Tips for a Calm, Clutter-Free Holiday

It sounds too good to be true, right—a holiday season that is calm and free of clutter? The holidays are a busy time for many people, and there are bound to be some unpredictable moments that arise. I’ve put together a list of ideas to help you sail through the season with minimal stress.

Set good boundaries

Setting good boundaries is essential to success in all areas of life. During the holidays, you may have a lot of extra requests on your schedule: holiday parties, family gatherings, and various outside expectations as to what the holidays should be like. It is okay to say no to some of these things that don’t make sense for you. You don’t have to do it all to have a great holiday season and saying “no” does not make you a bad person. When you say no to something, you are saying yes to something else—doing a few things 100% is far better than spreading yourself thin.

If boundaries make you a little uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Rebecca of Not Another Diet and I did a workshop about boundaries, which you can watch here: Not Another Diet x Minima Boundaries Workshop

Establish new traditions

I’m fortunate that my immediate family lives here in Richmond. Now that my brothers and I are adults, our family has established new traditions. We all agreed that we don’t need a ton of gifts—that was fun as kids, but it created stress as adults. Now we plan a special experience for the following year, and go on nature walks together after Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Shifting out of physical gift-giving has created balance throughout the entire holiday season—no shopping, no extra spending, no wrapping, no storing gifts. You can think outside the box and create new traditions that focus on calm rather than stress and expectations.

Gift giving and receiving can be a sensitive subject, especially with family. I have heard numerous accounts from our clients who tried to tell their family they didn’t want physical gifts (especially for their kids), but the family didn’t respect their wishes. Sometimes this conversation can take a few tries and a little time and patience. It may be helpful to give your family a list of alternatives to physical gifts rather than “no gifts” if they want to give you something. Here’s a list of experience based gifts I’ve put together: “Clutter-Free Gift Ideas for Anyone”

If you need help getting this conversation started with your family, my friend Alison Mazurek of @600sqftandababy created this resource: “Starting a Tough Conversation About Fewer Gifts (I Wrote a Letter to Help!)”

Minimize consumption

The focus of the season can often be around shopping and sales. As I’m writing this post, it’s 8:30a on Black Friday and I’ve received about ten emails offering deep sales. I’ve deleted all of them; I value a calm, clutter-free home over a sale. You know the saying—save 100% by not buying it. If it’s something I already needed/wanted and it’s on sale, great, maybe now is the time to buy it. Otherwise, I choose to pass. I wrote a Minima Journal about this subject if you’d like to learn more: “Prevent Consumption Clutter with These Mindful Shopping Habits”

Instead of shopping, consider shifting the focus to your loved ones and amping up the self-care. Go for a nice brisk winter walk, try a new class, or take extra naps. By following the tips above, you will find you have more time to relax and soak in the season.