My kids' stockings were always filled with necessities like shampoo, character toothbrush and toothpaste, bubble bath, hair elastics, lip balm, as well as consumable treats.
My mother has for years given “l Love you “ presents to her grandchildren in the form of Stocks. It has had a greater impact than other gifts received combined!
This is the first year of minimalist Christmas for us. I have sent a small gift from my children to family. Lucky to only have a small family but 2022 is going to be 💯 minimalist no spending I've worked it out and i will be debt free by November 2022 and that's a fantastic feeling.
This year I have done away with an artificial Christmas tree - got a Norfolk pine in a pot, made paper decorations and dried orange slices as decorations with some lights, so minimalist, so nice. And I will have this tree for many Christmas's to come. Ornaments can be remade each year since there disposable, eco friendly - reducing waste, carbon footprint, better for the planet. Loving it!! We also only buy 1 present for the person who's name we draw, and a gift from a ' wish list' we create, to a certain $ value, for the whole family, that way you still don't 💯% know what yr getting, but it's guaranteed to be something you want, will use and not wasteful, and no one goes into debt buying useless gifts, and you only have 1 present to buy. I have nooo stress whatever at Christmas and can focus on the joy of Christmas and being with family.
We did the Norfolk pine this year and natural Christmas decor, second hand and a few craft supplies to let the kids make ornaments. Never will go back to a plastic or real Christmas tree. Love the Norfolk pine.
For Christmas I would love to receive a hand written note from my family 💛 maybe a good quote, an amazing experience we shared, word affirmations or even sending a picture of a funny meme! That would make my heart so full of joy. Thank you minimalist team for sharing this topic on your podcast!
For my gift this year I told my husband I wanted 12 notecards. He writes me special notes, a poem or may put in a special picture of us. He numbers and dates them. Then he hides them around the house. It is fun to find one in a drawer or book I may open to read. He has done this in the past and I have them all saved in a box and have gone back and read some overtime. Sometimes I don’t find one for years. We have been married for 47 years and this is one of my favorite gifts. I love it!❤
In response to the Darn Tough sock suggestion, I can confirm that they are incredibly high quality. I'm a forestry major and wore my two pairs my entire college career with absolutely no issues. They're also made of merino wool so they're naturally antibacterial. Would highly recommend them to anyone concerned about quality.
I love the gift of experiences too. I like concerts. I would rather have that than ANY material possessions. Everyone was stuck at home so nobody could do anything. I spent the pandemic taking care and spending time with my Dad who passed in September. No material possession can take the place of that now. Thank you for what you guys do. I love these videos!
Work is what stresses me out during the holidays. They pressure us to participate in giving gifts to coworkers and getting gifts from coworkers. They also pressure us to give to the organization’s they want us to donate to. It’s so stressful. I try to live a life without a lot of stuff. I don’t want candy, cookies etc. for health reasons. I have a hard time with my eating as it is. In this day and age why do people still promote this tradition? I try not to participate but it’s horrible at work.
Thanks Josh, Ryan and team. Good to see you having a laugh too, made me smile. This year I have been so humbled by my friends and family, they have all listened patiently to my struggle with being overwhelmed by possessions and they each gifted me an experience for my recent birthday. I am so fortunate to have people in my life that truly hear me and respect my move towards simplicity and Minimalism, even though they take the piss out of me sometimes, it is always in good fun and I respond accordingly 😁 Be well guys, Sally 🌹
I am a Muslim. We have two celebrations called Eid every year. For Eid we give only clothes as gifts to only immediate family members so they can wear them on the day of the celebration. Close relatives and family friends often give a small amount of gift money(cash) called Eidi to the young kids.I think it’s a good idea to give a small amount of money instead of buying a gift that kids may not like.
Lovely listening to your podcast, with the rain pooring outside, cup of tea, what a treat ! Thank you so much for all your lovely ideas. What an amazing fun episode. Congrats !
As a mother of a 6 year old girl I am wondering what is the best way to handle Christmas with a child. For example if my child's friends get thousands of gifts from "Santa" but she "only" gets books and a toothbrush how can I make her feel confident that she is still loved and that it is enough? I don't want her to think that she is loved less than the others. What is the best way to talk to a child about minimalism? Btw: her only wish for Christmas so far is a book. So she doesn't even want any new toys or anything like that.
a couple years back, I "lost it" when I couldn't get ideas for Christmas gifts for the adults in the family. From that point forward, I've managed to get the family to understand we only give out physical gifts to those under 18. Part of my rationale was that my family is fortunate to have good paying, full time jobs. I'd rather assist my family in other areas than fighting through a shopping mall every winter to get a gift that I don't even know is something they'd desire. The result is a giant lift of stress and anxiety off my shoulders every Christmas...that feeling is awesome.
I have 8 children 22 grandchildren 12 great-grandchildren I crest family gifts Hot chocolate, cookings a video age apporpret for the family. Singles get a card and a fast food gift card.or Starbucks cards. Baby's get Morgan silver dollars,or a gold coin. Or small julery or a family gift card for the movie.
We budget everything, including Christmas, and make a point to only use cash. Besides experiences I have found myself gifting practical items. For example: clothing items, toiletries (tooth brush, tooth paste, soap), generic visa gift cards, homemade food items, homemade canned jams. I just figure that we need new clothes, toiletries, etc anyways. For immediate family I get clothes, toiletries, and a gift that they really want and ask for. For everyone else I make a gift bag of treats (chocolate, homemade food items, homemade canned jams) with a generic visa gift card.
Xmas is and has been commercialized for years and years. It's all about getting that perfect gift. The next day, there's a line a mile long with people returning that perfect gift. Give someone a gift all year round of a helping hand or a listening ear.
I really struggle with this. We have minimised spending on gifts, but we still spend a lot at Christmas because all the little experiences add up. We have 4 kids. You bake cookies, do crafts, go to a fair, host a family dinner and before you know it you’ve spent a lot of money. My biggest revelation this year was that I need to stop comparing my life to others. I am trying to compare myself to someone who has 4 times as much budget and half the number of kids. It’s never going to go well. I really need to stop doing that.
I think you guys are misunderstanding the gift giving love language. It means that I pay special attention to the other persons likes, interests, personality and I give them a gift/experience that is so tailored that they know I have attentively thought about who they are and what would cause them joy. Its not about the gift or the money spent at all. In fact it could be something I make or something I find...But it is so specific to that person that they will 'feel' my care and attentiveness in the gift.
I truly love you guys. I just forwarded your podcast to 3 of my meditation friends. I recently made a decision to retire and live on my Social Security. Recently I was offered a job back in my old profession in pharmacy and I considered taking that part-time job and then realized how much I enjoy being retired and that I could live within my means if I stopped buying these non-essentials I got into a habit during the pandemic with Amazon. As I look around I find that I have everything I need and I've been able to use my extra time as a volunteer on different projects which brings me so much joy. I am an avid reader and use both the Libby app and my local library. It is a great way to minimize my habit of just buying books. This podcast actually added so much to my minimalism vocabulary because I have been trying to get my family to give only gifts that don't have a birthday such as soap, paper products, gift cards to grocery stores Etc. Thank you for this intelligent podcast and I look forward to watching others and hopefully become a small patreon.
I HATED the gift giving.. a It was always met with some ungrateful comment or "have you got the receipt" yet I didn't feel I had enough money to give as the actual gift so they could get the thing they wanted, so I chose to buy a safe gift in the sale.. I tried just doing the card and got the silent treatment and fallout from "you forgot me"!?! On the flip side that family has gone, either dead or fractured (because they're greedy/self-centered!). So whilst I don't have the gift guilt on that large a scale, I have a Christmas full of expectations from the messages we get rammed down or throats - big family's, full of love, full of sing song get togethers.. it's almost a time of mourning instead! I have no idea what to give my husband, it feels wrong to not give him anything, its like I don't appreciate him!? "Experiences" can be expensive too. So I don't know, I need to work on this. I definitely don't want to buy just for the sake of it, yet I want them to know they're appreciated.. perhaps tickets to something he enjoys and can do together.. My Dad on the other hand still wants a gift, it kinda goes against what I want to do (not give each other anything), but it makes him happy, he would hate a day out/experience gift. He usually gives me something I don't want so I dread birthday and Christmas tbh. if I donate it I feel I'm wasting his money.. yet I've returned things in the past and really upset him! More things = more stress. It's really true.
I love the thought of experiences for gifts! For the people who really like to give "thing" I've made a point of telling them, I don't need a bunch of random stuff, like stalking suffers, I don't need more clothes, or knick nacks, etc. Instead I tell them 1 something I could use, like I love gardening so I asked for a hose reel so when I garden I can enjoy it more by having an easier time winding up the hose, or I train and ride horses, so I ask for a piece of quality gear that I need to do that, is good for my horses and I can use with that passion for years to come. It's made Christmas much more minimalistic and I feel better that everyone isn't spending extra money on random stuff I'm just going to put in my donation box.
I took my mom up the Pacific Coast to Seattle, Bellingham, Vancouver and Victoria on her 65th birthday. I booked nice hotels. She loved that trip. I wish I had done more things like that when she was alive.
Did away with all the self-imposed Christmas junk over a decade ago - if it's such a wonderful time of year, why is everyone frenzied, stressed, and overwhelmed doing stuff they don't even like? Every day is "Christmas" for me.....I want & need something every day (chocolate!). Even on days when I don't get what I "want" - it's a great present from the universe telling me: "You already have what you need". How about if we all made up our own holidays? Be as silly and creative as you want - whatever celebrates you!
We had unfortunate lack of luck with experiences given to family. Because of covid and some other circumstances a lot didn't work or didn't happened. Restaurants went out of business, things cancelled etc. We actually have been told not to do vouchers anymore as gifts for some people (we asked about what would they like the most as hate the idea of giving what we think is right or what someone doesn't find any value in). Which is sad. We still do experiences for ourselves and our daughter and got our family to decrease the amount of physical random gifts and instead give cash. Not exactly what we set to do. But potentially better as we can use if for what truly brings value for us and our daughter while decrease on donating all the stuff /gifts we never used. This year we are trying new tradition for our family Christmas with spreading the celebration from Winter Solstice (the original xmas right? 😁) 21st Dec to 1st January to create longer period of enjoyment and decrease stress. Me and my husband instead of buying xmas gifts we agree on day and go to restaurant to have a nice meal. This year on 26th Dec we are taking our daughter to Christmas light trail in Botnaic garden as part of our experience.
I bought my dad a dinner voucher , my step mum a wash and blow wave and my Mumma her favourite face cream …. Xmas is done for me and I keep in budget and everyone will enjoy the gift and it will get used up and not sit around till the next Xmas
@@jenniferdeanna9922 I really thought about it this year and I’m so proud of my gifts I hope they enjoy them . I just get sick of walking around looking at stuff that’s either crap quality or way out of my budget . So doing it this way really helped xxx
Hubby asked what I wanted for our anniversary/Christmas (both in December). I said a trip, so we are taking our sons on a cross-country road trip on Boxing Day and before NYE. Fun family time and lots of memories to be made.
My kids' stockings were always filled with necessities like shampoo, character toothbrush and toothpaste, bubble bath, hair elastics, lip balm, as well as consumable treats.
Yes, things that they need.
My mother has for years given “l Love you “ presents to her grandchildren in the form of Stocks. It has had a greater impact than other gifts received combined!
This is the first year of minimalist Christmas for us. I have sent a small gift from my children to family. Lucky to only have a small family but 2022 is going to be 💯 minimalist no spending I've worked it out and i will be debt free by November 2022 and that's a fantastic feeling.
This year I have done away with an artificial Christmas tree - got a Norfolk pine in a pot, made paper decorations and dried orange slices as decorations with some lights, so minimalist, so nice. And I will have this tree for many Christmas's to come. Ornaments can be remade each year since there disposable, eco friendly - reducing waste, carbon footprint, better for the planet. Loving it!!
We also only buy 1 present for the person who's name we draw, and a gift from a ' wish list' we create, to a certain $ value, for the whole family, that way you still don't 💯% know what yr getting, but it's guaranteed to be something you want, will use and not wasteful, and no one goes into debt buying useless gifts, and you only have 1 present to buy.
I have nooo stress whatever at Christmas and can focus on the joy of Christmas and being with family.
We did the Norfolk pine this year and natural Christmas decor, second hand and a few craft supplies to let the kids make ornaments. Never will go back to a plastic or real Christmas tree. Love the Norfolk pine.
For Christmas I would love to receive a hand written note from my family 💛 maybe a good quote, an amazing experience we shared, word affirmations or even sending a picture of a funny meme! That would make my heart so full of joy.
Thank you minimalist team for sharing this topic on your podcast!
For my gift this year I told my husband I wanted 12 notecards. He writes me special notes, a poem or may put in a special picture of us. He numbers and dates them. Then he hides them around the house. It is fun to find one in a drawer or book I may open to read. He has done this in the past and I have them all saved in a box and have gone back and read some overtime. Sometimes I don’t find one for years. We have been married for 47 years and this is one of my favorite gifts. I love it!❤
In response to the Darn Tough sock suggestion, I can confirm that they are incredibly high quality. I'm a forestry major and wore my two pairs my entire college career with absolutely no issues. They're also made of merino wool so they're naturally antibacterial. Would highly recommend them to anyone concerned about quality.
Minimalism isn’t deprivation! Good point, Ryan!😊
I love the gift of experiences too. I like concerts. I would rather have that than ANY material possessions. Everyone was stuck at home so nobody could do anything. I spent the pandemic taking care and spending time with my Dad who passed in September. No material possession can take the place of that now. Thank you for what you guys do. I love these videos!
Work is what stresses me out during the holidays. They pressure us to participate in giving gifts to coworkers and getting gifts from coworkers. They also pressure us to give to the organization’s they want us to donate to. It’s so stressful. I try to live a life without a lot of stuff. I don’t want candy, cookies etc. for health reasons. I have a hard time with my eating as it is. In this day and age why do people still promote this tradition? I try not to participate but it’s horrible at work.
Thanks Josh, Ryan and team. Good to see you having a laugh too, made me smile. This year I have been so humbled by my friends and family, they have all listened patiently to my struggle with being overwhelmed by possessions and they each gifted me an experience for my recent birthday. I am so fortunate to have people in my life that truly hear me and respect my move towards simplicity and Minimalism, even though they take the piss out of me sometimes, it is always in good fun and I respond accordingly 😁 Be well guys, Sally 🌹
My joyous day of the year is everyday
I am a Muslim. We have two celebrations called Eid every year. For Eid we give only clothes as gifts to only immediate family members so they can wear them on the day of the celebration. Close relatives and family friends often give a small amount of gift money(cash) called Eidi to the young kids.I think it’s a good idea to give a small amount of money instead of buying a gift that kids may not like.
Lovely listening to your podcast, with the rain pooring outside, cup of tea, what a treat ! Thank you so much for all your lovely ideas. What an amazing fun episode. Congrats !
Thank you so much Josh and Ryan! Your response is really helpful. :)
Chapstick is the best stocking stuffer.
As a mother of a 6 year old girl I am wondering what is the best way to handle Christmas with a child. For example if my child's friends get thousands of gifts from "Santa" but she "only" gets books and a toothbrush how can I make her feel confident that she is still loved and that it is enough? I don't want her to think that she is loved less than the others. What is the best way to talk to a child about minimalism?
Btw: her only wish for Christmas so far is a book. So she doesn't even want any new toys or anything like that.
a couple years back, I "lost it" when I couldn't get ideas for Christmas gifts for the adults in the family. From that point forward, I've managed to get the family to understand we only give out physical gifts to those under 18. Part of my rationale was that my family is fortunate to have good paying, full time jobs. I'd rather assist my family in other areas than fighting through a shopping mall every winter to get a gift that I don't even know is something they'd desire. The result is a giant lift of stress and anxiety off my shoulders every Christmas...that feeling is awesome.
I have 8 children 22 grandchildren 12 great-grandchildren
I crest family gifts
Hot chocolate, cookings a video age apporpret for the family.
Singles get a card and a fast food gift card.or Starbucks cards.
Baby's get Morgan silver dollars,or a gold coin. Or small julery or a family gift card for the movie.
we are going tohelp a family I need this christmas
We budget everything, including Christmas, and make a point to only use cash. Besides experiences I have found myself gifting practical items. For example: clothing items, toiletries (tooth brush, tooth paste, soap), generic visa gift cards, homemade food items, homemade canned jams. I just figure that we need new clothes, toiletries, etc anyways.
For immediate family I get clothes, toiletries, and a gift that they really want and ask for. For everyone else I make a gift bag of treats (chocolate, homemade food items, homemade canned jams) with a generic visa gift card.
Love this episode!
Fortify yourself with moderation,for this is an impenetrable fortress.
Xmas is and has been commercialized for years and years. It's all about getting that perfect gift. The next day, there's a line a mile long with people returning that perfect gift. Give someone a gift all year round of a helping hand or a listening ear.
I need a recommendation for a good scanner for photos and important files and such. I also need a recommendation on what to store them on. Thanks!
oh I miss the little giggles at the beginning of each program :(
Ryan , agree with your pity answer :)
I’m 12 and am transitioning to minimalism now. Your videos always help me! Thanks
Joseph, never too young to start, good luck!
@@TeriHargraveartist thank you !
I really struggle with this. We have minimised spending on gifts, but we still spend a lot at Christmas because all the little experiences add up. We have 4 kids. You bake cookies, do crafts, go to a fair, host a family dinner and before you know it you’ve spent a lot of money. My biggest revelation this year was that I need to stop comparing my life to others. I am trying to compare myself to someone who has 4 times as much budget and half the number of kids. It’s never going to go well. I really need to stop doing that.
I think you guys are misunderstanding the gift giving love language. It means that I pay special attention to the other persons likes, interests, personality and I give them a gift/experience that is so tailored that they know I have attentively thought about who they are and what would cause them joy. Its not about the gift or the money spent at all. In fact it could be something I make or something I find...But it is so specific to that person that they will 'feel' my care and attentiveness in the gift.
Dude, she carried you for 9 months, birthed you & took care of you for YEARS, get her some freaking chocolates & flowers!
I truly love you guys. I just forwarded your podcast to 3 of my meditation friends. I recently made a decision to retire and live on my Social Security. Recently I was offered a job back in my old profession in pharmacy and I considered taking that part-time job and then realized how much I enjoy being retired and that I could live within my means if I stopped buying these non-essentials I got into a habit during the pandemic with Amazon. As I look around I find that I have everything I need and I've been able to use my extra time as a volunteer on different projects which brings me so much joy. I am an avid reader and use both the Libby app and my local library. It is a great way to minimize my habit of just buying books. This podcast actually added so much to my minimalism vocabulary because I have been trying to get my family to give only gifts that don't have a birthday such as soap, paper products, gift cards to grocery stores Etc. Thank you for this intelligent podcast and I look forward to watching others and hopefully become a small patreon.
I HATED the gift giving.. a
It was always met with some ungrateful comment or "have you got the receipt" yet I didn't feel I had enough money to give as the actual gift so they could get the thing they wanted, so I chose to buy a safe gift in the sale..
I tried just doing the card and got the silent treatment and fallout from "you forgot me"!?!
On the flip side that family has gone, either dead or fractured (because they're greedy/self-centered!).
So whilst I don't have the gift guilt on that large a scale, I have a Christmas full of expectations from the messages we get rammed down or throats - big family's, full of love, full of sing song get togethers.. it's almost a time of mourning instead!
I have no idea what to give my husband, it feels wrong to not give him anything, its like I don't appreciate him!?
"Experiences" can be expensive too. So I don't know, I need to work on this.
I definitely don't want to buy just for the sake of it, yet I want them to know they're appreciated.. perhaps tickets to something he enjoys and can do together..
My Dad on the other hand still wants a gift, it kinda goes against what I want to do (not give each other anything), but it makes him happy, he would hate a day out/experience gift. He usually gives me something I don't want so I dread birthday and Christmas tbh. if I donate it I feel I'm wasting his money.. yet I've returned things in the past and really upset him!
More things = more stress. It's really true.
I love the thought of experiences for gifts! For the people who really like to give "thing" I've made a point of telling them, I don't need a bunch of random stuff, like stalking suffers, I don't need more clothes, or knick nacks, etc. Instead I tell them 1 something I could use, like I love gardening so I asked for a hose reel so when I garden I can enjoy it more by having an easier time winding up the hose, or I train and ride horses, so I ask for a piece of quality gear that I need to do that, is good for my horses and I can use with that passion for years to come. It's made Christmas much more minimalistic and I feel better that everyone isn't spending extra money on random stuff I'm just going to put in my donation box.
I took my mom up the Pacific Coast to Seattle, Bellingham, Vancouver and Victoria on her 65th birthday. I booked nice hotels. She loved that trip. I wish I had done more things like that when she was alive.
It's not about how much you spend. But you're totally wrong about not enjoying giving other people well-considered gifts...
Did away with all the self-imposed Christmas junk over a decade ago - if it's such a wonderful time of year, why is everyone frenzied, stressed, and overwhelmed doing stuff they don't even like? Every day is "Christmas" for me.....I want & need something every day (chocolate!). Even on days when I don't get what I "want" - it's a great present from the universe telling me: "You already have what you need". How about if we all made up our own holidays? Be as silly and creative as you want - whatever celebrates you!
I get so much value from these podcasts. I've already spent , but I am so grateful that I have enough.More is not always the solution
We had unfortunate lack of luck with experiences given to family. Because of covid and some other circumstances a lot didn't work or didn't happened. Restaurants went out of business, things cancelled etc. We actually have been told not to do vouchers anymore as gifts for some people (we asked about what would they like the most as hate the idea of giving what we think is right or what someone doesn't find any value in). Which is sad. We still do experiences for ourselves and our daughter and got our family to decrease the amount of physical random gifts and instead give cash. Not exactly what we set to do. But potentially better as we can use if for what truly brings value for us and our daughter while decrease on donating all the stuff /gifts we never used. This year we are trying new tradition for our family Christmas with spreading the celebration from Winter Solstice (the original xmas right? 😁) 21st Dec to 1st January to create longer period of enjoyment and decrease stress. Me and my husband instead of buying xmas gifts we agree on day and go to restaurant to have a nice meal. This year on 26th Dec we are taking our daughter to Christmas light trail in Botnaic garden as part of our experience.
I bought my dad a dinner voucher , my step mum a wash and blow wave and my Mumma her favourite face cream …. Xmas is done for me and I keep in budget and everyone will enjoy the gift and it will get used up and not sit around till the next Xmas
Smart! Things they consume. Purchasing my sis a gift card for a massage bc she needs one and would definitely use it.
@@jenniferdeanna9922 I really thought about it this year and I’m so proud of my gifts I hope they enjoy them . I just get sick of walking around looking at stuff that’s either crap quality or way out of my budget . So doing it this way really helped xxx
Hubby asked what I wanted for our anniversary/Christmas (both in December). I said a trip, so we are taking our sons on a cross-country road trip on Boxing Day and before NYE. Fun family time and lots of memories to be made.
😭cant give experiences... have to be vaccinated to do anything. 🙅♀️🙅♀️
This!!!!! (minimizing my comments)
I never ask for presents on Christmas nor on my birthday, I just ask for money or gift cards, lol💖
I love the deprivation stocking (Min 32 or so). That was hilarious!