6 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays Like a Minimalist 

Minimalist living has changed the way our family celebrates the holidays—drastically.

December used to usher in a season of frenetic spending, uncontrolled amassing (think piles of new stuff), and commitment-induced overwhelm.

The “most wonderful time of year” became one, that, if given a choice, I’d have happily elected to hibernate through. Opting out of the season completely held more appeal than finishing the year in a frenzy. 

Fast forward to today, five years into minimalist living, and the holidays have regained their wonder. Why?

Because living intentionally with less stuff has shown me I don’t have to live—or celebrate the holidays—like everyone else. 

Minimalist living has shown me a happy holiday doesn’t have to include filling my home with new stuff or stocking my calendar full of seasonal commitments. It doesn’t have to involve out-doing the neighbors in holiday decor and cookie platters; it doesn’t have to mean catching every lights display and holiday activity in FOMO-like fashion. 

In short, minimalist living has been my exit ramp from culturally prescribed holiday expectations. 

Now, living as a minimalist hasn’t made me anti-spending, anti-tradition, or Scrooge-like. 

But it has freed me to shift my focus from what everyone else told me “should” matter during the holidays, to what I believed actually did. 

And our holidays have become a whole lot more memorable and meaningful for it.

I think celebrating the holidays like a minimalist could do the same for you. 

Here are 6 ways to celebrate the holidays like a minimalist:

1. Choose experiences over stuff

Minimalists happily opt out of the over-commercialization of the holidays. If there’s anything worth accumulating—now or any time of year—it’s memories, not more stuff. Minimalists base their gift-giving and receiving on the motto “experiences over stuff.”

Consider both gifting and receiving experiences. Resist the need to buy stuff for people just because you think you should or just because you did last year. Do your loved ones even want more stuff? Sixty one percent of Americans report receiving unwanted gifts over the holidays (that totals to 154 million people).

Here’s a list of experience-based gifts you could give instead of more possessions. 

Give your loved ones the gift of a memory—it’s likely they already have enough stuff. 

2. Have conversations about gift-giving 

Minimalist living allows you to reduce or eliminate the influx of stuff into your home during the holidays—but only if you communicate this decision. Truth is, loved ones will want to show love by giving you gifts this time of year. Let them. Just don’t let them buy you more possessions. 

Tell them about your favorite coffee shop, or the concert you so badly want to see, or that restaurant you can’t wait to try. 

Now is the time to tell people what you do want. Even if the conversation seems a bit unconventional, have it anyway. 

It’s going to feel a whole lot better to sit and enjoy your favorite latte—for free—than get another sweater that hangs unworn in your closet all year.

3. “We don’t have to continue holiday traditions that leave us broke, overwhelmed, and tired.” -Rachel Jonat

If the idea of a simpler, slower holiday is alluring, first give yourself permission—full permission—to have one. You don’t have to do things just because that’s the way you’ve always done them. Ask yourself: “What traditions or activities make the holidays more meaningful? Which ones overwhelm or drain me?” Write them out in two columns if it helps. Then allow yourself to choose well. 

The Latin root words for “tradition” mean “to give” and “across.” Are you doing things just because that’s what has been “given” to you “across” generations? Do you stop and ask if they actually work for you and your family?

Minimalists know that when you’re not rushing to get to the next thing, the holiday traditions you do choose to engage in become more meaningful and memorable.

4. Ground your holiday activities in what matters

Society puts on a full-court press this time of year. Do more. Buy more. Commit more. Minimalists realize you can opt out of our consumer culture’s push for more this holiday season and focus on less.

Minimalists take time to immerse themselves in stillness and silence each day. The busier you feel, the more this might serve you. Ask yourself during this time, “What do the holidays mean to me?”

In our home, at Christmas, we celebrate that Jesus came into the world so we could have life and have it more abundantly. And although he promised abundance, he was born into complete poverty. His birth wasn’t a sign that we need more stuff or busyness. But less.

Christmas is a time to focus less on the material which fades and focus more on the immaterial that matters and lasts.

Gaining clarity on your values through intentional silence will shape your holiday-related choices, making them more meaningful and less commercialized. 

5. Remember to fill your own cup 

Minimalists know you “can’t pour from an empty cup,” and the holidays are no exception. Tapping into your intuition is a powerful way to practice knowing when you need to “fill your own cup” during this traditionally busy season. 

Increasing your self-care during the holidays isn’t selfish. It’s a practice of intentionally including things you enjoy in your life, so you can show up more fully for those around you. (Think: “I’m doing this for me, so I can be more present to you.”). 

Maybe this looks like canceling a half-hearted commitment, mindfully enjoying your favorite tea each morning, getting to bed early, or doing something extra you love like going ice skating with your daughter. 

During this “season of giving” remember to fill your own cup or you may have nothing left to give.

6. Turn the holidays into a time to have fun

Minimalists are intentional about making the holidays fun. In the words of author Mel Robbins, the holidays are when, “we open our hearts, we uncross our arms, we drop our expectations, and we pull up in the fun bus.”

When you have less stuff and fewer “to-dos” weighing you down, you have more space and energy for fun.

Studies show that 81% of Americans want to have more fun in their lives. Researchers now even have a term for our lack of fun—“a fun drought.”

Remember how fun the holidays were as a kid? With some intentionality, you can insert fun back into the holidays. Last year, our minimalist family spent Dec. 24th at Great Wolf Lodge (an indoor water park)—it was our kids’ Christmas gift and it was FUN to spend Christmas Eve going down water slides. What can you do to add more fun into the holidays?

In conclusion

If your holidays seem off to an unsettling pace or you’re feeling seasonal stress creeping in, consider celebrating the holidays like a minimalist.

Shift your focus from what society says “should” matter during the holidays to what you believe actually does. 

Give yourself permission to opt out of our culture’s push for more this holiday season and experiment with less. 

Your holidays will likely be more memorable and meaningful for it.

***

Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia also practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home. She resides with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, three-year-old son, and baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram.

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