I do not live in a tiny house. I still have more stuff than I need, as do my kids and my husband. I splurge at Christmastime during all the sales and purchase items that I have been eyeing over time. Then I get mad at myself.
This minimalist Christmas I have decided to let go of that anger. I have decided that minimalism is more than small houses and capsule wardrobes. Minimalism is also the act of letting go. Minimalism is releasing the power of “stuff” you once considered a priority. So while my house is not tiny, my corners are cleaner. While, my wardrobe is not limited to 33 items, I eliminated so much of the excess.
My giveaway pile is larger…but minimalism is more than letting go of the “stuff” that is tangible.
I am also letting go of busy. I am letting go of the judgment I cast on myself and on others when actions do not fit the picture I conjure in my mind. I am letting go of all the pressure to create perfect traditions, moments and memories. I am savoring my version of this minimalist Christmas.
For anyone who ever wanted to let go of busy…
For anyone who ever needed a good holiday declutter…
Here is the plan. I expect you to hold me to it.
Make a list
Include every single thing you would like to get done. Include the people you said you would pray for, the situations that hold your thoughts hostage, the plans, and the to-dos. Empty your brain. Get it all out.
You will be surprised that the list is not nearly as massive as your mind has made it out to be. You will find that you do much obsessing over the same thoughts over and over. You will find that writing it down, or typing it out, brings you a sense of peace. At the end of the of that list is rest.
Check it twice
There are some items that do not deserve space on your list. When talking with my sister today, she mentioned that she needed to pay someone to come clean her house for her. She followed up by mentioning that she would need to clean her house up some before allowing the woman to come in and clean her house. HER CLEANING THE HOUSE BEFORE THE LADY COMES TO CLEAN THE HOUSE SHOULD BE BOOTED FROM THE LIST!!! We all have things like this on the list. We all have items directly related to our pride and our egos. Unless the item is a prayer request, it has got to go. You have neither the time nor the patience to address nonsense. Sometimes your greatest gift is someone else. Their gift is in your area of lack. Let them use their gift so that you have more time to use yours. Part of decluttering your priorities is letting go of who you feel like you should be.
Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice … Just kidding!! … Leave wiggle room.
Now that you have an updated list, determine what needs to be addressed right now. Be realistic about it. In other words, what happens if it waits until tomorrow? Right now, when I get home, I have very few non-negotiables. We need to do dinner, and we need to do homework. Everything else is negotiable. Would I like to spend 30 minutes to an hour uninterrupted with my kids? Yes. Would I like to exercise? Yes. Would I like to spend uninterrupted time with my husband? Yes. Would I like to do a load of laundry? Yes. Would I like to clean one room? Yes. I would go on, but I assume you get the picture. After my non-negotiables, everything else is extra. I add ONE item from my brain dump to my mandatory to-do list. The rest is wiggle room. Now I am not so aggravated when my son spills his juice for the 5th time. I am not frustrated when my daughter sticks her book in front of my phone to read to her while I am scrolling through Instagram. Blogging is extra. Commenting on blogs? Extra. Another item off the list? Extra. Scrolling through social media? Extra. Watching my favorite show? Extra. Bible songs? Extra. Bible stories? Extra. With a minimalist Christmas, you have wiggle room. You have time and space for plenty of extra.
Make memories
My boys are ages 6 and 7. They are as tall as my Christmas tree. When we decorated the tree, they were tall enough to put on ALL the ornaments. They did not need my assistance. They giggled and squealed in delight. I snapped a few photos, but took most of my time soaking it all in.
We do not have to spend every second behind a camera to document the moment. Sometimes a minimalist Christmas means that the phone stays in the purse or the pocket. Sometimes the High Quality DSLR actually detracts from the quality of the time you are so desperately trying to capture. Make memories so magical that you will not need a camera to remember them.
Remember the reason for the season.
When you remember the why behind the Christmas season, priorities tend to come into focus better. We are celebrating the birth of the greatest gift of love anyone could ever give. So while we search for Christmas cheer 20 different ways, one pervasive way trumps all of them. Jesus was born. My Best Friend made His grand appearance.
***
“It came without ribbons.
It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
~ Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas ~
***
What are some ways that you declutter your priorities for a minimalist Christmas?
Comment below or connect with me: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat: mrsbonnaffons.
Need some more Christmas reminders? Here are some more of my favorites
- 20 Ways to Create Christmas Cheer
- Grown-Up Christmas List
- Happy No-Hassle Holidays
- Harnessing Holiday Cheer when You’re at Capacity
- Decluttering Your Holiday Season
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Linked at Grace & Truth Linkup
This is awesome. One of the reason I do not celebrate Christmas is because of the excess that brings about stress unnecessarily. I love how you state that sometimes our priorities need to be the focus and leave wiggle room for the extras.
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Thank you so much Sandy. Wiggle room changes my entire perspective around this time of year!
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Yes prioritizing is a must. I think also being intentional about what is most important and enjoying the moments that matter.
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Yes! Being intentional is so important. Really seeking out and relishing the important stuff.
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Love the photos! Making my lists, today! 🙂
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I’m always revising mine. Taking stuff off. Adding new stuff, etc.
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These are some fantastic thoughts. I will absolutely be keeping them in mind this season! God Bless!!!
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Same to you! Enjoy every second of your holiday season!
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Brittany, I LOVE this! Each year I also try to minimize the chaos and soak in the significant moments and people and Jesus. You’ve captured the necessaries so well here. You do well, dear sister!
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Thank you Melinda!! And thank you so much for your sunshine blogger nominations I’m going to try to do it but with a bit of a twist.
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You inspired me to go minimal with my decorations and this Advent season. Thank you for that! Take your time with the Sunshine Award response. There’s no deadline. Save it for Christmas break. 😊
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Everything else is negotiable. I need to post this statement in various places.
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About a year ago (maybe two), I adopted this philosophy into my life when I began a very serious and intentional minimalist journey. It truly changes your entire value system.
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I love your “making a list and checking it twice!” You’re hilarious, girl! LOL But seriously, I love your writing. You’re right, writing it down does help de-stress our brains.
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I’m so happy you still enjoy my writing after all this time. I always wonder whether I’m talking in circles. I am actually physically writing things down today, and praying I can keep up with the many blessings God has granted me to look back and reflect.
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Yes, I do, friend. Your life and your family are valuable to God, and what He is teaching you is also a valuable lesson that He may want to teach others as you share it. ❤
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First let me say that I want to decorate my tree in Star Wars jammies.
Thank you so much for this dump truck load of stuff that we can just be rid of so that Jesus gets center stage!
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😂😂 lol, Michele!
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You are absolutely welcome Michele. Now…I just need to really do it the way that God is prompting me to do it.
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oh, I really enjoyed this. Gave me several things to think about and to put into play.
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Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Kimberley. I’m hoping I can stick to my guns.
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Very practical, clever and cute post, Brittany! Not only did you make me laugh, but the way you went about this is so memorable! Love it! And by the way, your kiddos are the cutest! Thanks for sharing and I’ll be pinning this post for sure!
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Thank you so much Beth! I truly appreciate your constant support. I’m always a little wary about how my personality will be received in writing.
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I need the lists! And I need to check them twice. Lol. Not just for Christmas but always. This is the third time today, lists have come up to me. I think God is telling me something.
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He certainly is. And I’m TERRIBLE with lists. He’s trying to get you to write it out and give it to Him. Been there!
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Your wit just cracked me up, and you are so right on! But your message, it moved me. Thank you for reminding me that extras are just that…
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You are quite welcome. I am so glad you enjoyed. I never know how my personality is going to come off in writing. And yes, extra is extra!
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Visiting from #Grace&Truth and I liked it so much I shared it on #BlogCrush.
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Thank you so much!!!
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Such a great post, I find declutering before Christmas really helpful especially writing a list X #blogcrush
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Thank you so much. Lists are so helpful for me. I am so disorganized so finding a way to create lists in my phone was CRUCIAL to my life, but it has been so life changing since I started. I know that I will not be forgetting anything that I really need.
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I think it’s great that Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Let’s just relax and celebrate Jesus! Merry Christmas to you and yours, Brittany! Blessings to you!
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Same to you Boma! Me too! It’s adds to much to the holiday season.
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Love this perspective! At the end of the day, everything can be categorized into non-negotiables and extras. There’s always more that can be deprioritized than we think. Thanks for the inspiration and Merry Minimalist Christmas!
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Love this perspective! At the end of the day, everything can be categorized as non-negotiables or extras. There’s always more that can be deprioritized than we think. Thanks for the inspiration and Merry Minimalist Christmas!
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There sure is. They laugh at me as work when I talk of deadlines being “soft”… even the hard deadlines. 😂😂 I can only get to so much in 24 hours and maintain my sanity and peace of mind.
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Lots of wise thoughts here. This Christmas is the first year my kids have managed to do the tree by themselves, and ALSO the first year that I have just enjoyed watching them instead of taking a load of photos. I think the need to take photos is one of the biggest temptations facing us as parents, these days but it is actually really freeing sometimes to just leave the camera.
And someone really enjoyed your post because they chose to add it to the BlogCrush linky for you. Hurray! Feel free to pop over and grab your “I’ve been featured” blog badge 🙂 #blogcrush
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Thank you Lucy! I loved watching my babies put together the tree. It truly warmed my heart. Sitting my phone out of sight and out of mind is tough for me, but when I do it, you are right. It is freeing. No photos. No quick text or social media checks. Just me and the moment I am in. Thank you so much for visiting. I am so excited for the feature!!!
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I’m definitely going to start brain dumping again after reading this! I think at this time of year it’s going to help me stay calm! Thank you so much x x x
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Girl. I literally have a list of 60 things in my phone right now. I just put it ALL out there. From to-dos, to worries, to hopes and dreams.
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