#KISS - Week 74 | The Holiday Bonanza

#KISS-Blog-Idea | W-74.

What is something that others make a fuss over, but you feel should be done much more simply? Everything from style to special occasions applies here!

Timely is all I can say about this week's prompt involving the minimalist lifestyle. I can feel my heart pound a bit harder when thinking about my answer. It's the Holidays. And the pomp and circumstance surrounding them that I bought into heart and soul as a young parent. Each year, as the end of summer drew near, I would start to feel the stress of Fall and the approaching holidays.

However, this last decade, I have been trying to disassociate my family from the tomfoolery. Special occasions are for enjoying your family, not how much decor, or gifts, or food you have to distribute and impress others.

I want to share with you in the following areas my solution to relieving the stress of the holidays for me and simplifying them so I can at least enjoy the festivities.

^{[All images are my personal property unless indicated]}

HOLIDAY COOKING

The most strenuous activity I have tackled during my young adult parenting years was the holiday meals. Be it Thanksgiving or Christmas, I would amass a variety of meats, veggies, side dishes, desserts, and drinks for my family. I often think how foolish of me not asking for assistance. I then remind myself that I believed I was a superior multi-tasking individual.

However, the years took a toll mentally and physically. High blood pressure and other underlying ailments grabbed hold and forced me to slow down. I began to ask for assistance. Well, no one can do what you can do as well as you can do it!

But it had to be done. I finally convinced my family that less is better for me health wise. So be it if we purchase a complete ham or turkey dinner. We can still whip up a few side dishes. Enough so that I nor anyone else has to spend two or three days ahead of time preparing for one day.

I have discovered that once you request assistance on any project, alternative and easier ways to accomplish the task is immediately suggested.

A trimmed down menu was agreed upon and enjoyed last year. Only two desserts. We all enjoyed ourselves, and there was still plenty for take home packages.

HOLIDAY DECORATING

For me, decorating for the holidays begins in mid October. Locating indoor and outdoor items, the fun began. A floor-to-ceiling tree was the norm. However each decade the tree shrunk until last year, the one purchased sat on top of a sofa table.

The outdoor decorations consisted of a full lawn with lights from one end of the home to the other. The ones with strings that cascade. Santa, his reindeer, and angels rounded out the yard display.

Last year, just a lighted wreath was hung.

I was done with trying to win the "Best Holiday Decorated" lawn in the community. The competition was too steep, and the prize didn't cover the cost of the increased electricity usage.

HOLIDAY GIFT BUYING

Holiday gift purchases is perhaps the epitome of the season. Commercializing the holidays has had, in my opinion, the most devastating effect on the spirit of Christmas. Bargains and super sales, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are whirlwind spending events that can break a family's budget quickly if not kept in check.

I remember one year two days before Christmas standing in the checkout line a full hour and a half attempting to cash in on a super gift deal that was a must have.

I can no longer shop all day nor stand on my knees and ankles for any length of time. A change was required in finding a simpler way to purchase. So, I started online gift shopping. I found that I spent more money purchasing this way.

My holiday buying has evolved. I purchase simple gift cards. If I know the person's shopping outlet preference, I'll buy a specialty card. If not, I'll just purchase a reloading Visa card. That way, the family member can use it at any time. This practice has become a favorite and easy solution to gift giving.

I remember when the first year I began to hand out gift cards. A friend heartily disagreed, stating that the cards were too impersonal. My answer to her was, "money is money, no matter in what form or how it's delivered."

Nothing is going to convince me otherwise.

Instead of teaching my children the importance of just family and celebrating the togetherness, I was lured and bought into society's expectations of what the holidays in the U.S. should look like.

Now, with my new minimalist lifestyle mindset, I'm showing them by example that I am serious in reducing the clutter of storing all items necessary to upkeep the indoor and outdoor holiday decor as well as simplifying my life in terms of food preparation, and gift giving.

The final item I wanted to mention was the practice of sending out Christmas cards. My list has been paired down from over 200 sent each year to a pack of 50 cards. The time spent personalizing, addressing, and mailing was worth the reduction. This was especially true as I took several minutes deciding what person should receive which card.

What I see happening this year and in my future is a more relaxed atmosphere surrounding the holidays without the frustration.

Simplification currently and continuing.