Shopping for the holidays used to stress me out!

Over the years I’ve found ways to keep holiday giving simple, and it’s actually become a lot of fun. I love making many of our gifts and focusing on a few things makes the season a lot less stressful.

I try to keep these things in mind.

Less is always more.

Quality over quantity.

Don’t go into debt.

Killing myself looking for deals, planning too many things, or trying to do it all = I am stressed and miss out on enjoying the season.

Giving should be rewarding, not a chore.

Keep Shopping and Giving Simple

This year, like every year, our family is on a budget. Partly money, partly not wanting to overfill our home with things, I encourage experiences over objects, handmade gifts, and look for things my children, family, and friends will love AND use, more than just once.

My basic plan looks like-

For Kids

• Stockings with fun (useful) gifts and a few sweets
• A memory book- from me
• One large (price-wise) gift. Sometimes this is a trip or a combined gift for the family.
• A few smaller things- store-bought
• Handmade Gift- from their dad
• Gifts made or purchased from kid to kid

For My Husband and Me

• Stockings with a couple of fun (useful) gifts
• Gifts the kids make or purchase for each of us

For Grandparents and Relatives
Often made, the kids take a big part in these gifts. We also like to give local food, locally made lotions/soaps, special things they will use.

Pets
Their stockings get filled too!

Far-away family and friends
We connect through cards, video calls, and sometimes with little gifts for the family or just the kids. My best friend in Germany and I often send each other’s children sweets and treats we can’t find in our home countries.

Children
Books!

Did you know you can support small businesses AND bloggers by shopping on Bookshop?!

Local Friends
We typical host and gather! This year, thanks to COVID, all our gathering will be done virtually. Not ideal but safe and better than nothing.

Neighbors
We bake little loaves of sweetbreads and leave them on doorsteps.

Teachers/Mentors
We make salves, candles, or sweets.

Community
Shopping locally and donating time and resources is a priority.

Gifts From Others
If our family asks what our children would like, we often say experiences. It’s really nice to have help with their classes and hobbies.

Simple Ways to Give This Holiday Season

Gather

Edited for COVID- host a virtual potluck, happy hour, or game night. Grab favorite snacks and a comfy place to sit. House Party is a fun game app for all ages. Kids can watch movies together via Zoom and Netflix. Virtual gatherings are not the same as in-person gatherings but you can guarantee your family and loved ones are safe and if the right attitude, they can be just as fun!

Celebrate the Season

One of our favorite things to do together is cut down and decorate our tree. We also love a good take-out meal and a new movie on Christmas and driving around to look at lights. Eating ice cream from our favorite local ice-cream shop while we drive makes it even more fun.

I include these types of things in our budget. It keeps our focus on togetherness rather than just what’s under the tree.

Advent Calendars 

Every year we listen to Martin and Sylvia’s Audio Advent Calendar. One of the best things I’ve purchased, it is such a sweet way to spend every morning or evening.

My mother-in-law buys the kids Jacquie Lawson’s advent calendar. It’s online, beautiful, interactive, and they LOVE it.

They also love our wooden advent calendar. Inside we put little ornaments. Each day the kids decorate a tabletop tree.

Lego Advent Calendars are also super fun!

Memory Books 

Every year I create a memory book on Shutterfly or Snapfish for my kids. Filled with pictures and anecdotes from our year, it is a story of our time together. These books are loved and we pull them out all year to look back on their adventures.

Adults like memory books too! We’ve made beautiful books for grandparents, aunts, and friends. Super simple, meaningful, and affordable.

Quality Keepsakes Made By Kids

My kids love to give gifts too and it’s important to me they are part of the giving. We often use Shutterfly or Snapfish to create coffee mugs, magnets, holiday ornaments, or calendars. They love to pick out the templates and colors, chose the pictures, and give the gifts they created.

Handmade Gifts

Michaels is our go-to place for making. My kids love making ornaments, painting on canvas, creating jewelry, and it’s where we go to refill all our maker supplies. This weekend they have a lot of BOGO and you can shop online. I also wrote all about many of the gifts we’ve made and given throughout the years.

Books

A beautiful book, an inscription on the inside cover, maybe a stuffed friend to go along with it. Such a simple sweet gift for family and friends. This year we loved these!

Give Time

Volunteer together, bake, play games, have a movie marathon. Have everyone in the family write down three things they’d like to do together this season, put the papers in a jar, and choose something new each day or weekend.

Classes

We’re offering all sorts of wonderful creative writing circles at Young Women Writing for (a) Change. Now virtual, you can join from anywhere!

We love Masterpiece Society’s Art Classes!  There are so many to choose from. For all ages, there are also classes just for moms!

Outschool offers so many wonderful classes for every age and interest. 

Subscriptions

Super easy, a subscription keeps on giving!

Kiwi Co is one of our favorites! The kids are getting subscriptions again this year. Shh 🙂 They will be so excited!

Little Passports- Give the gift of Adventure!

THiNK OUTSiDE for Homeschool

Science that grows with you: Shop Groovy Lab in a Box now!

Not a typical subscription but we also LOVE and can’t live without The World’s Best Automated Proofreader

The holidays don’t have to be overly stressful. This year, especially, we need to be sure we’re taking care of ourselves. Keep the holidays simple so joy is present. Be safe and well.