What excites me most right now is living a simple life, and decluttering and organising to aid in this quest. I�ve been doing this with many areas of my home and life as I come across them, and a few months ago I thought about Christmas.
Even though it is a time of year I look forward to, there are parts of it I don�t like. These things are others expectations and too many gifts. I know I can be a bit of a control freak and that�s what I�m working on, not being bothered by what other people want or do. I am going with the flow and know that the only person I can control is myself and also the way I deal with things.
I have issues with gifts because even though they are genuine and meant well, I find them stressful because if they are something I wouldn�t use or don�t like or will clutter my house, I feel like the person who has given me the gift has wasted their money, and being from thrifty Scottish stock that upsets me. My brother calls gifts �knick knacks and cloggers� and tells us not to give him any. The way he says it always makes me laugh.
And I don�t believe you have to give gifts to show love for your family and friends. Little kids, yes, I know get excited about Christmas presents, but as we get older I am more than happy to receive not a single one and just spend time with the people I care about. Last year for the first time my brother, sister and I did not swap gifts and it didn't make Christmas any less special.
So I sat down to make a list of how I can have a simple Christmas and really enjoy this magical time of year. Here is my list.
How can I have a Simple Christmas?
1. Make a choice to have a simple Christmas
2. Make lists and look at ways to make them easier/less
3. No unnecessary rubbish
4. Don�t swap presents with those that agree
5. Leave time to recharge the batteries
6. From 1st December switch into Christmas mode � put the tree and decorations up, feel relaxed and Christmassy, watch Christmas movies and tv, don�t eat too much crap � eat good food and feel well
7. Don�t stress about what others will do � take them for who they are and be happy with that
8. Look at all my Christmas blessings � a wonderful husband, comfortable and happy home, loving family, financially stable, our own business that we happily run together
9. Think of others at Christmas that I can reach out to � (and I�ve got a few people listed).
I put our tree up today, and Jessica is posing with it above. She is such an obliging model-cat. Nina was too busy tearing around to stop for a photo. She never stops! Up and down the hall, in the cat-door and straight upstairs, s-shape from the dining area, down the hall and into the guest bedroom and many other routes. I wonder if it�s because she grew up from kitten-age in a crowded cat shelter until past the age of 2 with no room to run around � she�s really making the most of all this space with just her and Jessica now!
With my decluttering enthusiasm lately, I even managed to declutter my Christmas tree decorations. I tell you, there is no part of my home that escapes decluttering at the moment! I realised the purple decorations I bought a few years ago which I thought would zazz up my Christmas tree were a big mistake. I am not a purple girl. I am classics and I am neutrals.
So I took out all the decorations I love and put them in a smaller container and bagged up the purple hanging baubles and purple tinsel and put them with the coloured fairy lights. I donated these to a charity store today when I went out. When I want something gone, I want it gone.
Now my tree has every single Christmas decoration I own on it, in silver, gold and a touch of red, and white fairy lights. I also have a few decorative items around my coffee table candles and apart from these, just a small wreath in our entrance way (and I�m even a bit half-hearted about that so it could be donated soon). And that's the extent of my simple Christmas decorating.
I would love to hear any thoughts you might have about simplifying Christmas.