In the age of the Internet and digital photography, automating Christmas greetings has never been easier. If you want a completely hands-free process, computerize your list, then upload it and your favorite family photos to the Kodak, PhotoWorks or Snapfish Web sites and they’ll do the mailing for you. Or save some trees and send free email greetings from Hallmark.com.
5. Visitors and Visiting
This one’s easy. Visitors? Don’t have any. If you must, ask them which hotel they’ll be staying at while they’re in town. Or instead, go to them. Better yet, if budgets allow meet in the middle but keep it fun. The more fun you make the destination, the simpler all the other Christmas rituals will be. As an alternative to busy city winter travels and sleeping in twin beds in the guest room, plan a family vacation to a favorite surf or ski locale. This approach minimizes gift craziness as well since it’s difficult to haul everything around. Think about it, no one has to cook either, and you might even get a tan or a massage rather than stress and dishes to wash.
De-cluttering Christmas has not only been an incredible and unexpected gift to myself, it has also taught me that less is absolutely more at holiday time. When I don’t buy into all the “should do’s” dictated by modern society and reinforced by the consumerism of Christmas, I am able to enjoy the celebration at a deeper level. Correction: I am able to enjoy the celebration, period.
This year we’ll be with my husband’s family in Mexico, and although I’ll miss seeing my own family in the states, I’ll be spending the holiday with people I love dearly in simple, uncomplicated relaxation. We’ll be at a family home out in the middle of nowhere, away from television, cell phones and the Internet. There is nowhere else to go, nothing to do, and everyone takes turns cooking. Best of all, we’ll be far away from the hyper-commercialization of Christmas in the US. If that’s not a gift, I don’t know what is.
