I think its great! I totally need a "Personal Shopper" like Dawn to go with me and tell me all the stuff we don't need! I'm guilty of "impulse" shopping and will go in for one thing like milk, and walk out with half the store $100 dollars later. Granted, it's mostly stuff we can stock up and use, but I need to curtail anything frivolous.
Here in Finland we don't have a tradition for Christmas stockings, but watching this I thought of maybe writing lovely and thoughtful little notes for each other for the stockings and read them together, if the stockings are still an important part of holiday decor. That might be a nice Christmas tradition - with a touch of minimalism too.
That's a lovely idea. You could also put in a "coupon" for a back massage, or an offer to watch children over night so the parents get a break depending on who the stocking is for.
Ida, what is your traditional decor? We’re doing an ancestry and learned we’re part Finnish. We are trying to represent our various cultures this year.
@@ryanjacobson1916 my heritage is Finnish too! We grew up with the culture of it though so things like food and sauna is a big part of our lives. That’s exciting for you to have discovered this!
Even if I won't be leaving ALL 15 things off my list, it's so nice to hear someone say that it's ok to do less than past years and it's ok to do less than your neighbour or sister does, it's ok to not want the pressure of keeping up. And, as everyone knows, most times less is actually more. More peace, more relaxation, more enjoyment, more time. ❤️
Another idea for the gift givers in your life is to do a ‘no spend’ gift exchange. I always have nice things that I want to declutter-the holiday mug from last year, or the necklace that I don’t wear, the pretty dress or sweater that doesn’t fit anymore, etc… we did this with our friends at church and all the items that no one wanted at the end of the exchange, we donated to a women’s shelter afterwards! It was a win-win! Women only took something they actually wanted from the gift table (so no adding extra clutter), and we got to declutter the items we didn’t want/need, see the joy of someone else enjoying it, and not spending anything in the process!
What a great idea! I've participated in a clothing exchange where what was left got donated, but I love a general optional gift exchange like that. Building community and giving new life to some of our nice old things!
For the past 3 or 4 years, my mom's been doing a box of goodies for the entire family instead of individual stockings. She fills it will different food items from like Lidel or Aldi (flavored oils, soup mixes, candy we love, batteries, workbooks for the kids, etc. I love it and all of it is actually useful and fun instead of junk!!
So just to clarify, you give each adult child and their family a single goodie box to share? So if you have 4 married kids, you make 4 goodie boxes? I would love to forego the stockings this year because of the expense, but my adult kids *love* them! Were yours disappointed when you stopped doing stockings?
I think great “stocking stuffers” are things you are going to purchase anyway such as: gloves, socks, t-shirts, toothpaste, lotions & toiletries, makeup, fruit/snacks, etc. My adult daughter still mentions that her favorite part of Christmas morning, after seeing what Santa left under the tree, was opening our stockings. We started with the youngest and went to the oldest.
In Croatia we celebrate St. Nicholas Day (6th December) and that's when kids clean up one boot and put it on a window sill in their room. In the morning they find it filled with something sweet if they were good. It was usually a couple of clementines a a small chocolate in my childhood and I think it's enough joy for today's kids too, mine included.
@@marinard6293 I agree about “enough joy”. I feel that most children have more than they need and are flooded with gifts and material possessions. When my children were young, I quickly realized I needed to limit their Christmas wish list to three items and one item had to be for someone else. Yes, they received more but you found out what they REALLY WANTED.
I worked as a teacher for many years, one of my collegues had her students work on a letter to their family of what they would like to do together during the holidays. Take walks to see the decorations, make cookies, drink hot chocolate. One of them that touched my heart was making bookmarks for their family Bible study.
My kids still talk about their stockings even though they are adults. They LOVED them. We always filled them with their favorite candy/nuts/ treat added in things they already used, but wouldn't have to buy for a while if found in their stocking...like deo toothpaste ink pens, etc. We topped it with a paperback book they would love or a magazine of their interest, and it was always a hit. I had years the kids said if they had to choose between a stocking and gifts, they'd choose their stocking over a gift.
My children, now adults, loved their little stocking gifts more than the bigger gifts as do my grandchildren. I do as well. Trying to find thoughtful, meaningful, and useful small gifts for everyone's stockings is enjoyable for me. Not a big fan of Christmas otherwise.
That's what I did when my kids were young. Lip balm, deodorant, toothpaste & toothbrush, a package of their favorite nuts--peanuts, cashews, pecans, etc. Always stuff that they used. I didn't do books or magazines, but I wish I'd thought of it lol. Good idea. I don't remember ever putting little toys or do-dads in stockings. (Edit: changed chapstick to lip balm. I've always preferred natural lip balms. I don't know why I call all of it chapstick 🤷♀)
I do not store Christmas wrapping paper from one year to the next. I buy one roll to use for the gifts we give that season, and then give the roll to the kids for those two weeks they are out of school so they can play “wrapping the presents” with it. They love it, and I don’t have to manage it until next year 😊
We used to use the “funny pages” from the newspaper to wrap presents, and then we did projects with the kids making wrapping paper with butcher paper and stamps and markers. They loved it and it people liked the unique gift wrap
Sweet idea! I do save the Christmas paper rolls because I wrap my kids birthday presents in that paper. It always seems to be bigger, tougher and more for less than the actual birthday paper. I want them to have the opening experience, don’t mind the look though🤪. My Daughter’s is February so snow paper still works perfectly. My son’s September so not as much on his.
Over the past couple of years I’ve stopped buying coloured gift wrap for birthdays or Christmas - I now just use brown paper to wrap everything, and just use different coloured paper ribbon to add interest or colour. It has saved me so much money and storage space, as the same gift wrap serves me for everything, with the added bonus of being fully recyclable too.
Yes! And one tip is to go to your local newspaper and ask to buy a remnant roll of unprinted newspaper. They cost a few dollars and still have a lot of paper on them. It works great for packing fragile items too!
Years ago, we quit decorating a tree ( kids had convictions against it, believe it or not) so hubby built a simple manger. It’s lined with a baby blanket I embroidered 23 years ago and has held our gifts for 26 years.
My aunt used to make each family a plate of homemade cinnamon rolls, maybe a couple sugar cookies, for Christmas we all looked forward to them (still do). I have started decorating for winter rather than Christmas. Have a few key pieces that are Christmas. Get to enjoy the "winter" decorations for a longer period of time.
I do that in the fall instead of being Halloween specific! So my home looks festive from mid September thru November and then Winter decorations come out culminated with the tree! This way you can keep them up into February and not get the "naked house blues" in January!
For many years now we have been reusing the same gift bags for the same family members. We found that most of the time you can make this work. And it's kinda fun to see whether you can stuff a sweater into a small bag or place a pair of socks into a great big bag. I do buy fresh tissue which isn't super sustainable. After we open our gifts, everyone puts their bag into the "bag bin" to be stored until next year.
Oh my gosh, Dawn, thank you!!! You're such a breath of fresh air when it comes to the holidays. It's nice knowing I'm not alone when it comes to NOT going crazy.
Gifts don't need to be expensive. Some of my most memorable gifts rec'd are: fresh eggs, fresh veggies, homemade jams, cookies and sweet breads, Turtle Sundae (YUM!), handmade ornament, fuzzy socks, warm gloves, and my favorite raspberry tea. So personal. So appreciated.
My favourite gifts from my husband- a homemade compost bin,and a second hand harvest basket he bought through market place and had to repair himself. From daughter when she was little - vouchers to clean her room or give me a hug.
I only put up a tree and Christmas stockings. Very little decor and I love it. I also decided to buy white dinnerware years ago as it goes with everything and every party or gathering.
For stockings, if you want them, don't overlook essential items like toothbrushes, flannels (washcloth in US?), soap, toothpaste etc. Kids don't really care what it is they just like opening stuff 😹 and crucially it's all stuff that can get used up and isn't permanent!
My family likes to tease me about this, if it’s November and they want a new toothbrush I’m like… uhhhhh.m Christmas is coming, just limp that one along for 30 more days 😜
Bring water to boiling, turn it of and put all the toothbrushes in for just a few minutes. Sterilizes them and watch what happens to the bristles. Let cool and keep using. Don’t leave them in so long they start to get soft.😂😅
My husband used to fill my stocking with fun and useful items. I enjoyed it better than a big gift ! He passed away 2 years ago so no more stockings for me. I'm staying away from the Christmas aisles in stores. I have enough to decorate tastefully and minimally. Thank you for the tips. I loved them all !
Yep most of these items are no longer on my list. I am alone for the first time in over 50 years as hubs is in hospice and I do not feel like Holidays (was his favorite season as B-day was first part of December. I want to find things to donate for homeless shelters and donate foods as my new traditions, celebrate giving vs getting. My family live far apart and we stopped many years ago doing gifts, I do send out some christmas cards. No longer decorate for any holidays we stopped when downsized and moved to small apt, no place to store that kind of stuff. You can find ways to enjoy the season without spending money as we always focused on giving. Thanks for the sharing and updates for this holiday season.
My thoughts are with you and your husband this year as he is in hospice. Take good care of yourself. Buy a little poinsetta! Thats all you need! Maybe your husband could have one in hospice.
Times like these there’s so much value in reminding people that we don’t have to spend so much because there’s more important things to spend on and time to spend with people. Thank you!
My husband grew up getting small gifts on each of the 12 days of Christmas, and our fist Christmas married he surprised me with 12 gifts for me (mostly small things, like my favorite drink or candy) We passed on the traditional when our first child was born. We now have 5 kids and that adds up way too fast. So this year our 12 days includes many more activities as gifts, such as going to see the city lights with hot chocolate on the way back. We are choosing to spend time together, not just money on gifts. This was a great video, Dawn!
One year my grandmother gave every one figurines ,dishes ,what nots , from her home away for Christmas 🎄 to all of us that was the best Christmas at her house ever and especially if you’re wanting to downsize what a perfect year to do this!!!!!
I'm becoming more of a minimalist every day just watching your channel. I never intended to be a minimalist and I certainly have a lot more to do to be "official" but it makes my heart sing to watch a video like this. I was already looking for things just like this to eliminate this year. I not buying any of the stuff you listed. I do have a cute idea for an advent calendar though. Get a mason jar and fill it with little messages of cheer, mindfulness exercises (like reminding people to take a walk and enjoy their surroundings), or activities that they can do throughout the year (like rake the neighbor's yard for them.) You can use small pieces of Christmas wrap and write the thought on the backside then fold it nicely. They don't need to be numbered but make sure you have enough to cover the season and make them customized to the family you're giving them to. They are fun to make and fun to receive.
Suggestion: Instead of filling Christmas stockings with "junk", fill them with short notes that describe traits you like about each person. And, maybe add a verse for that person, too. These are precious gifts that keep on giving all year long.
We do stockings but they are full of food that usually gets eaten that day. Then the kids have some snacks to munch on. We do things like oranges, a small treat, pretzels etc. We are going to focus on giving this year. Giving and serving others is truly the best part of Christmas.
Omg, thank you!! I was just thinking today about what I should get the nieces and nephews... just a homemade goodie plate now.. and I was mindlessly scrolling amazon to find deals... my family has everything they need, why am I looking for random stuff?? Thank you saying this, and setting me free! Lol 😆
As a teacher some of the gifts that all of us have enjoyed are the simple things. Use a mason 16oz glass wide mouth to transform into a travel cup, add a straw, fill with some candy or chocolate and voila! Or you can fill the glass with diy chocolate cookie, hot chocolate, or other recipe ingredients. We also gave “sunshine” notes, where we filled a jar with memories and encouraging words, each put on decorated little index cards. Love is the greatest gift of all ❤️
I will probably never give up my live Christmas tree. It brings joy to me for as long as it is up. My town collects them at the end of the season and turns them into mulch. Or we drag it into the woods behind the house and it becomes temporary home for critters
Fantastic ideas… I agree with 100%! I’m as old as dirt, so it’s even more important for me to keep my clutter under control. In terms of family, we have come to an agreement that if we give a gift it Hass to be consumable. Not necessarily something that you eat, but something that will get used up. It can be homemade or store-bought, doesn’t really matter.
Santa fills the stockings in our house, he brings new toothbrushes, toothpaste, maybe a treat, but mostly toiletries they get used up and they're fun then they're gone.
Yes, I'm glad other families do this as well. Stockings growing up were all our consumable and hygiene items because those arent as fun to open as wrapped gifts, but were still useful.
I love that as an idea. Sometimes I take my kids to the store just so we can talk about not needing to buy everything we see. I need someone to do the same thing to me 😂
Last year for my family, I bought each household of my adult children some paper items…such as Kleenex, toilet paper, etc. and then put a gift certificate for their favorite grocery store in with it…..they all loved it. Practical and useful!!
My mum started putting useful items in our stockings when we moved out. Things like toiletries, kitchen staples, etc. She is gone now but we continue the tradition!
I love doing stockings, but what we do is mostly breakfast treats (granola bars, candied nuts, oranges) and one small toy, like a tiny Lego set. That way the kids can open them right away, eat something, and have a bit of fun while the adults are busy making pancakes or whatever real breakfast is. It's a tool to make the morning run smoothly! We had Christmas morning with my sister and her kids last year, and it was VERY different. Her stocking we're stuffed very full of toys and gadgets and whatnot. She was embarrassed and felt bad, but I was relieved we didn't have all that stuff coming home with us! And my kids barely noticed, and they got basically everything they wanted anyways. 👍🏼
I'm with you on all those items! We had a prolific blackberry season so we made so many jars of jam with them. We also are beekeepers so jam and honey are the special gifts. I love homemade items and I know others do as well.
We decided that this year for the adults we are only giving food gifts. My dad and I have picked up about 300 pounds of pecans, he's been shelling for days. Cases of favorite foods that they can't find. Huge jars of pickles, old fashioned candy and cookies, frozen turkeys(for new years or whatever) our family always love this and laugh about who got the best gift. A case of moonpies one year was a favorite...Merry Christmas everyone, God bless.👍🏻⛄⛄⛄☃️☃️☃️❄❄❄
Really love emphasizing experience over meaningless gift giving. Making cookies together, going for a drive to see lights or something. Puzzles and games are big for us too!
I think a lot has to with what you value and what your traditions are as well as what stage of life you are in. For me, I will forego sending Christmas cards. Every year I sent a pic of my kids, but this year I am an empty nester. I may send a few store bought ones to far away relatives. I would never ever buy a fake tree lol or forego my stockings. But I do believe in starting new traditions just like I need to start my new empty nester life with just me and my husband. But not doing that great with that right now - too new and sad to me. :). Thanks for your videos they are great!
Stockings! We’ve continued my childhood tradition. My brilliant mother always filled stockings with breakfast items- i.e. an orange, juice box, granola bars, etc. Inexpensive consumables that didn’t add to the pile of Christmas junk and also tied us over until real breakfast after opening gifts.
Usually I forgo the advent calendars too, but this year we have a baby due on the 23rd of December. My other kids (all boys) are so excited to meet their sister that I think an advent calendar is a great concrete way for them to see the passage of time until they (hopefully) get to meet her! It will also help my husband and I connect with them before we have a newborn to love on 😊
I too have let my friends know that I won't be exchanging gifts this year. Instead, I prefer to spend time together, having lunch, coffee, etc. What a relief!
Thinking about everything in the house as inventory I have to manage has been life changing!!!! This is not the first time I've commented this, but it really does bear repeating. It has changed how I think about shopping for everything from food to holiday to clothing. Thank you, Dawn!!
I have started a log that involves making sure that I remove more items (not including consumables) from our home than we bring in. It is really motivating as the average home contains 300,000 items. Insane!
I agree that there are definitely things I don’t need to buy this year. Many years ago, the adults in the family decided not to buy gifts for each other anymore. Instead we do a ‘white elephant’ blind exchange. Each adult brings a gift they got in prior years that they never used. Instead of gifting to a specific person, it gets a number. After Christmas dinner, each adult draws a number from a hat and the corresponding gift is theirs. Then the fun begins. Starting with the person who drew #1, they can exchange their gift with someone else or keep the gift they got, then it goes to #2, etc. Once a gift has changed hands twice, it is ‘dead’ and can no longer be exchanged. Several items have cycled back year after year. This game generates a lot of laughter and memories.
We chose to buy a real Christmas tree for the past 17 years, it something I prioritize in our budget. It is a day after Thanksgiving day tradition our children look forward to each year and we go to a small family owned tree farm where we get to cut the tree ourselves. Also, I love that I don't have to store our tree in the basement each year. We live on a farm so disposal of a real tree is simple. When it comes to stocking stuffers we have chosen to put in a lot of consumable items we would be buying anyway. Our girls have LOVED receiving gum, special treats, tape (they use up our so quickly when doing crafts), new toothbrushes, and new gel pens/markers or whatever item they used up over the past year. It is a great way to replenish some of these items but turn them into a gift. For some reason pouring them out of their stocking on Christmas morning makes them way more fun then if I'd brought them home in a Walmart bag. LOL
Stockings are my kids favorite part of Christmas morning. Everyone buys 1 or 2 small items for every member of our house and each person gets their own stash of any Christmas candy we've bought. The kids know they can come to our bed at 6am, and even now that we have 2 teenagers, there's a lot of joy and excitement. We also do a live tree, but I have noticed they are going up in price, so we might switch to fake after this year. However, when I looked at the price of fake ones this year, I about had heart failure - so either thrifted or clearance for us if we're going to make this transition. Oh, and I don't know if this is just something we did in my house growing up, but we use advent calendars over and over and over again. I have some my mom passed down to me that are at this point antique German ones, and my husband and I have a special one that we've used for 23 years now that we bought on our honeymoon.
I went through my holiday decorations and and donated a lot. I found I used the same things every year and many items I never had room or cared for. Even valuable collectibles are only good if used . Our grown kids and grandkids like to see the familiar ones and ones with meaning to them.
I’ve always been very excited to buy new Christmas decorations and always add to my collection. It won’t be happening this year-and I’m absolutely fine with that! I’d rather use that money to help a family that may not be as fortunate.
Growing up our parents would put a tangerine, a bag of chocolate coins, and an apple, in one of my father’s socks. Sometimes we got shined new coins which my father must have picked up from the bank. That was most people’s Christmas stocking before disposable income became so widespread. We continued this tradition for our kids. I think it is the glamorizing of traditions that makes them expensive.
Always a good reminder that we don't NEED a lot of the stuff we buy and we don't need to buy things because we think we need it or others are getting. You do you for the holidays. I needed that today.
Growing up we did stocking stuffers. However, they were mostly practical items. Like nail polish, socks, tooth brush, hair clips, maybe some nice costume jewelry, box of crayons or colored pencils, etc. For gift wrapping, I’ve found buying different sized brown gift bags wonderful. I can use holiday bows & tissue paper, generic embellishments, birthday themes, etc. to make them festive. They are much sturdier, I don’t need a huge inventory, and they are always ready no matter the occasion.
I love to give gifts (and to get them, but that’s less important). Gift-giving is super stressful for my husband, though, so in the last couple of years together it’s been interesting to really explore what we want and how we want to express our love in a Christmas way. I made us an advent calendar of fun activities and good deeds, and we do it each year, and it’s become my favorite tradition. ❤
It’s been years since we’ve exchanged adult gifts and made Christmas for just the kids. I’m not a grinch but it’s been way less stressful and that’s the best gift of all.
We started doing ice cream cone "gingerbread" trees with our kids! Super easy for Littles, very low cost. We want to try the pop tart houses this year ♡
Thanks for your suggestions for Christmas. If I want something special decorating items I go to a thrift store. I found some beautiful glass candle holders last year for $2. I think that's the best way to get a little something special for Christmas.
Love this! Well apart from the tree... A real tree is THE most important thing for our family. The smell, the family trip to get it, the clear up of needles post Christmas. We do stockings in our house but I deliberately chose small ones and traditionally fill them with new toothbrushes, sponges, socks, pens - basically all things that I'd end up buying the kids anyway and then a few chocolate coins which are consumable.
This year we’re not doing gifts in stockings. Definitely keeping the stockings, but having family members and friends drop an encouraging note, quote, memory, etc into them.
Great video! We also haven't bought any of the 15 items for years. Here are some other tips that I would like to share: My husband and I stopped buying each other gifts for Christmas many years ago since we give each other stuff throughout the year (but we still get stuff for the kiddos and try to purchase them by Nov 1). Some may gasp at the idea, but it's great, and we are happily married, lol. Since we like to focus on Jesus and the gift of salvation, we don't save the "big" gifts for Christmas either. Instead, we give those for bdays or random times throughout the year. It helps us to focus on the real reason that we celebrate Christmas, and it removes the burden of trying to do bigger and better each year with gifts. Each year for all major holidays I keep a log that includes the menu, the game plan, what ACTUALLY happens, and any lessons learned or things that I want to repeat or eliminate for the next year. It's VERY helpful to review each year. I say all this to share that there are many ways to celebrate in a meaningful way and you don't have to feel pressured to spend a lot of money. It's okay! Simplify and have fun, and you will discover that by Jan 1, you won't feel burnt out. Hopefully, this helps somebody. Love y'all!
Your graham cracker houses are so cute. What a fun project. One of our favorite activities is to drive around looking at Christmas lights and then go home for hot chocolate (or tea, whatever) and pie, or some home made treat. Not expensive, but fun and great memories with kids.
Dear ¨ Minimal Mom ¨, you are like a Christmas Fairy, you help thousands of people by reassuring them that all the STUFF advertised to be bought...are not necessary to make the Holiday Season....an wonder-full one! To buy...for the right/good reason must be the mantra for all of us. What we have is often enough (and the rest? is the people we love); thank you so much for this video!! helene :))
Sometimes “permission” is what we’re waiting for - thanks Dawn! Many years ago I ran across “Unplug the Christmas Machine” - what a great concept - it revolutionized Christmas prep/execution for me, and enhanced our family’s enjoyment of the entire season.
This was so useful! You mentioned a couple things to skip that are deeply meaningful for us, like a live tree, but also a couple we planned to skip, like gingerbread houses. I really appreciate how you say that we have to decide to cut out what really doesn't matter that much to our particular family. My husband's favorite part of the holidays is decorating a real tree from a family friend's farm, but none of us care very much about new decor, matching PJs or craft kits. A pared down holiday is needed in our consumer culture anyway. Homemade gifts are the best! I think people will especially treasure them this year. 🎄 Thank you for the ideas!
The tree is my favourite part too - even when I was little and we didn't have money, I told my parents I'd rather have the tree and no presents than the presents and no tree. (They hand-made presents out of what they already had in the house, and I still remember it as one of the best Christmases ever!)
I made a decision to not purchase any Christmas decor until I’ve already decorated with the stuff I have and love. I’m always so tempted in November when all the cute Christmas decor comes out in stores but I have my own that I absolutely love but might have forgotten about. Waiting until I’ve gotten all my things out reminds me that I don’t need anything 🙂
Our grandchildren are going to be so thrilled and happy when they open a big box of paper towel tubes, wrapping paper tubes and TP. tubes. they like to build like your children. Merry Free Christmas.
I used to save the front of Christmas cards each year, the ones that were pretty. I cut them into smaller pieces to use as gift cards. Hole punch and string/yarn/ribbon and you gave a gift tag!!
🎄 We had a really nice pre-lit artificial tree. It was rather large and we’d had it more than 10 years, and we were tired of storing it and dragging it out. We just donated it in a nice storage bag this last weekend. We will either get a small tree or if it’s too costly we’ll get creative. Maybe decorate the fake ficus. 😁
We have had our fake tree for 31 years. We got it when we got married. This will be the 32nd Christmas that we have used it, and it looks great! Also, you are so right that most people want to opt out of gift exchanges or they want to minimize it by using a secret Santa format. 🙂
Buying one large roll of brown wrapping paper, and keeping various solid colors of ribbon can keep your wrapping supplies more minimal and you can make any gift look nice!
Last year we opted to do a secret Santa exchange thru Elfster. Everyone got a budget to spend and we all filled out a wishlist so we truly got what we wanted and not a bunch of random crud!! So so SO good! Can’t recommend enough!🎉
Great list-very liberating! As someone who used to buy this, I'd add: Christmas throw pillows, bedding, dishes. Anything I have to store for 11 months better be worth it.
What a GENIUS idea!!! INVENTORY your gift wrapping supplies before the season starts. I just did it - confirmed that I do NOT need to buy gift wrap, bows, bags, name tags, gift boxes or ribbon. Absolutely genius Dawn...thank you!
Watching in November 2023 and still helpful! It is so good to be reminded that it is not all the stuff that makes Christmas, Christmas. It is just too easy to get caught up with all the newest, brightest, greatest trinkets. Love the note about stocking stuffers ... I hate them. Just junk and candy we don't need.
I am with you on all of these ideas, Dawn, except the stocking. Every kid (5) gets a different flavor of Pringles. It fills up most of the stocking. But I don't think I can get rid of the stockings - gift cards and personal items and homemade things! It is so fun to fill. I get a lot of joy filling them up.
Same here! I loved our stockings as a kid! They were filled with candy, a new “fancy” toothbrush, hair accessories, and chapstick! Sometimes a small gift card and my favorite some cheap one dollar scratch offs haha. 😊
In Ireland we have great Christmas's! Christmas stockings, PJ's, curated photo's and special tableware aren't something we do, though the shops do sell them very recently. Less is definitely more here, its about being together, seeing the people you love, time off work and lots of craic!
Instead of the gingerbread house, I find a house pattern online, cut it out of a box and hotglue it together. Then the kids decorate it with whatever we can find around the house. It helps clear out the "trinket jar" and also the extra little junk in the craft supplies that aren't enough for other projects. One time I made 37 of these cardboard houses for a kid's group at church. The kids had fun making their gingerbread houses, they didn't fall apart while they were making them, and they were FREE [except for the glue...].
Thanks so much for your thoughts. This was exactly what I needed to hear. My husband is in his second year working on his masters and as you can imagine our budget is tight. Inflation hasn't been fun and I've been feeling a little torn over what to do for my 4 girls this Christmas. This was exactly the message I needed to hear. Always love your videos. Thank you again!!
We had a few years when money was scarce. The kids were small. My daughters K teacher gave me sone if her sons toys he had outgrown, and some looked brand new. We put a car playset in a plain box and wrapped it, our son was 2 and felt so special when we told him the elves had tested it to be sure it worked. Its the love that counts.
I love that my parents filled stockings with nectarines, bananas, apples, peanuts, and other nice snacks. We loved making a giant structure with the food and pose for a family picture
My local Dollar Tree stores have really cute Christmas/Holiday craft kits if your kiddos do enjoy them and you want to purchase them. Can't beat $1.25!
I use brown paper for most wrapping at Christmas and buy beautiful ribbons and other details when they go on clearance every year after Christmas. It's fun to get creative about each gift I wrap.
Ever since my father passed unexpectedly, my siblings and mom and I have put the money we would have spent on gifts to each other toward a charitable cause in his name. He would have loved that and we don’t need anything. Our kids enjoy contributing also and their gift is the time spent with cousins rather than gifts ❤
My family does essentials as stocking stuffers like toothpaste shampoo etc along with some small candy. It gives us more to open while being stuff that would be bought anyway. It wasn’t that exciting as kids but now that my sister and I are older and starting to buy most things ourselves it’s very appreciated.
Totally agree on these things to omit from the shopping list. We started years ago using cloth wrapping bags in addition to some paper wrapping. I’m down to 1/2 a roll of paper so this may be the year we only use cloth bags. They are a fun and simple sewing project even for beginners . I’ve used extra sheets, fabric napkins and other found fabrics to keep it really economical and sewed on nice ribbons to tie them easily. They get stored away after Christmas with our limited decorations, which all fit with the tree in our hope chest. We will carry on with stockings. I’ve always filled them with consumables and/or necessities. On a typical year the stockings may be filled with: an orange in the toe, a favorite candy they like, pens or a small notebook, a roll of tape, socks or small item of clothing, a favorite drink, gum, a toothbrush, floss, nice soap. I think my poor college kids will especially appreciate keeping with this tradition.
We always do an orange in the toe of the stockings too! I don’t know how/where that developed, but it’s nice because it fills up a lot of the stocking and then we slice them up and have them with our Christmas breakfast/brunch.
I love to make simple snack mixes or jars of hot chocolate mix to gift. People appreciate them and the cost of the Mason jars and ingredients is budget friendly!
I replaced my 20 year old artificial tree last year and my eldest son took it to his house (some of the lower branches had to be fixed) he has dogs and a young baby so he didn't want anything fancy and it's small enough to place on top of a stable table in the corner, works well. I bought the one with optic fibres so I don't have to fiddle with lights either, one switch and one light source! I also bought a tablecloth last year, so not going to get anything like that this year. I think I will declutter some more decorations, I get really tired these days of setting up and taking down the decorations.
Great advice Dawn! We cut a tree from the woods behind our house. I have never ever even considered matching pj’s or pro family pics. I enjoy candles but only burn them for short periods of time which makes them last a long time. I simmer spices on the stove. I bought two mega rolls of xmas wrapping paper several years ago and they may outlast me 😂. I avoid the stores for at least a week post xmas to resist temptation. I love my holiday decor so no need to add to it. This took some years of trial and error but I am now satisfied with it. We exchange gifts with the people whom we spend the holiday and only mail to a couple of people. We are foodies so our emphasis has been small gifts but lots of cooking and baking and we use the same kitchen linens year round. We do have pretty tablecloth that we get out for xmas. We keep the focus on family fun activities not the stuff and that’s where memories are made. 😍
I most appreciate this video because it is so inspiring to see you in a store where impulse buying is so easy yet you are able to walk through and voice the reasoning behind not buying these items. It helps to bring clarity to why we purchase what we purchase and though we could buy these things there is a choice to opt out and allow more time for meaningful moments this season. Thank you!
Our family gifts kids until they are out of college. Older ones get gift cards or cash! Younger ones a toy and one or two things they need. Our grandboys do ask for the craft kits, so I do buy those on clearance along with hats and gloves. I declutter a little more holiday decor every year. Things to stock up on, baking and cleaning supplies, bathroom essentials, and garbage bags. I buy enough to last thru New Years. Thanks Dawn!
We have bags made of Christmas fabric that we use for our immediate family instead of wrapping paper. My mother made them years ago and we are adding to them this year as there were only about 5. They look lovely and festive, pretty much last forever (which saves money) and I'm always happy that I have less paper that needs recycling!
Love this video of Dawn pushing an empty shopping cart around Target talking about what she isn’t buying!
I was thinking the same thing. Lol. I bet they wouldn’t find that very beneficial.
😅
I think its great! I totally need a "Personal Shopper" like Dawn to go with me and tell me all the stuff we don't need! I'm guilty of "impulse" shopping and will go in for one thing like milk, and walk out with half the store $100 dollars later. Granted, it's mostly stuff we can stock up and use, but I need to curtail anything frivolous.
I think she’s making progress on her shopping tendencies.
Just the cat food! lol
Here in Finland we don't have a tradition for Christmas stockings, but watching this I thought of maybe writing lovely and thoughtful little notes for each other for the stockings and read them together, if the stockings are still an important part of holiday decor. That might be a nice Christmas tradition - with a touch of minimalism too.
That's a lovely idea. You could also put in a "coupon" for a back massage, or an offer to watch children over night so the parents get a break depending on who the stocking is for.
Ida, what is your traditional decor? We’re doing an ancestry and learned we’re part Finnish. We are trying to represent our various cultures this year.
@@ryanjacobson1916 my heritage is Finnish too! We grew up with the culture of it though so things like food and sauna is a big part of our lives. That’s exciting for you to have discovered this!
Love that!! such a beautiful and thoughtful idea.
That’s a terrific idea!! Then they can act as decorations too!!
Even if I won't be leaving ALL 15 things off my list, it's so nice to hear someone say that it's ok to do less than past years and it's ok to do less than your neighbour or sister does, it's ok to not want the pressure of keeping up. And, as everyone knows, most times less is actually more. More peace, more relaxation, more enjoyment, more time. ❤️
Love this comment. "veryone knows, most times less is actually more. More peace, more relaxation, more enjoyment, more time. ❤" YES yes yes
Another idea for the gift givers in your life is to do a ‘no spend’ gift exchange. I always have nice things that I want to declutter-the holiday mug from last year, or the necklace that I don’t wear, the pretty dress or sweater that doesn’t fit anymore, etc… we did this with our friends at church and all the items that no one wanted at the end of the exchange, we donated to a women’s shelter afterwards! It was a win-win! Women only took something they actually wanted from the gift table (so no adding extra clutter), and we got to declutter the items we didn’t want/need, see the joy of someone else enjoying it, and not spending anything in the process!
*make sure the gifts brought are unwrapped, so when people pick a gift, they for sure want what they are taking. 😉
What a great idea! I've participated in a clothing exchange where what was left got donated, but I love a general optional gift exchange like that. Building community and giving new life to some of our nice old things!
What an awesome idea!!! Love it!
For the past 3 or 4 years, my mom's been doing a box of goodies for the entire family instead of individual stockings. She fills it will different food items from like Lidel or Aldi (flavored oils, soup mixes, candy we love, batteries, workbooks for the kids, etc. I love it and all of it is actually useful and fun instead of junk!!
As a grandma, I LOVE this idea. I will be doing it this year. Big thank you to your mom! 🎄
Thanks for posting this great idea!
That’s a great idea! I have 7 kids, 3 are married. I think I’ll do this for the adult kids
Such a fun idea.
So just to clarify, you give each adult child and their family a single goodie box to share? So if you have 4 married kids, you make 4 goodie boxes? I would love to forego the stockings this year because of the expense, but my adult kids *love* them!
Were yours disappointed when you stopped doing stockings?
I think great “stocking stuffers” are things you are going to purchase anyway such as: gloves, socks, t-shirts, toothpaste, lotions & toiletries, makeup, fruit/snacks, etc. My adult daughter still mentions that her favorite part of Christmas morning, after seeing what Santa left under the tree, was opening our stockings. We started with the youngest and went to the oldest.
In Croatia we celebrate St. Nicholas Day (6th December) and that's when kids clean up one boot and put it on a window sill in their room. In the morning they find it filled with something sweet if they were good. It was usually a couple of clementines a a small chocolate in my childhood and I think it's enough joy for today's kids too, mine included.
@@marinard6293 I agree about “enough joy”. I feel that most children have more than they need and are flooded with gifts and material possessions. When my children were young, I quickly realized I needed to limit their Christmas wish list to three items and one item had to be for someone else. Yes, they received more but you found out what they REALLY WANTED.
My German mother-in-law does stockings with fruit, nuts and chocolate. My kids love it and start snacking during gifts.
@@leahbegley7210 I think that’s a great idea. ❤️
Agreed!
I worked as a teacher for many years, one of my collegues had her students work on a letter to their family of what they would like to do together during the holidays. Take walks to see the decorations, make cookies, drink hot chocolate. One of them that touched my heart was making bookmarks for their family Bible study.
Great idea for our Harry Potter books.
My kids still talk about their stockings even though they are adults. They LOVED them. We always filled them with their favorite candy/nuts/ treat added in things they already used, but wouldn't have to buy for a while if found in their stocking...like deo toothpaste ink pens, etc. We topped it with a paperback book they would love or a magazine of their interest, and it was always a hit. I had years the kids said if they had to choose between a stocking and gifts, they'd choose their stocking over a gift.
My children, now adults, loved their little stocking gifts more than the bigger gifts as do my grandchildren. I do as well. Trying to find thoughtful, meaningful, and useful small gifts for everyone's stockings is enjoyable for me. Not a big fan of Christmas otherwise.
Me too I love stockings it's my favorite part. I love getting useful things like shampoo and deodorant or shavers that my older kids like.
That's what I did when my kids were young. Lip balm, deodorant, toothpaste & toothbrush, a package of their favorite nuts--peanuts, cashews, pecans, etc. Always stuff that they used. I didn't do books or magazines, but I wish I'd thought of it lol. Good idea. I don't remember ever putting little toys or do-dads in stockings.
(Edit: changed chapstick to lip balm. I've always preferred natural lip balms. I don't know why I call all of it chapstick 🤷♀)
Our kids loved stockings too. There are lots of nice and practical things you can put in them. Not sure why she said she bought cheap junk.
@@JamieM470 Exactly! Those tiny items are so much fun and practical! 👍🏼
I do not store Christmas wrapping paper from one year to the next. I buy one roll to use for the gifts we give that season, and then give the roll to the kids for those two weeks they are out of school so they can play “wrapping the presents” with it. They love it, and I don’t have to manage it until next year 😊
😆😆😆 this is such a great idea!
We used to use the “funny pages” from the newspaper to wrap presents, and then we did projects with the kids making wrapping paper with butcher paper and stamps and markers. They loved it and it people liked the unique gift wrap
This is a great idea! Because the rolls always seem to get half destroyed each year anyway. I'm going to do this!
Have the kids participate making “wrapping” paper with a roll of brown packing paper & some crayons/markers…
Sweet idea! I do save the Christmas paper rolls because I wrap my kids birthday presents in that paper. It always seems to be bigger, tougher and more for less than the actual birthday paper. I want them to have the opening experience, don’t mind the look though🤪. My Daughter’s is February so snow paper still works perfectly. My son’s September so not as much on his.
Over the past couple of years I’ve stopped buying coloured gift wrap for birthdays or Christmas - I now just use brown paper to wrap everything, and just use different coloured paper ribbon to add interest or colour. It has saved me so much money and storage space, as the same gift wrap serves me for everything, with the added bonus of being fully recyclable too.
Same…saves tons of time and still looks great with some twine or ribbon and a sprig of an herb or pine or pine cones from the yard.
Same!
Yes! And one tip is to go to your local newspaper and ask to buy a remnant roll of unprinted newspaper. They cost a few dollars and still have a lot of paper on them. It works great for packing fragile items too!
Great idea!!
Me too!
Years ago, we quit decorating a tree ( kids had convictions against it, believe it or not) so hubby built a simple manger. It’s lined with a baby blanket I embroidered 23 years ago and has held our gifts for 26 years.
So creative !
I haven’t decorated for years. The kids are all grown and we spend it with them out of state. We get to enjoy their decorations!
Not buying a new wreath. Pulling out the old one and spruce it up a bit.
My aunt used to make each family a plate of homemade cinnamon rolls, maybe a couple sugar cookies, for Christmas we all looked forward to them (still do).
I have started decorating for winter rather than Christmas. Have a few key pieces that are Christmas. Get to enjoy the "winter" decorations for a longer period of time.
I have done the same, I have an owl winter door wreath that is so cute and can be left up longer.
I do that in the fall instead of being Halloween specific! So my home looks festive from mid September thru November and then Winter decorations come out culminated with the tree! This way you can keep them up into February and not get the "naked house blues" in January!
@@lindabuzzard5523 I do too 👍
I decorate mostly with snowmen, that way I can leave them up all winter.
For many years now we have been reusing the same gift bags for the same family members. We found that most of the time you can make this work. And it's kinda fun to see whether you can stuff a sweater into a small bag or place a pair of socks into a great big bag. I do buy fresh tissue which isn't super sustainable.
After we open our gifts, everyone puts their bag into the "bag bin" to be stored until next year.
I do the same with reusing gift bags! My grown children and grandchildren love seeing a gift bag from the past!
We have a bit of a standing joke as to which house the favourite bags have migrated to 😉
Christmas can be so expensive. Everyone needs to watch this.
Oh my gosh, Dawn, thank you!!! You're such a breath of fresh air when it comes to the holidays. It's nice knowing I'm not alone when it comes to NOT going crazy.
Gifts don't need to be expensive. Some of my most memorable gifts rec'd are: fresh eggs, fresh veggies, homemade jams, cookies and sweet breads, Turtle Sundae (YUM!), handmade ornament, fuzzy socks, warm gloves, and my favorite raspberry tea. So personal. So appreciated.
Raspberry tea sounds wonderful! I agree, inexpensive homemade gifts are the best.
My favourite gifts from my husband- a homemade compost bin,and a second hand harvest basket he bought through market place and had to repair himself. From daughter when she was little - vouchers to clean her room or give me a hug.
Herbed butter!
@@thebudgetbee9694 Yum!
I only put up a tree and Christmas stockings. Very little decor and I love it. I also decided to buy white dinnerware years ago as it goes with everything and every party or gathering.
For stockings, if you want them, don't overlook essential items like toothbrushes, flannels (washcloth in US?), soap, toothpaste etc. Kids don't really care what it is they just like opening stuff 😹 and crucially it's all stuff that can get used up and isn't permanent!
My family likes to tease me about this, if it’s November and they want a new toothbrush I’m like… uhhhhh.m Christmas is coming, just limp that one along for 30 more days 😜
I always do makeup for my teen daughters.they will use and need it anyway
@@rileighbennett5023 have you tried hot water on the toothbrush?
@@rebeccaa2097 I haven’t??? Do you just poor it on top of the bristles?
Bring water to boiling, turn it of and put all the toothbrushes in for just a few minutes. Sterilizes them and watch what happens to the bristles. Let cool and keep using. Don’t leave them in so long they start to get soft.😂😅
My husband used to fill my stocking with fun and useful items. I enjoyed it better than a big gift ! He passed away 2 years ago so no more stockings for me. I'm staying away from the Christmas aisles in stores. I have enough to decorate tastefully and minimally. Thank you for the tips. I loved them all !
I pray your Christmas is filled with unexpected Joy.
Yep most of these items are no longer on my list. I am alone for the first time in over 50 years as hubs is in hospice and I do not feel like Holidays (was his favorite season as B-day was first part of December. I want to find things to donate for homeless shelters and donate foods as my new traditions, celebrate giving vs getting. My family live far apart and we stopped many years ago doing gifts, I do send out some christmas cards. No longer decorate for any holidays we stopped when downsized and moved to small apt, no place to store that kind of stuff. You can find ways to enjoy the season without spending money as we always focused on giving. Thanks for the sharing and updates for this holiday season.
My thoughts are with you and your husband this year as he is in hospice. Take good care of yourself. Buy a little poinsetta! Thats all you need! Maybe your husband could have one in hospice.
Times like these there’s so much value in reminding people that we don’t have to spend so much because there’s more important things to spend on and time to spend with people. Thank you!
My husband grew up getting small gifts on each of the 12 days of Christmas, and our fist Christmas married he surprised me with 12 gifts for me (mostly small things, like my favorite drink or candy) We passed on the traditional when our first child was born. We now have 5 kids and that adds up way too fast. So this year our 12 days includes many more activities as gifts, such as going to see the city lights with hot chocolate on the way back. We are choosing to spend time together, not just money on gifts. This was a great video, Dawn!
One year my grandmother gave every one figurines ,dishes ,what nots , from her home away for Christmas 🎄 to all of us that was the best Christmas at her house ever and especially if you’re wanting to downsize what a perfect year to do this!!!!!
I'm becoming more of a minimalist every day just watching your channel. I never intended to be a minimalist and I certainly have a lot more to do to be "official" but it makes my heart sing to watch a video like this. I was already looking for things just like this to eliminate this year. I not buying any of the stuff you listed.
I do have a cute idea for an advent calendar though. Get a mason jar and fill it with little messages of cheer, mindfulness exercises (like reminding people to take a walk and enjoy their surroundings), or activities that they can do throughout the year (like rake the neighbor's yard for them.) You can use small pieces of Christmas wrap and write the thought on the backside then fold it nicely. They don't need to be numbered but make sure you have enough to cover the season and make them customized to the family you're giving them to. They are fun to make and fun to receive.
What a fun idea
That is a great idea!
Love this idea!! ❤
Suggestion: Instead of filling Christmas stockings with "junk", fill them with short notes that describe traits you like about each person. And, maybe add a verse for that person, too. These are precious gifts that keep on giving all year long.
We do stockings but they are full of food that usually gets eaten that day. Then the kids have some snacks to munch on. We do things like oranges, a small treat, pretzels etc. We are going to focus on giving this year. Giving and serving others is truly the best part of Christmas.
Omg, thank you!! I was just thinking today about what I should get the nieces and nephews... just a homemade goodie plate now.. and I was mindlessly scrolling amazon to find deals... my family has everything they need, why am I looking for random stuff?? Thank you saying this, and setting me free! Lol 😆
As a teacher some of the gifts that all of us have enjoyed are the simple things. Use a mason 16oz glass wide mouth to transform into a travel cup, add a straw, fill with some candy or chocolate and voila! Or you can fill the glass with diy chocolate cookie, hot chocolate, or other recipe ingredients. We also gave “sunshine” notes, where we filled a jar with memories and encouraging words, each put on decorated little index cards. Love is the greatest gift of all ❤️
I will probably never give up my live Christmas tree. It brings joy to me for as long as it is up. My town collects them at the end of the season and turns them into mulch. Or we drag it into the woods behind the house and it becomes temporary home for critters
Do what you love and what makes you happy!
We live in Maine, trees are wicked cheap and they make the house smell lovely!
Fantastic ideas… I agree with 100%! I’m as old as dirt, so it’s even more important for me to keep my clutter under control. In terms of family, we have come to an agreement that if we give a gift it Hass to be consumable. Not necessarily something that you eat, but something that will get used up. It can be homemade or store-bought, doesn’t really matter.
Santa fills the stockings in our house, he brings new toothbrushes, toothpaste, maybe a treat, but mostly toiletries they get used up and they're fun then they're gone.
Yes, I'm glad other families do this as well. Stockings growing up were all our consumable and hygiene items because those arent as fun to open as wrapped gifts, but were still useful.
Yes we do this too
I love this, you should do more store walk-throughs where you point out things we like but don’t really need. ❤
I wondered if you would be asked to leave - doing a video on what not to buy 😂😂
I love that as an idea. Sometimes I take my kids to the store just so we can talk about not needing to buy everything we see. I need someone to do the same thing to me 😂
@@mariahwilson6505 Nobody knows what she is doing........
I agree!!
Yess, please!!!
Last year for my family, I bought each household of my adult children some paper items…such as Kleenex, toilet paper, etc. and then put a gift certificate for their favorite grocery store in with it…..they all loved it. Practical and useful!!
My mum started putting useful items in our stockings when we moved out. Things like toiletries, kitchen staples, etc. She is gone now but we continue the tradition!
I love doing stockings, but what we do is mostly breakfast treats (granola bars, candied nuts, oranges) and one small toy, like a tiny Lego set. That way the kids can open them right away, eat something, and have a bit of fun while the adults are busy making pancakes or whatever real breakfast is. It's a tool to make the morning run smoothly!
We had Christmas morning with my sister and her kids last year, and it was VERY different. Her stocking we're stuffed very full of toys and gadgets and whatnot. She was embarrassed and felt bad, but I was relieved we didn't have all that stuff coming home with us! And my kids barely noticed, and they got basically everything they wanted anyways. 👍🏼
I'm with you on all those items! We had a prolific blackberry season so we made so many jars of jam with them. We also are beekeepers so jam and honey are the special gifts. I love homemade items and I know others do as well.
Please put me on your gift list!
We decided that this year for the adults we are only giving food gifts. My dad and I have picked up about 300 pounds of pecans, he's been shelling for days. Cases of favorite foods that they can't find. Huge jars of pickles, old fashioned candy and cookies, frozen turkeys(for new years or whatever) our family always love this and laugh about who got the best gift. A case of moonpies one year was a favorite...Merry Christmas everyone, God bless.👍🏻⛄⛄⛄☃️☃️☃️❄❄❄
Really love emphasizing experience over meaningless gift giving. Making cookies together, going for a drive to see lights or something. Puzzles and games are big for us too!
I think a lot has to with what you value and what your traditions are as well as what stage of life you are in. For me, I will forego sending Christmas cards. Every year I sent a pic of my kids, but this year I am an empty nester. I may send a few store bought ones to far away relatives. I would never ever buy a fake tree lol or forego my stockings. But I do believe in starting new traditions just like I need to start my new empty nester life with just me and my husband. But not doing that great with that right now - too new and sad to me. :). Thanks for your videos they are great!
Stockings! We’ve continued my childhood tradition. My brilliant mother always filled stockings with breakfast items- i.e. an orange, juice box, granola bars, etc. Inexpensive consumables that didn’t add to the pile of Christmas junk and also tied us over until real breakfast after opening gifts.
Love this! It is the first thing my son wants to open so that's a great idea
You can still hang the stockings for decoration. Find a different use. Use them to send encouraging or fun notes to each other during the holidays?
Great idea!
Usually I forgo the advent calendars too, but this year we have a baby due on the 23rd of December. My other kids (all boys) are so excited to meet their sister that I think an advent calendar is a great concrete way for them to see the passage of time until they (hopefully) get to meet her! It will also help my husband and I connect with them before we have a newborn to love on 😊
Congrats!
I too have let my friends know that I won't be exchanging gifts this year. Instead, I prefer to spend time together, having lunch, coffee, etc. What a relief!
You're so respectful of different perspectives and traditions while giving good ideas/permissions for things to let go. Thanks!
Thinking about everything in the house as inventory I have to manage has been life changing!!!! This is not the first time I've commented this, but it really does bear repeating. It has changed how I think about shopping for everything from food to holiday to clothing. Thank you, Dawn!!
I have started a log that involves making sure that I remove more items (not including consumables) from our home than we bring in. It is really motivating as the average home contains 300,000 items. Insane!
I agree that there are definitely things I don’t need to buy this year. Many years ago, the adults in the family decided not to buy gifts for each other anymore. Instead we do a ‘white elephant’ blind exchange. Each adult brings a gift they got in prior years that they never used. Instead of gifting to a specific person, it gets a number. After Christmas dinner, each adult draws a number from a hat and the corresponding gift is theirs. Then the fun begins. Starting with the person who drew #1, they can exchange their gift with someone else or keep the gift they got, then it goes to #2, etc. Once a gift has changed hands twice, it is ‘dead’ and can no longer be exchanged. Several items have cycled back year after year. This game generates a lot of laughter and memories.
Dawn, you can paint the metal parts of your earrings with clear nail polish and that should take care of the discoloration problem.
We chose to buy a real Christmas tree for the past 17 years, it something I prioritize in our budget. It is a day after Thanksgiving day tradition our children look forward to each year and we go to a small family owned tree farm where we get to cut the tree ourselves. Also, I love that I don't have to store our tree in the basement each year. We live on a farm so disposal of a real tree is simple.
When it comes to stocking stuffers we have chosen to put in a lot of consumable items we would be buying anyway. Our girls have LOVED receiving gum, special treats, tape (they use up our so quickly when doing crafts), new toothbrushes, and new gel pens/markers or whatever item they used up over the past year. It is a great way to replenish some of these items but turn them into a gift. For some reason pouring them out of their stocking on Christmas morning makes them way more fun then if I'd brought them home in a Walmart bag. LOL
Stockings are my kids favorite part of Christmas morning. Everyone buys 1 or 2 small items for every member of our house and each person gets their own stash of any Christmas candy we've bought. The kids know they can come to our bed at 6am, and even now that we have 2 teenagers, there's a lot of joy and excitement. We also do a live tree, but I have noticed they are going up in price, so we might switch to fake after this year. However, when I looked at the price of fake ones this year, I about had heart failure - so either thrifted or clearance for us if we're going to make this transition. Oh, and I don't know if this is just something we did in my house growing up, but we use advent calendars over and over and over again. I have some my mom passed down to me that are at this point antique German ones, and my husband and I have a special one that we've used for 23 years now that we bought on our honeymoon.
I went through my holiday decorations and and donated a lot. I found I used the same things every year and many items I never had room or cared for. Even valuable collectibles are only good if used . Our grown kids and grandkids like to see the familiar ones and ones with meaning to them.
I am always so touched by your sincere and heartfelt "I love you" at the end of your videos, Dawn. I love you too!
I’ve always been very excited to buy new Christmas decorations and always add to my collection. It won’t be happening this year-and I’m absolutely fine with that! I’d rather use that money to help a family that may not be as fortunate.
Growing up our parents would put a tangerine, a bag of chocolate coins, and an apple, in one of my father’s socks. Sometimes we got shined new coins which my father must have picked up from the bank. That was most people’s Christmas stocking before disposable income became so widespread. We continued this tradition for our kids. I think it is the glamorizing of traditions that makes them expensive.
Always a good reminder that we don't NEED a lot of the stuff we buy and we don't need to buy things because we think we need it or others are getting. You do you for the holidays. I needed that today.
Loved all your tips Dawn! Jesus is the reason for the season and not all of the materialism and endless shopping!💕
Growing up we did stocking stuffers. However, they were mostly practical items. Like nail polish, socks, tooth brush, hair clips, maybe some nice costume jewelry, box of crayons or colored pencils, etc.
For gift wrapping, I’ve found buying different sized brown gift bags wonderful. I can use holiday bows & tissue paper, generic embellishments, birthday themes, etc. to make them festive. They are much sturdier, I don’t need a huge inventory, and they are always ready no matter the occasion.
I love to give gifts (and to get them, but that’s less important). Gift-giving is super stressful for my husband, though, so in the last couple of years together it’s been interesting to really explore what we want and how we want to express our love in a Christmas way. I made us an advent calendar of fun activities and good deeds, and we do it each year, and it’s become my favorite tradition. ❤
It’s been years since we’ve exchanged adult gifts and made Christmas for just the kids. I’m not a grinch but it’s been way less stressful and that’s the best gift of all.
We started doing ice cream cone "gingerbread" trees with our kids! Super easy for Littles, very low cost. We want to try the pop tart houses this year ♡
Thanks for your suggestions for Christmas. If I want something special decorating items I go to a thrift store. I found some beautiful glass candle holders last year for $2. I think that's the best way to get a little something special for Christmas.
This year we are focused on Gift experiences instead of stuff. Resisting buying any decor. Just enjoying people and time together.
Love this! Well apart from the tree... A real tree is THE most important thing for our family. The smell, the family trip to get it, the clear up of needles post Christmas.
We do stockings in our house but I deliberately chose small ones and traditionally fill them with new toothbrushes, sponges, socks, pens - basically all things that I'd end up buying the kids anyway and then a few chocolate coins which are consumable.
This year we’re not doing gifts in stockings. Definitely keeping the stockings, but having family members and friends drop an encouraging note, quote, memory, etc into them.
A few times I've done a rule where we can only give gifts that fit in a stocking. Keeps it modest and humble.
Great video! We also haven't bought any of the 15 items for years. Here are some other tips that I would like to share: My husband and I stopped buying each other gifts for Christmas many years ago since we give each other stuff throughout the year (but we still get stuff for the kiddos and try to purchase them by Nov 1). Some may gasp at the idea, but it's great, and we are happily married, lol. Since we like to focus on Jesus and the gift of salvation, we don't save the "big" gifts for Christmas either. Instead, we give those for bdays or random times throughout the year. It helps us to focus on the real reason that we celebrate Christmas, and it removes the burden of trying to do bigger and better each year with gifts. Each year for all major holidays I keep a log that includes the menu, the game plan, what ACTUALLY happens, and any lessons learned or things that I want to repeat or eliminate for the next year. It's VERY helpful to review each year. I say all this to share that there are many ways to celebrate in a meaningful way and you don't have to feel pressured to spend a lot of money. It's okay! Simplify and have fun, and you will discover that by Jan 1, you won't feel burnt out. Hopefully, this helps somebody. Love y'all!
Your graham cracker houses are so cute. What a fun project. One of our favorite activities is to drive around looking at Christmas lights and then go home for hot chocolate (or tea, whatever) and pie, or some home made treat. Not expensive, but fun and great memories with kids.
Dear ¨ Minimal Mom ¨, you are like a Christmas Fairy, you help thousands of people by reassuring them that all the STUFF advertised to be bought...are not necessary to make the Holiday Season....an wonder-full one! To buy...for the right/good reason must be the mantra for all of us. What we have is often enough (and the rest? is the people we love); thank you so much for this video!! helene :))
Sometimes “permission” is what we’re waiting for - thanks Dawn! Many years ago I ran across “Unplug the Christmas Machine” - what a great concept - it revolutionized Christmas prep/execution for me, and enhanced our family’s enjoyment of the entire season.
This was so useful! You mentioned a couple things to skip that are deeply meaningful for us, like a live tree, but also a couple we planned to skip, like gingerbread houses. I really appreciate how you say that we have to decide to cut out what really doesn't matter that much to our particular family. My husband's favorite part of the holidays is decorating a real tree from a family friend's farm, but none of us care very much about new decor, matching PJs or craft kits. A pared down holiday is needed in our consumer culture anyway.
Homemade gifts are the best! I think people will especially treasure them this year. 🎄 Thank you for the ideas!
The tree is my favourite part too - even when I was little and we didn't have money, I told my parents I'd rather have the tree and no presents than the presents and no tree. (They hand-made presents out of what they already had in the house, and I still remember it as one of the best Christmases ever!)
Ditto…..we get a real tree and have scaled back many other things.
I made a decision to not purchase any Christmas decor until I’ve already decorated with the stuff I have and love. I’m always so tempted in November when all the cute Christmas decor comes out in stores but I have my own that I absolutely love but might have forgotten about. Waiting until I’ve gotten all my things out reminds me that I don’t need anything 🙂
Our grandchildren are going to be so thrilled and happy when they open a big box of paper towel tubes, wrapping paper tubes and TP. tubes. they like to build like your children. Merry Free Christmas.
I used to save the front of Christmas cards each year, the ones that were pretty. I cut them into smaller pieces to use as gift cards. Hole punch and string/yarn/ribbon and you gave a gift tag!!
🎄 We had a really nice pre-lit artificial tree. It was rather large and we’d had it more than 10 years, and we were tired of storing it and dragging it out. We just donated it in a nice storage bag this last weekend. We will either get a small tree or if it’s too costly we’ll get creative. Maybe decorate the fake ficus. 😁
I vite for the fake ficus
My friend never gets a tree, but always looks for a beautiful big branch that's fallen off a tree and decorates that. It always looks lovely.
We have had our fake tree for 31 years. We got it when we got married. This will be the 32nd Christmas that we have used it, and it looks great! Also, you are so right that most people want to opt out of gift exchanges or they want to minimize it by using a secret Santa format. 🙂
Buying one large roll of brown wrapping paper, and keeping various solid colors of ribbon can keep your wrapping supplies more minimal and you can make any gift look nice!
We cut a live tree in the woods every year and have for generations . The trip to the hills is our family tradition and great memories.
Last year we opted to do a secret Santa exchange thru Elfster. Everyone got a budget to spend and we all filled out a wishlist so we truly got what we wanted and not a bunch of random crud!! So so SO good! Can’t recommend enough!🎉
we have been using elfster for a long time as well. i wish i could get my in laws on board!
is Elfster and app?
@@BickyToya yes ma’am -and best of all it’s free!
This is what all the adults in my husband's family do.
We also use Elfster and have for a very long time our adult children and spouses love it!
Great list-very liberating! As someone who used to buy this, I'd add: Christmas throw pillows, bedding, dishes. Anything I have to store for 11 months better be worth it.
"Anything I have to store for 11 months better be worth it." That's brilliant!!!!
What a GENIUS idea!!! INVENTORY your gift wrapping supplies before the season starts. I just did it - confirmed that I do NOT need to buy gift wrap, bows, bags, name tags, gift boxes or ribbon. Absolutely genius Dawn...thank you!
Watching in November 2023 and still helpful! It is so good to be reminded that it is not all the stuff that makes Christmas, Christmas. It is just too easy to get caught up with all the newest, brightest, greatest trinkets. Love the note about stocking stuffers ... I hate them. Just junk and candy we don't need.
I am with you on all of these ideas, Dawn, except the stocking. Every kid (5) gets a different flavor of Pringles. It fills up most of the stocking. But I don't think I can get rid of the stockings - gift cards and personal items and homemade things! It is so fun to fill. I get a lot of joy filling them up.
Couldn't give up stockings we put edible gifts and toiletries in ours! 😍
I completely agree. We do the same and it is one of my favourite things! :)
Same here! I loved our stockings as a kid! They were filled with candy, a new “fancy” toothbrush, hair accessories, and chapstick! Sometimes a small gift card and my favorite some cheap one dollar scratch offs haha. 😊
In Ireland we have great Christmas's! Christmas stockings, PJ's, curated photo's and special tableware aren't something we do, though the shops do sell them very recently. Less is definitely more here, its about being together, seeing the people you love, time off work and lots of craic!
Instead of the gingerbread house, I find a house pattern online, cut it out of a box and hotglue it together. Then the kids decorate it with whatever we can find around the house. It helps clear out the "trinket jar" and also the extra little junk in the craft supplies that aren't enough for other projects. One time I made 37 of these cardboard houses for a kid's group at church. The kids had fun making their gingerbread houses, they didn't fall apart while they were making them, and they were FREE [except for the glue...].
I got matching family pajamas for the 4 of us at home as well as our married son, his wife and daughter for $1 a set on clearance last year!!
Thanks so much for your thoughts. This was exactly what I needed to hear. My husband is in his second year working on his masters and as you can imagine our budget is tight. Inflation hasn't been fun and I've been feeling a little torn over what to do for my 4 girls this Christmas. This was exactly the message I needed to hear. Always love your videos. Thank you again!!
We had a few years when money was scarce. The kids were small. My daughters K teacher gave me sone if her sons toys he had outgrown, and some looked brand new. We put a car playset in a plain box and wrapped it, our son was 2 and felt so special when we told him the elves had tested it to be sure it worked. Its the love that counts.
For me there’s more joy in the Christmas items from yonder year than new things!
I love that my parents filled stockings with nectarines, bananas, apples, peanuts, and other nice snacks. We loved making a giant structure with the food and pose for a family picture
My local Dollar Tree stores have really cute Christmas/Holiday craft kits if your kiddos do enjoy them and you want to purchase them. Can't beat $1.25!
You can store the candles that you have for power outages.
I use brown paper for most wrapping at Christmas and buy beautiful ribbons and other details when they go on clearance every year after Christmas. It's fun to get creative about each gift I wrap.
Ever since my father passed unexpectedly, my siblings and mom and I have put the money we would have spent on gifts to each other toward a charitable cause in his name. He would have loved that and we don’t need anything. Our kids enjoy contributing also and their gift is the time spent with cousins rather than gifts ❤
My family does essentials as stocking stuffers like toothpaste shampoo etc along with some small candy. It gives us more to open while being stuff that would be bought anyway. It wasn’t that exciting as kids but now that my sister and I are older and starting to buy most things ourselves it’s very appreciated.
Totally agree on these things to omit from the shopping list. We started years ago using cloth wrapping bags in addition to some paper wrapping. I’m down to 1/2 a roll of paper so this may be the year we only use cloth bags. They are a fun and simple sewing project even for beginners . I’ve used extra sheets, fabric napkins and other found fabrics to keep it really economical and sewed on nice ribbons to tie them easily. They get stored away after Christmas with our limited decorations, which all fit with the tree in our hope chest.
We will carry on with stockings. I’ve always filled them with consumables and/or necessities. On a typical year the stockings may be filled with: an orange in the toe, a favorite candy they like, pens or a small notebook, a roll of tape, socks or small item of clothing, a favorite drink, gum, a toothbrush, floss, nice soap. I think my poor college kids will especially appreciate keeping with this tradition.
We always do an orange in the toe of the stockings too! I don’t know how/where that developed, but it’s nice because it fills up a lot of the stocking and then we slice them up and have them with our Christmas breakfast/brunch.
Glad I am not the only mom who put toothbrushes and floss in stockings. Chapstick was another stocking staple.
So Appreciated !!!
I love to make simple snack mixes or jars of hot chocolate mix to gift. People appreciate them and the cost of the Mason jars and ingredients is budget friendly!
I replaced my 20 year old artificial tree last year and my eldest son took it to his house (some of the lower branches had to be fixed) he has dogs and a young baby so he didn't want anything fancy and it's small enough to place on top of a stable table in the corner, works well. I bought the one with optic fibres so I don't have to fiddle with lights either, one switch and one light source!
I also bought a tablecloth last year, so not going to get anything like that this year.
I think I will declutter some more decorations, I get really tired these days of setting up and taking down the decorations.
Great advice Dawn! We cut a tree from the woods behind our house. I have never ever even considered matching pj’s or pro family pics. I enjoy candles but only burn them for short periods of time which makes them last a long time. I simmer spices on the stove. I bought two mega rolls of xmas wrapping paper several years ago and they may outlast me 😂. I avoid the stores for at least a week post xmas to resist temptation. I love my holiday decor so no need to add to it. This took some years of trial and error but I am now satisfied with it. We exchange gifts with the people whom we spend the holiday and only mail to a couple of people. We are foodies so our emphasis has been small gifts but lots of cooking and baking and we use the same kitchen linens year round. We do have pretty tablecloth that we get out for xmas. We keep the focus on family fun activities not the stuff and that’s where memories are made. 😍
I most appreciate this video because it is so inspiring to see you in a store where impulse buying is so easy yet you are able to walk through and voice the reasoning behind not buying these items. It helps to bring clarity to why we purchase what we purchase and though we could buy these things there is a choice to opt out and allow more time for meaningful moments this season. Thank you!
Our family gifts kids until they are out of college. Older ones get gift cards or cash! Younger ones a toy and one or two things they need. Our grandboys do ask for the craft kits, so I do buy those on clearance along with hats and gloves. I declutter a little more holiday decor every year. Things to stock up on, baking and cleaning supplies, bathroom essentials, and garbage bags. I buy enough to last thru New Years. Thanks Dawn!
We do toiletries and candy in our stockings, so it doesn't stick around for too long.
We have bags made of Christmas fabric that we use for our immediate family instead of wrapping paper. My mother made them years ago and we are adding to them this year as there were only about 5. They look lovely and festive, pretty much last forever (which saves money) and I'm always happy that I have less paper that needs recycling!
We do this, too! Very budget friendly, one less thing to remember to purchase around the holidays, and less waste.