As Christmas approaches, we are all thinking about gifts for our loved ones and friends and preparing for Christmas. We used to spend a lot of money and time on shopping for Christmas gifts, decorating, making cookies, running around to parties, and more. It was a very stressful time, but not anymore. We have simplified our Christmas significantly, and we no longer feel that financial burden or exhaustion. We have learned to slow down and truly enjoy the holidays.

I remember one holiday season several years ago that we had 7 family Christmases, 2 work parties, 2 concerts, and several other activities. We felt obligated to do everything, and by the end we were ready for the holidays to be over. Maybe this doesn’t sound like that much to the modern-day person, but it was for us. I can’t imagine trying to doing all of this since our family has grown and our homestead and businesses have expanded. We have had to learn to say “no” a lot more, and this can be hard because we all tend to want to please others. Picking a few things to attend has helped us to look forward to events rather than dread this time of year.

Rather than having numerous boxes of Christmas decorations to drag down from our attic, I have cut down to a small Christmas tree and one container with decorations.  Decorating is so fun since it only takes a few hours rather than a couple days. Our family tradition is to decorate on Friday after Thanksgiving while listening to Christmas music. It is a fun and relaxing time that we all look forward to.

I still enjoy making extra food and cookies, but now we use natural, quality ingredients like honey, maple syrup, quality salt, ancient grains, and pastured beyond organic meats. We make our foods more digestible by using methods such as soaking and sourdough. I also don’t make as many desserts, because even though we use these natural ingredients, too much carbohydrates and natural sugar tend to get us sick more easily and causes us to feel very tired. Rather than trays of cookies, there are many other options that we can give or bring during the holidays like homemade sourdough bread or crackers and meat and cheese trays.

I love giving gifts if I can think of something that a person will truly enjoy and actually use. I no longer give gifts because I feel obligated, but because I truly want to give it. Unexpectedly, this was how my skin care business got started.

A few examples of these are tickets to a museum, homemade vanilla, herbal teas mixed with love, Alena’s book, bags of natural skin care items, pastured meats, handmade soap, calendars with our own pictures, homemade food or quality seasonings, and this year I bought handmade wooden items from Aiden. When I asked my kids, they suggested journals. They are still trying to convince me to journal, but I haven’t given in yet. It would certainly be good for my memory! Rather than spending more than we should at Christmas, one of the best gifts we can give our loved ones is our time and attention, turning off the technology and truly listening and caring for one another.

According to the American Psychological Association, 38 percent of people surveyed said their stress increased around the holiday season. I am guessing this will be higher this year with the increased price of everything, but it doesn’t have to. Rather than giving into the modern-day expectations of the holidays, we can choose a different path.

Do you feel stressed during the holidays or do you take a more relaxed approach to the holidays? We love to hear from you!