A Merry Minimalist Christmas

This Christmas my family decided that instead of giving each other gifts we were going to put the money we would have spent toward our family vacation in August.

I know what you are thinking, ‘Wait, no presents under the tree?!?’ but before you completely freak out, it’s not as scary as you think.

It was quite liberating to not have to worry about getting the right thing or fitting new items into our already full lives and to enjoy a minimalist Christmas. (I am still abiding by my ‘one in one out’ rule, so the thought of new things made me slightly anxious of what exactly would get the boot.)

And Christmas didn’t feel any less joyous. We filled each other’s stockings with fun magazines, a cookbook for the whole family to enjoy, and of course, chocolate. We made cookies and laughed about the sad state of our seen-better-days artificial tree.

In years past we had wrapped our gifts in repurposed or reusable materials, requested things we really needed, and gave each other delicious treats. And while all of those years were great, there was something special about this year. I can’t wait to have a blast together this summer.