teach your kids what it’s really about.
9. Read a Christmas story. Our favorite is “The Night Before Christmas.”
10. Spend some time in the kitchen. It’s the perfect time of year to bake some cookies or make fudge. It even makes a great gift. Hot chocolate is definitely the thing to do when it’s cold outside.

I hope these ideas help you to enjoy the season while holding true to your beliefs. Happy Holidays!