Getty Images
When I was a kid, my father didn't want a Christmas tree. As a minimalist, he didn't enjoy dragging it into the house only to throw it out a few weeks later. But my mother insisted, in order to create some magic for us kids. So every year, we went to the woods behind our house in Texas, cut down a cedar tree, carried it inside, and decorated it with family-heirloom ornaments and a string of chili pepper lights.
I now have a husband, two kids, and my own minimalist tendencies. I'm wary of Black Friday and other holiday sales that push a mountain of decorations, home goods, outfits, and presents. There's pressure, online and IRL, to throw lavish parties and fulfill everyone's wish list.
All that stuff can clutter our homes, reducing our usable living space and making us anxious. And it's expensive.
More than a third of Americans went into debt during the 2023 holiday season, a survey by LendingTree found. Of those, 65% said that going into debt wasn't in their plans. On top of that, we spend money on containers, storage units, and even larger homes to hold our multiplying possessions.
"We fall into this trap of thinking that more is better," Joshua Becker, the author of the popular blog Becoming Minimalist, said. "Parents just run themselves ragged, stressed, and tired, and they don't have to."
Adopting some minimalist ideas can help you ward off holiday clutter and stress before they start to pile up. Minimalism can be loosely defined as the pursuit of simplicity, which looks different for everyone. Here are some tips to get you started.
Decorations can be a stressful part of the holiday season, Becker said, so less is more. They're burdensome to put up, time-consuming to take down and store properly, and expensive to buy and replace.
Many garages are bursting with large plastic decorations. They spend the year accumulating dust, stains, and holes, and often need to be thrown out. Instead of buying a new herd of inflatable reindeer, get (or make) a real wreath that can be composted or turned into mulch when the holiday is over.
Go old-school and make garlands from popcorn, cranberries, dried oranges, or candy canes. It'll turn decorating into a fun event you an do with your loved ones and remove the need to find space for storage.
Many families fall into a pattern of buying new sets of matching clothes every year, including pajamas, costumes, party outfits, and "ugly sweaters." These clothes have holiday-specific patterns, so they're often worn just once, then forgotten or outgrown.
Instead of buying more, look for small matching accessories you already own — hopefully, ones that won't be outgrown, like antlers or jingle-bell necklaces. The simplicity of these accessories may make things easier if your kids drag their feet when it's time to dress up for the party or the family photo.
When hosting a big party, you might be tempted to buy new kitchen tools, glasses, flatware, coasters, and other items to charm your guests. But you probably don't need them, and no one will remember that you had matching napkin rings or the new KitchenAid mixer with the wooden bowl. They'll remember having fun with one another. And besides, the "perfectly set table" will only look perfect until someone spills milk all over it.
Many families love to see boxes piled under the Christmas tree, but you might be just as happy with fewer objects and more experiences. "In a culture where excess is praised, and excess is championed and encouraged, there are very few people posting a photo of a Christmas tree with only an envelope underneath it," Becker said. But that doesn't mean you should let what we see on social media dictate how you spend your holidays.
Becker has four guidelines to keep your gifts from needlessly piling up: quality over quantity, needs over wants, experiences over possessions, and consumables over non-consumables. Personally, I enjoy giving a night in a hotel or a ticket to a show.
Be open about your desire to reduce your clutter, and tell your loved ones that you need their help. This can be difficult when grandparents and other relatives want to spoil the little ones, but the conversation can be very productive, especially if you have it earlier in the season.
"Don't just say, 'We want experiences rather than physical gifts.' Give a nice long list of what some of those experiences might be," Becker said. And be patient; understand they may not fully grasp or understand what you mean the first year.
Think about the money you'll spend on objects and storage "solutions" for your gifts and decorations. Commit to spending less, then use the difference for something you really need in the new year. Or use that money to create more money. Let it appreciate in a retirement, brokerage, or 529 college savings account.
