The air has changed and we’ve replaced tank tops for sweaters and sunglasses for toboggans. The holiday season is upon us but lets face it, we are all gearing up for the Grand Daddy of them all: Christmas. You don’t think so? I was in Macy and JcPenny this weekend and they had Christmas displays up already. So it is coming.
And even though Christmas is on the same day every year for the rest of our lives, in reality it seems like it comes out of no where. So where to start?
I thought about this for a while and decided that in order for us to prepare ourselves, we had to figure out just what kind of Christmas we want. If we could figure that out then we could plan in a way that wouldn't leave me frazzled and my family stressed out.
It may seem silly to sit down and talk about an ideal Christmas. But in order for the holiday to be magical, it has to be thought about in a way that will let magic happen.
Holidays that are hectic, thrown together, over budget, and unorganized aren’t magical. Dealing with family feuds because of mis communication and lack of commitment, stressing to live up to others expectations, or depression over blown budgets is a nightmare of epic proportions.
Think about how you want to spend your Christmas Holiday, from December 1st to December 26th.
This may be a backwards approach but its essential in planning.
- What do you want to think and feel about your Christmas Holiday when it's over?
- If you have children, what do you want them to think and feel about the season when it’s over?
- If you are hosting family and friends, what do you want them to think and feel about the season when it’s over?
- What are the smaller details that align with creating those feelings?
- We want to create lasting traditions for our family that will pass on to our children’s families
- Christmas Day will not be over the top. It’s going to be a relaxing day and if we wake up at 7am or 10am we will go with the flow
- Fight over consumption and spend only $400 on everything (food, gifts, decorations)
- We want to attend at least 5 local celebrations and only 2 parties
- All of our gifts will be hand made
- We want to be relaxed and present
A Simple Christmas
Frugal, smart, holistic, and well worth the effort. All those things encompass the Christmas we see ourselves having. We want a holiday season that makes tradition, family, and good food the main focus.
When you think about Christmas what is your favorite memory? Or your least, and how do you plan on changing it? What are your goals this holiday season?