The Minimalist Guide to the Holidays

As soon as the crisp morning breeze hits your cheek, it seems like it’s just a few weeks before you’re facing the Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the juggling of activities they bring.

Trying to homeschool while planning and preparing for the onslaught of company, huge, intricate meals, decorating the house, holiday crafts, homemade Christmas gifts, special holiday ministry events, parties, traveling, entertaining, and holiday correspondence…It’s enough to make you climb back under the covers just thinking about it. 

If this sounds like you, read on to discover how to simplify your Thanksgiving and Christmas with our 5 tips in this minimalist guide to the holidays.

I’m going to make a suggestion: Consider approaching the holidays from a simpler perspective this year. Focus more on making your holidays meaningful and less on doing things as you’ve always done them.

There is some comfort in your holiday routines, but don’t get too busy to take care of yourself, too! Take time that you need in God’s Word. If you find yourself overwhelmed, slow down where you can!

Lower your expectations in terms of meals, activities, and gifts.  Consider which of the following 5 tips in our minimalist guide to the holidays could help you relax, enjoy, and celebrate!

1. Take a longer break from homeschooling than you usually do.

Our holiday break started Thanksgiving week and ran through New Year’s Day.   Yes, that’s about six weeks.  For that period of time, we didn’t do “formal” school. We slept later and participated in church and community events without worrying about late nights and the resulting cranky, sleep-deprived kids.

Just because we didn’t follow our normal homeschool routine doesn’t mean that I couldn’t count many activities as learning activities. We just focused on holiday preparations and service rather than completing math lessons and writing essays. I liked to call it more “hands-on” homeschooling.

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Here’s an example of activities we could “count” during November and December:

• planned and made holiday meals/company meals/meals for others (nutrition,  home economics, practical math, life skills, service)
• read aloud as a family from our curated collection of classic Christmas books (reading, language arts)
• had daily independent reading time (children’s choice of material for elementary ages while older children caught up or read ahead for the following semester)
• crafted projects to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas and to make gifts for neighbors, friends, family, and others (art, service, practical math, life skills)
• participated in and attended concerts, cantatas, plays, and other holiday events (music, drama)

2. Think like a minimalist and scale back on gift-buying.

You watch your budget and carefully plan your spending all year, but somehow it can all go out the window at holiday time.

There’s nothing like more month at the end of the money to add stress to your life. And do you or the beneficiaries of your gift-giving even have room to store all that stuff? Ask yourself if you have to buy as many gifts as you do.

Perhaps it is time to change it up:

• decide to forgo spending so much on gifts for your kids and instead bless another family with a lifegiving gift from Samaritan’s Purse’s Christmas catalog 
• make inexpensive gifts from your kitchen
• create and give coupons such as: “A trip out for ice cream” or “3  car washes” or “I’ll watch your kids so you can have a date night.”
• do “family” gifts for your siblings like a board game and snacks, or a movie and popcorn.

RELATED POST:  A Homeschooling Family’s Gift Guide

Let your kids help fill the family stockings at christmas!

And if you do gifts and fill stockings for everyone, try this idea.  When our kids were about middle elementary ages (wait until they have a little bit of money), we had them contribute to stuffing everyone’s stocking.

After the initial shock of parting with their own money, it was amazing how much our kids loved doing this.  We were so touched by the thoughtful things they came up with for our and each others’ stockings.

We open stockings on Christmas morning at the breakfast table after we eat, and go around one at a time pulling out a small gift for everyone to admire (or share if it’s chocolate). And they just loved (and still love) seeing everyone open their stocking gifts.

Inexpensive but thoughtful gifts a younger or older child could give might include:

• pencils, markers, pens
• nail polish
• chewing gum
• favorite candy or chocolate
• small dime-store-type games
• a mug
• pair of fuzzy socks
• box of favorite tea
• craft or hobby supplies
• stickers
• handmade bar of soap
• protein bar
• coloring book
• card game
• crayons or other art supplies
• a hand-knitted scarf

The point is taking the time to think about what would please the recipient. You may have to do a little coaching at the beginning, but they’ll catch on.

3. Don’t go to every event you are invited to.

Isn’t it true that every group each member of your family belongs to has a Christmas event?  And not only do you try and attend them all, you sometimes double or even triple-book when they inevitably occur on the same dates.

WHY do we do that?!

Contrary to what you may have done in the past, you don’t have to attend everything.

Just stop.

Look at the calendar and plan ahead to have a manageable schedule, planning in downtime. 

4. Simplify all the meals. Holiday and otherwise.

Growing up, at Thanksgiving and Christmas we had to have so many different dishes that it was exhausting and expensive for all involved.  Instead, at our house, everyone chooses ONE dish that means “Thanksgiving Dinner” to them. If you have a large family you might have to take a vote instead!

Likewise, I have vivid childhood memories of getting home from Christmas Eve services and starting preparations for an elaborate Christmas breakfast.  And being up until 1:00 am or later making this braided coffee cake/bread thing that we had to have for Christmas morning.

Then we got up way too early the next morning to wrestle a 25-pound turkey into the oven.

Not anymore! Nowadays, Christmas breakfast is something simple we can make together.

And we have a later, large meal for Christmas dinner so the turkey doesn’t have to start cooking so early. We’ve even been known to skip the turkey altogether or cook just a turkey breast instead of messing with the entire bird. And we eat leftovers for the evening meal.

Make it easier on yourself and everybody else!

I’m all for family traditions, but don’t try to do so many that you are exhausted. Pick and choose.

Additionally, make the crockpot and Instapot your friends for November and December.  Believe me, those dump-everything-in-and-go meals make things so much easier when you’d rather playing be playing dominoes with your family.

And when possible, keep those regular meals extra simple and light to help compensate for the pumpkin pie and whipped cream, the chocoloate and peanut butter fudge, and the gingerbread cookies!

5.  Slow down and savor the time.

Take some time to slow down and enjoy the holiday season.

In his book,  In Praise of Slowness, Carl Honore wrote:

“It is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better… It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.”

Make the choice to SLOW DOWN and SAVOR. Enjoy being together with your loved ones. Talk with your kids about Who and why you’re celebrating. Cook and craft together. Play board games. Watch holiday movies.

Make memories! Don’t forget: you are allowed to plan relaxation time into your schedule and say “no” to those things that will put you over the edge.

THIS YEAR, REIGN IN YOUR HOLIDAY TO-DOS.  Instead, use the time, money, and energy you save to reconnect with yourself and your loved ones and to celebrate the birth of our Redeemer!

Life doesn’t have to be so crazy!

Would you like more ideas about how to bring your kids’ homeschooling to life while still balancing your other responsibilities?

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