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It’s the small things that make the holidays great

Minimalists have a knack for appreciating the small things in life. At no time is this more true than the holiday season.

I can’t speak for everybody, but I believe I can speak for most when I say that Christmas is all about the small moments we experience with family and friends, or sometimes just by our self that fill us with joy.

 

  • It’s inhaling the smell of fresh pine, or balsam fir.
  • It’s coming into the home from the freezing cold to a cup of hot coco.
  • It’s gazing at the flashing Christmas lights on our tree.
  • It’s watching the look of joy on the children’s faces at the wonderful gifts Santa brought them.
  • It’s cuddling up with our Honey Baby Cookie Sugar in front of the fire (or Yule log video on the TV in my case) under a warm blanket.
  • It’s what happens after we’ve been cuddling a while (you know what I’m talking about).
  • It’s watching our favorite holiday movie for the 200th time and still finding it hilarious.
  • It’s embracing our children, and singing Christmas carols together.

These are the moments that make the holidays special. Let’s put aside our consumerist ways and focus on having more of these moments.

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Christmas shopping, the minimalist way

Christmas presents piled underneath a christmas tree.

It’s that time of year again. Where we get to see humanity at its best……and worst. We see people shower family and friends with joy, love, and gifts. But we also see people crowd the stores for the best deals on merchandise. They push, elbow, yell at, and occasionally get physically confrontational with strangers for the sake of acquiring merch for their loved ones. We see them wait on line for hours for the latest tech. All this pain and suffering for the sake of more “stuff”.

To make this Christmas better, let us first remember that it is “people” who are important not “things”. We may all be strangers to each other, but under God we are all bothers and sisters. We should be thinking of each other that way, and therefore treating each other that way.

Second, let us remember that life is all about people and experiences. With that in mind, give the gift of experiences to your loved ones. That is, give them the gift of activities they might enjoy. Perhaps even something they have never done before.

Need some ideas. Here are some:

  • A dinner date
  • A Swedish massage at the local spa (my fave)
  • A night on the town
  • A movie
  • A wine tasting tour
  • A Theater show (Broadway, or off-Broadway)
  • Seats at a sporting event
  • Concert tickets
  • Casino trip (I don’t condone gambling……but just saying)
  • A sporting experience (white water rafting, kayaking, hiking, water skiing, sailing, tubing, bicycle touring, sky diving, etc)
  • A vacation

Let me also add, that if we are going out to shop, be cautious. It’s “The Wild West” out there during this season. Also, shop local; support your local small businesses. The least we can do is make sure the enormous amounts of money we spend for Christmas go toward stimulating our local economy, which in the end, goes right back to us.