Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. This means that we may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase something from a link we post (including links to amazon.com because we are part of the Amazon Services LLC Associates program.) Don’t worry, it won’t. It cost you anything. Let’s simplify Christmas, shall we? Sometimes the Christmas season feels like a runaway train. You on it. He’s going somewhere. You probably like trains. But this uncontrollable journey can make you weary and feel like it’s inevitable. You have to make chocolates, handmade Christmas cards won’t make themselves, and your presence is needed at five Christmas parties this Saturday. There is no choice, right? The good news is that even at this advanced stage of the Christmas season, you can still shrink them. It might be an express train, but you have access to emergency brakes. Here are some ways to use it over the next two weeks. Do whatever it takes to make Christmas a time of peace and love for your family. For each of these areas below, make a list of all the things you plan to do between now and December 25. Light a fun candle, sip on some hot cocoa, and start writing off whatever presses you or makes you wish you could stop Christmas. 1. Decorations – I recently heard many people complaining, “I haven’t decorated for Christmas yet,” or “Our tree hasn’t got up!” Well, this Christmas I decided to decorate – with “Drops of Awesome” style. Instead of pulling out all the decorations and turning my house to scratch from a green and red hurricane, I stacked decorative boxes in my garage and pulled out one candle, a plastic elf, and a fabric wreath at a time. My thinking was, if I only get two things this year, that’s okay. Buy a wreath at the grocery store and slap it on your door instead of hanging Christmas lights. Decorate your tree with a string of lights and leave the trinkets in its boxes until next year. Or, let your kids decorate it themselves and every time you see ugly sets of trinkets, let it remind you of the time you didn’t spend meticulously dressing the tree. 2. Concerts, parties and events – “No” is a word. You can use it. I think I’m invited to more parties, concerts, concerts and events in December than the rest of the year combined. And I want to go to almost all of them. I like fun, I like friends, and I really like chocolate. However, sometimes cool enough things get crammed together and lose their charm, like a house full of 2-year-olds. One or two are great. Flock of young children is crazy. Such is the case with Christmas events. Pick the few things that will bring you the most happiness, express your regret for other hosts, stay home some nights in a smoking jacket and listen to Bing Crosby’s albums. 3. Traditions – “But we have to do it. We do this every year!” Well, not this year. You can start a new tradition at any time. But did you know you can also stop one or decide that it should only be done every five years when the winds from the east and the stars align perfectly? “We did it last year” is a terrible reason to do something. Be thoughtful about your celebrations. Are you supposed to make a home gingerbread tomorrow? Would you be happier or less stressed if you weren’t roaming every grocery store in town looking for the best candy ever? Pull the plug. 4. Simplify Christmas Cards – If you can’t send out Christmas cards this year, that’s okay. I know this will hurt your hearing, but – most people probably won’t notice. You may send a note to your grandmother or father if you know it means a lot to them. Then consider sending a cute note or family update to a few people on Valentine’s Day or Easter when your head is no longer blowing up. 5. Gifts and Rewards – It’s mid-December. Still have big plans for making homemade gifts? Ideally, you’ve finished these past weeks so you could spend this month drinking and singing and singing. Don’t stay up all night sewing or sticking and wasting because you are doing something you choose to do. Do not insult your children for stealing your cloth scissors. Sure, fill out all the supplies and put a reminder on your calendar to start making it this coming July. I have the texture, concepts, and pattern ready to make these adorable sewing bags for my mom and mother-in-law for last year’s Christmas, no, Mother’s Day, no, this year’s Christmas, no, Mother’s Day 2016. The more they get those bags, they’ll love it. They might even like them more if they knew I never hit my head with the sewing machine while I was handling them. Good news – the fabric is never finished! 6. Gift Wrapping – Love to spend hours wrapping gifts, matching plaques and pressing perfect angles? Gorgeous. Will you come and damage mine, too? If not, roll the jacket up and tie a bow around it. Stop by the dollar store and grab a set of Christmas gift bags and tissue paper and toss your gifts in them. Order your pre-wrapped gifts from Amazon. It won’t look amazing but it will look easy and that’s almost okay. 7. Elf on the Shelf – Did you start waking up this year only to wake up last night at 1 a.m. with the terrible realization that you forgot to pour chocolate chips on your floor or open an entire roll of toilet paper with a name so you need to get out of your warm bed and play the dolls in the name The joy of Christmas? If you’re done with this year’s Elf, send him on vacation, and leave a note to the kids about his whereabouts. Maybe he told them Santa called all the elves home to help train reindeer. Consider his injury and leave a note saying he’s on the bed rest position that Santa requested for the next two weeks as suggested by a mum on Facebook this week. 8. Lists – While simplifying, you may find that there are many things you feel sad about missing this year. Soften the blow by making a list of gifts, activities, and sweets that you want to do or do in the next year. Then insert it into your calendar for a look in early fall. Don’t spend the next two weeks complaining about being a victim of your scheduling options. Do little this year. I like more. Christmas Simplification Ideas – It’s never too late. We want to help you simplify your Christmas with some of our favorite shortcuts and simple holiday solutions:
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