How We Celebrate Christmas Simple

Find out how we celebrate Christmas simple. From finding a tree, spending quality family time, minimal gifts, to reading aloud and everything in between.

This time of year can be hectic, stressful, and highly commercialized. Not in our farmhouse! This is how we celebrate Christmas simple.

I’m determined to keep Christ in Christmas, the reason our family celebrates this holiday season. In this post and video I share the many ways we do that. I hope it inspires you to create your own family time memories and traditions!

Video How We Celebrate Christmas Simple

Kick Off the Christmas Season

The day after Thanksgiving is the day I look forward to all year. OK, the kids do, too. It’s the day we purposely have set aside to venture out to the woods (and occasionally the local tree farm) to hunt and gather the perfect Van Loo Christmas tree.

You can see what that looks like from this video of our latest family adventure.

It’s usually cold this time of year. Sometimes we’re even blessed with some snow by this time! The highlight of this tree-cutting day has always been the hot cocoa promised on our return.

I have a simple, healthy recipe you can find in this post.

Minimal Gifts | How We Celebrate Simple

I’m really not into commercialism. I think as I get older, I’m appreciating more and more the minimal lifestyle. I’ve noticed that my tastes have changed to a less cluttered lifestyle for sure.

When the girls were little, it was easy to gift cute little toys and such. It was also easy to go overboard. Now that they’re getting older, their tastes are maturing, and their hobbies pretty much set, it’s definitely easier to focus on more experience-based family gifts rather than individual “stuff” that makes mom’s eyes twitch as it’s stacked in the corners of their tiny rooms. OK, who am I kidding: flopped all about their rooms, and one can’t even see straight because said one’s eyes are twitching like a bohemian rhapsody. Oh the perks of being in your forties. (?) shrug

And that’s why I switched over to gifting ourselves experiences to share as a family. We only have a few, short years left with these precious ones. It has gone by too fast! (Don’t get me wrong: I’ve got those moments when I’m totally over it and fantasize about the days I’m empty-nesting with a latte in one hand and the cell phone in the other, chatting with my ladies about our next lunch date. And I refer to us as “the ladies who lunch”.)

Keep in mind, these experiences don’t have to brake the bank either! Some great ideas include:

• spending the day on a mountain skiing/boarding, tubing, or shoeing
• escape room
• indoor trampoline park
• getaway to a cabin, treehouse/fort, or yurt
• trip to the beach to watch a winter storm
• plan a trip or outing later on in the year, and go out for a movie or bowling while you anticipate the upcoming trip later in the year

Let these ideas start to get your creative juices flowing and customize it to fit your family’s season of life.

Gifts Under the Christmas Tree

Special Ornaments

When each of the girls were born, I thought it a good idea to start a collection of ornaments for them, adding a new one each year. I try to get an ornament that symbolizes something of significance for them during that year that would remind them for years to come. Beauty #1 is grown and out on her own, so I packed up all her ornaments and gave them to her to decorate her own tree with now. With three girls still at home, our farmhouse tree looks like something out of Whoville. Nevertheless, the girls enjoy opening their ornament on Christmas Eve to see what will commemorate that year for them. And sometimes we’ll have a good laugh!

Drawing Names and Handmade Gifts

A new tradition we started when we decided to gift family experiences in lieu of a bunch of stuff under the tree, was drawing names and making a handmade gift for that person. We’ve all really got into this one! It’s fun to spend time thinking about and listening for items that our person might enjoy or would really love to receive.

Pinterest is really great for this! Making gifts is easily adjusted to the skill set and abilities of the different ages that are participating. I encourage each child to use their talents and skills to create something special. Sometimes for the youngers that can’t quite do it all on their own, they can simply employ the help of mom or dad (whichever one they didn’t draw, of course). Some examples from last year’s creative gifts are:

• crocheted fox hooded cowl
• outdoor wall hanging beer opener
• a wood, heart-shaped jewelry hanger
• drawing supplies
• homemade fudge
• crocheted scarf with hand warmers

The pride on each face as they gave their gifts to each other was a memory we’ll each cherish. Everyone put their heart into purchasing and creating a thoughtful gift for their family member. And the recipient couldn’t have loved their gift more because of it!

And don’t forget the stockings! These are still a favorite for the kids. They look forward to it just as much as the main event. Something about all the little things to open and getting treats that they normally don’t get an abundance of all year. It’s the little things, isn’t it?

It’s easy to celebrate Christmas simple when you put some heart and thought into it!

Read Alouds to Celebrate Christmas

This is something brand new I started this year! I had read and heard about a lot of homeschooling mamas who practice a morning basket routine, where several subjects are done together as a group, no matter the ages/grades of the students. It really intrigued me for some reason, so I gave it a whirl. Whoa! The response from my girls was tremendous! It is their favorite part of our day now. They LOVE it when I read to them. I’ve really been enjoying it, too. Best thing I’ve done all year I think.

Each month I throw in some read alouds that are themed for the month around seasons or holidays. Have you heard of the Read Aloud Revival?! Because I’m a recovering type-A (as I fondly call myself), this term and movement was completely new to me. (I was a strict curriculum follower; order the whole grade and follow it to the “T”. Now—eh, not so much.) I’ve found Sarah Mackenzie’s recommendations so very helpful! The December list I feature in my video is found HERE. Run to your library and get some of these to read to your children! THEY. WILL. LOVE. IT. And you will be their new rockstar. Promise.

Reading aloud some sweet Christmas stories has easily become my favorite way to celebrate the season simple.

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What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate?

That’s how we do it around here. Is it much different from yours? Do you think I’m the mean one, Mr. Grinch? 😉