As an aside, don’t underestimate the power of giving as its own reward. In 2005 we adopted a Katrina family in New Orleans who had lost everything in the hurricane. When the single mother of four called to thank me for our present (a $500 Wal-Mart gift card) we had a nice long chat that brought me to tears for some time afterwards. She might forget us, but I’ll never forget her.
Last but not least, if you’re opposed to material giving of any kind, give the gift of a donation in someone else’s name. You can use your financial resources to donate a cow to a needy family in Africa, create meals for starving populations, fight a disease or save the whales; the choices are endless. Or if financial resources are scarce, give of your time and volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about. Let those you’d otherwise buy gifts for know you’re spending your time and money doing that on their behalf. The bottom line: give any way you can.
2. Decorating
Since we knew we’d be celebrating Christmas elsewhere, this year we agreed (with our daughter’s blessing) not to put up our artificial tree. As a result, I placed about half the normal decorations I usually do around the house. Without the usual complement of décor and the tree, our home feels much airier and my husband, himself a minimalist, comments daily on how he likes having fewer Christmas decorations around.
And best of all, instead of taking up an entire weekend, the holiday decorating (including putting up outdoor lights for a two-story home) took four hours total. Wow, was that liberating! The focal point of the few decorations we did put out is the nativity scene. How nice to truly have Jesus at the center of Christmas instead of an ornamented tree. Don’t get me wrong, I like the tree but even without it, it feels like nothing is missing. The fewer decorations somehow are more subtle and valuable reminders of the holiday.
De-clutter Christmas at your home by actually de-cluttering your home of its usual holiday décor. Instead, if you have quite a bit of stuff, rotate what you display from one year to the next. Then every year it will seem like you have something new.
