How to Have a Minimalist Christmas

The minimalist life, though carefree and awesome, can sometimes come with challenges. Like when it comes time to decorate and celebrate one of the biggest holidays of the year-Christmas. Today I’m going to share some tips on how to have a minimalist Christmas.

 

Being a minimalist doesn’t mean we hang one red bow, put up a bare tree, and call it a day. If you are new to minimalism you are probably wondering how to have a minimalist Christmas. 

 

Fear not. You most definitely can still rock a festive house. In fact, you will probably love your new Christmas look!

 

Trying to choose minimalist Christmas decorations

 

First things first. Let’s get to the minimalist Christmas decorations, not just the tree but the whole house. We’ll deal with the tree later.

 

So we all want to feel festive during the holiday season but as a minimalist, we want to feel this without all the extra fluff and glitter, right? When we think of Christmas, the colors that first come to mind are red and green, followed by gold, silver, and maybe white. 

 

With this in mind, it’s actually pretty easy to decorate for Christmas as a minimalist. 

 

Keep in mind that not all decorations have to be bought. There are so many things that you can make right at home (hello, Christmas decorations making party anyone?) with things you already have!

 

And there’s one other thing we should keep in mind. Little Christmas accents here and there are absolutely enough! Your house won’t look cheap or bare. It will be perfect! Remember the quote 

 

“Less is more” 

 

When deciding on your Christmas decorations it’s important to take into account which rooms you spend the most time in and where you feel some Christmas love will be good. So many people decorate every nook and cranny. We don’t have to do that. 

 

We don’t need a reindeer in every corner or decorations in the bathroom or bedrooms. Your decorating may only go as far as the living room/dining room and front entrance, which is definitely enough. 

 

How to have a minimalist Christmas in 5 steps

 

So many of your Christmas decorations can be made at home. Wreaths, bows, and even the material to wrap presents in, but you can most certainly purchase many super affordable items on Amazon or even your local dollar store if you aren’t very crafty. 

 

If you have children at home, making crafts is a great family activity. This also teaches the kids you can still have beautiful things without spending a fortune and things made at home are from the heart with love. That’s the best right there!

 

But what about gifts, giving, and receiving? We’re going to discuss that too!

 

1 Let everyone know, no gifts

 

Now before your jaw drops, hear me out. Clearly, this step isn’t for families with kids. Let’s face it, it’s not Christmas without gifts for the little ones. But you can certainly let people know you don’t want gifts nor are you buying gifts.

 

Does that make you a scrooge? Nope. You can alternately tell your friends and family to donate to a charity on your behalf. That’s probably one of the best gifts for a minimalist you can buy. 

 

2 Make your own wrapping paper

 

Kids love exciting and shiny things like presents in glittery paper with bows on them. You can make all that yourself too!

Here’s a great article from countryliving.com that gives you 51 DIY Christmas wrapping paper ideas. You just can’t go wrong!

 

 

It’s also super easy to make homemade gift bags that can be recycled (hopefully the recipient of the gift is into recycling!). 

 

3 No tree for me thanks!

 

No kids at home? Who says you even need a tree? Yes, I get that the Christmas tree is the main event but does it have to be? Nope. Hang a big red bow, maybe even a mistletoe, or simply decorate a houseplant, and voila! It’s Christmas. 

 

If you do want a tree without all the fuss though, a pretty star on top, some homemade ribbon to put around the tree, and you’ll have a simple yet beautiful tree. 

 

4 Adopt a family

 

If you don’t want a tree or gifts yet still want to have that festive feeling with giving, why not adopt a family? Many organizations around the world run programs like these. 

 

Doinggoodtogether.com has a great article on where and how to do this (I believe it’s US-based)

 

If you have kids this is an amazing way to teach them how to help others and let them know the true meaning of Christmas. 

 

5 Gift Cards are a win!

 

If people still insist on buying you a gift (or you are obligated to purchase one for whatever reason) go with gift cards for the win.

No muss, no fuss, no wrapping, no stress about whether or not this person (or you) will like their gift. 

With a gift card, you can go buy what YOU need or want and so can the person who received one from you! 

 

A few more minimalist Christmas ideas

 

Still not so much into decorating at all but want to feel festive? How about just playing Christmas music and burning some cinnamon-scented candles? Nothing says Christmas better than the smell of cinnamon in the house. I know. Weird but true!

 

You may even just want to string some pretty lights around your front door or windows and that’s perfect too. 

 

Do you love baking and making Christmas treats? That’s another fabulous idea to make your minimalist Christmas truly magical.

Let everyone know you’re baking and that will be their gifts for the year. Who doesn’t love receiving fresh baked cookies especially when someone else did the baking?

 

Having a minimalist Christmas doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy the beauty and magic of the season. Remember Christmas is all about love, giving, and sharing. If you by chance forgot that, it might be time to put on How the Grinch Stole Christmas.