Minimalist Holiday Guide to Start 2024 Well

My work makes it very clear how overwhelmed so many of us are. Personally, even as someone who has a pretty good handle on the physical stuff, I am easily overwhelmed because we are so inundated with news, ideas, advertisements, logistics, other people’s expectations, and our own internal monologue to keep track of it all.

Here’s how I minimize the overwhelm by focusing on what I CAN control.

1. I always encourage a pre-holiday declutter. Now is the time, particularly with kids, to remind them of the NEED to make room before new items potentially come in. Some things, but not everything can be their favorite for 5 years straight. We can help them (and us) build decluttering muscles into the regular rhythm of life habits.

2. It’s the perfect time to reorient expectations and decide how you can enjoy the particular season you are in knowing it doesn’t last forever. Toys are for a brief season, and if you can prioritize letting some go every year, you will minimize the toy chaos and still be able to enjoy whatever a favorite thing is.

3. Consider occasionally taking a year off from sending holiday cards, hosting a party, baking EVERY family recipe or attending all the local festive happenings.

4. Don’t try to do it alone. Name where you need help, and include your spouse and kids. (Mine love wrapping gifts and I love seeing their creative approach shine through)

5. Giving gifts is really an expression of love to let someone know we think of them and care about them. Consider their interests, share something consumable, or enjoy an experience together (think memberships, restaurants, museums, day trips). Making goodies for family and friends is a way we enjoy giving and also sweet time working together with my kids or family members.

For the last 6 years we have gifted our kids super fun experiences (special trips, amusement park visits, monthly dates, a DOG!), but this year we plan to give them physical gifts. They aren’t asking for much, but I’m focusing on their favorite hobbies (baking, sports, crafting, fashion). For family and friends we are focusing on consumable goodies and time spent together. We aren’t buying any new decor and maybe we will send holiday cards after a couple years off.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. We can give ourselves a break. Snuggles on the couch by the twinkle lights and classic movies, dancing to Christmas music, catching up with people we don’t see Often is enough.

Read More Holiday Ideas here…Gifts to Give. Holidays on a Budget. Crafty Gifts to Make With and For your Kids. Giving from the Heart. Gifts for Kids. Gifts for Adults.

Three Years Debt Free

In July 2020, we made the last payment on my graduate school student loan (from 2003), the final step towards debt freedom. We spent the next couple of years building up our emergency fund, cash flowing car and home repairs, increasing our giving, and saving for special family adventures and home renovations we had dreamed about for more than a decade, but never thought possible.

Three years later, we are amazed and thankful to still be on this journey towards our longer term goals of building for retirement and exceeding generosity. Being good stewards of our money takes ongoing discipline and focus, but the reward motivates us to keep going. We have had some wonderful opportunities to bring our kids into the discussion as we consider purchases, talk about saving and investing (compound interest!!) and (hopefully) build stronger financial literacy for them.

How does this have anything to do with simplifying and organizing? It truly is a manifestation of pulling the reins of our consumption in order to minimize the mental (stress!) and physical (clutter!) load that debt and stuff create. Around the time we were about to pay off my car in 2018, I also really dug into the idea of minimalism. We sold furniture, toys, art, and clothing and threw the cash directly at our debt. Just as our debt started feeling lighter, so did our home and so we prioritized simplifying even more. I also happened to being helping clients organize and decorate their homes, but wasn’t yet as focused on the decluttering aspect. Eventually the whole idea of the cost + weight of our stuff became clear as clients shared their frustration at the tasks they struggled to keep up with while raising a family and working.

It is all connected - things, money, relationships, mental health….

If you are overwhelmed or stressed about money or the chaos that stuff can bring at home, consider a journey towards simplifying that just may reorient you and provide the peace of mind you have been longing for.