Minimally Decorating for Different Seasons

Decorating as a minimalist - or an aspiring minimalist - has been a really interesting challenge to take on over the last few years. For one, I love, love, love seasonal decor! I love buying it, I love making it myself...I even enjoy just looking at all of it in the store (without making a purchase). There’s just something about it that makes me so happy. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe not. For another, I like to switch things up and add new pieces so that there is something new to admire...I foresee it potentially becoming a problem in the future, but not really.

After some practice, and loving the results of having truly minimal, but meaningful decor (and after experiencing the strange satisfaction I get from only having 2 small, organized totes for all of our seasonal decor), I’ve decided to share some of my favorite tips. 

Choose Pieces Carefully

I love having pieces that mean something to us personally. For you, it could be a piece of art that a friend painted or a vase you bought on your honeymoon. It could also just be something that really spoke to you when you laid your eyes upon it. Choose just a few pieces with a story behind them to display. With such depth behind them, you won’t need to have it stand next to anything else, plus they make great conversation starters.

Less is More 

Give your pieces space to breathe. It’s really okay to have some empty space. I find it rather soothing, personally, to have my eyes drawn to small subtle details rather than being overwhelmed by shelves full of decor. Resist the urge to fill an entire shelf - harder to dust that way anyway!

To make it easier, opt for larger items rather than a bunch of smaller ones for the same reason that less is more. It feels less cluttered, and again, the eye is drawn to the large details.

Consider Natural Items

I really enjoy bringing the outdoors inside for a few reasons. Having real plants, vegetables, and other natural elements like pinecones or woods makes me feel calm and welcomed in a space. Natural items are unique, easy to acquire, inexpensive (or even free sometimes!), and you can put them back outside when you’re finished to let them continue their natural course. 

Think About Other Senses

For me, decor is really a minor part of making my home ready for the holiday season. I love the smell of fresh sweet loaves baking in the oven, burning woodsy scented candles (or diffusing woodsy oils!), having the fireplace on, and listening to my holiday playlists (not just Christmas!) are highlights that make my home feel ready for the season. 

Start “Stuff”-less Traditions

Baking and decorating cookies with my family, game and movie nights, singing together, were all highlights of the holiday months growing up (and are still my favorite!). Sure, we also loved decorating with Bing Crosby singing in the background, but it was the feeling that contributed to the holidays too. 

Choose Pieces that Cross Seasons

When I look for decor and textiles, I look for pieces that can cross seasons and holidays. White linens and plates, for example, can be paired with various objects and patterns to fit most any season you may want to decorate for. Vases can be filled with different seasonal foliage. I will admit, however, that I have three different wreaths for the door.

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Are you a minimal decorator? What are some of your tips?

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Save Money During the Holidays

It cannot be denied that the holiday season is likely our most expensive season. With all of the extra gift-giving and parties, our budgets can easily become overwhelmed if we are not intentional in approaching the holidays with them in mind. Here are some ways you can save some money during this special time of the year.

Set a budget

Setting and committing to a budget is key (and the first step you should take!) when saving money during the holiday season. Make a list and stick to it. Obvious things to consider are gifts and food for parties or potlucks, but don’t forget to budget travel expenses or decor as well!

Consider wrapping alternatives

Yes, the trendiest and cutest wrapping paper is adorable, but consider cheaper alternatives. My personal favorite is plain brown wrapping paper that costs a fraction of what the shiny wraps in the store cost, plus is recyclable and highly customizable and versatile! It’s kind of like a good closet staple you can dress up or dress down. (I love this brand from Amazon)

Consider secret santa

Is your family on the larger side? Even if it’s not, why not suggest Secret Santa for your gift exchange this year? Set a monetary limit for everyone, and draw names to determine who you gift to. This way, you don’t have to get everyone a gift, everyone will still get one, and that number will get a nice line in your budget.

Practical or Homemade gifts

Make sure you gift practical gifts - not gifts that will be thrown out after you leave. Practical sounds so unromantic and unfun, but if you make sure you get your recipient something they will love and appreciate, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing your money was spent well. You could also opt for a homemade gift that can add a special feel to the recipient.

Related: An Aspiring Minimalist’s Guide to Gifts

Decorate simply

No need to go crazy with decor during the holiday season. Sometimes, less is more. Decorate creatively, using what you already have, DIY-ing things, or bringing the outdoors in.

Choose inexpensive traditions

There really is no need for crazy expensive traditions for the holidays if you are trying to save those dollars. Some of my favorite family traditions are inexpensive, like baking cookies, driving around to see light displays, or reading books by the fire...the list goes on!

Don’t be fooled by “sales”

Sometimes sale prices are not actually great sale prices at all. Don’t be afraid to do some comparison shopping and price watching. One store’s sale price might be a larger amount than another’s. Pro tip: the sooner you know you will purchase something, the sooner you can start price watching too!

Start saving early in the year

The earlier you start saving for the holidays, the more you’ll have once the time comes around. So start saving early! One way to do this is to have a set amount to put aside each month that you will be able to use come November.

Just Say No

Learn to be selective. You do not have to go to every single holiday potluck, gift exchange party, or cookie swap you are invited to. 

Cut back on nonessentials

When you know there will be extra expenses, you may want to cut back on nonessentials like your daily latte or that cute little do-dad you just haaaave to buy. The one that will probably be collecting dust in a few weeks anyway.

Use rebate apps or websites

Take advantage of rebate apps and websites that can help you save extra cash on items. I use these all year for groceries and other purchases, and the extra money I save goes towards the holidays anyway!

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How do you save money during the holiday season?

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Unique Ways To Minimize Your Waste This Holiday Season

There is, unfortunately, a lot of waste associated with the holidays. Between gifts, packaging and even food waste and packaging, Americans throw away an average of 25% more trash during this season. 

I know for me growing up, Christmas morning was filled with tons of wrapping paper and such. It was normal to grab a huge garbage bag after opening all of our gifts and stuffing as much as we could in there. Then it would go out to the curb for the garbage man to pick up! And this was normal. 

The good news is that there are a lot of creative ways to make that less. The change can begin with you!

Food

Buy Less - Be Realistic: Plan Carefully so that you know exactly how much to buy. Realistically, not everyone will be eating a full serving of anything if there are a ton of choices, so consider making fewer dishes, or smaller amounts of each option.

Go Small: Use smaller plates and encourage self-serve to reduce unwanted food waste. There is nothing worse than seeing half a plate of food being thrown out!

Use Leftovers: Eat those leftovers, or if you still have a ton of untouched food, consider donating it.

Compost Food Scraps: I think this is pretty straightforward. 

Gifts

Thoughtful Gift Giving: Practice the art of thoughtful gift giving. Don't give others something they won't be able to use, or give just something just because you feel obligated to. 

Give Experiences instead of Things That Can Be Wrapped. This is a great thing that can potentially lead to giving the gift of quality time! Gift things like tickets to something or plan a fun scavenger hunt. Be creative!

Be Creative with Wrapping: Skip conventional wrapping paper that you can find ample amounts of in the landfills every year. Wrap gifts with things such as scarves or newspaper. Try a kitchen towel or even a mason jar for kitchen gifts!

Find gifts that have less packaging: Edible gifts are great for this!

Consider skipping the Christmas Card: I love getting Christmas cards, and I love sending them as well. If you absolutely must send them, choose recyclable paper options. I know that they go in the trash and it's the thought that counts, but it is something to think about. 

Decor

Recycle Your Christmas Tree: It's really a myth that plastic trees are better for the environment, as the material used is generally not good for the landfills. If gettng a tree, opt for a real tree if possible. Do some research about recycling trees in your area - many places turn your used Christmas Tree into mulch or wood chips to be used again. We like to use ours in the summer as firewood in our pit...

Be minimalistic with your decor. Yes, it's adorable to have reindeer chair covers and streamers, but do consider that less is more when it comes to Christmas decor. 

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Being mindful of your waste production doesn't have to be hard over the holiday season! Practice all year, and you'll be a natural by the time the holidays roll through! How do you minimize your waste over the holidays?

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An Aspiring Minimalist’s Guide to Gifts

There are plenty of gift-giving guides for when you want to give something to a minimalist, but what if a minimalist (or aspiring minimalist, like me) wants to give a gift? I had to really think about this!

Take Christmas, for example. It's around the corner and it seems that most people expect to receive a gift and give one in return. I’ve been caught in situations where I’ve had to give a gift, so I just grabbed something off the department store shelves with little thought as to why I was giving it. On the other hand, I’ve also received those same kinds of gifts. Full disclosure: those don’t often last long in my house at all. So why do we even bother?

When I give a gift now, I like to be intentional about it. I like to ask myself a few questions:

Why did I choose this particular gift?
Will my recipient value this gift?
How can I make this a meaningful experience?

With the gift-giving season right around the corner (and just coming out of one - can someone say weddings?), I thought I might share some of my thoughts and ideas on giving gifts.

Give the gift of an experience or time together

This is probably a great place to start. One of the coolest gifts we got as a wedding gift was a night out to see a Broadway musical. It was seriously cool, and it is a memory we still talk about to this day. Gifting experiences is a great idea and focuses more on your friendship than any material thing I can think of at this moment. Gift dinner reservations or unique local experiences or special events and make memories, not dust collectors.

Cash

I know it sounds impersonal and unromantic, but cash is way better to get than a gift card. It’s still tangible and doesn’t risk the use to being resold online or forgotten in a wallet. Plus, cash can still be used pretty much everywhere. There are creative ways to gift it too!

Something personalized and practical

If you still want to give something, you might want to consider giving something from the heart. Personalized items can still be practical. Put the “fun” in “functional” and explore options like personalized cutting boards or socks - okay, maybe not socks, but you get the idea. Thinking of needs and adding a personalized twist is, in my humble opinion, thoughtful!

Give a charitable donation

There are many opportunities to give a charitable donation in your recipient's name. All it takes is one Google search.

Give a consumable

Ummm, who doesn’t love food? I haven’t met that person yet. I love this, because you can get really creative with it! Visit a foreign country? Bring a packaged specialty! Have you heard of gourmet olive oil? Because it's amazing. Love chocolate chip cookies? Put together a kit so they can make their own (you can even pair this with an experience and do it together)! The possibilities are endless and are so fun!

If there is a registry, stick to the registry

If you are going to a shower or a wedding, chances are the hosts have created a gift registry. Stick to it. They know what they need, and if you want to stay true to helping others own only what they need, value, and what brings them joy, I highly suggest going that route.

So what about receiving gifts?

Receiving gifts is a little tougher for me - especially now that we have downsized greatly and don’t wish to acquire more [useless] stuff. But I also don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings!

Explaining your “new way of life” to family and friends who normally shower you with gifts can be difficult, but not impossible. I see gift-giving as a way of sharing love, but gift-giving is not restricted to material things.

Your loved ones are called your loved ones because they love you. Trust that and make your expectations and intentions clear. They will be happy to support you. Isn’t that just what gift-giving is about anyway? Showing our love? They’ll be glad to do that however you decide!

Instead of saying, “I will not be collecting gifts this year,” and leaving it at that, why not give specific ideas to your loved ones about what they can give you. If you would like a charitable gift, set up a charity fund they can donate directly to, or pick a soup kitchen and request they accompany you too. If you want consumables, hand over your grocery list (I mean, why not?). If you think it will help, why not send them the link to this blog post? Whatever you choose, I’m sure they’ll think it’s a fabulous idea and they might start picking it up too!

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What kinds of gifts do you like giving and receiving? Let me know in the comments!

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Jumping into the Holiday Mood

Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.

Dale Evans

When was the last time you took a moment, a break from your life and just… enjoyed? Enjoyed the world around you, the love that’s virtually everywhere, the beauty of what’s visible to the naked eye and beyond it? Exactly. Why have we collectively given up on all the joys around us and decided it’s way more important to hand in that report by Friday than listen to our kids jibber jabber about their latest cartoon obsession or help out with the Christmas decorations? Ah, yes, we’ve grown old(er) and, for some reason, that meant willingly giving up joy. Hey, maybe we don’t actually have to go through with it? What if, all it takes to bring joy, excitement and thrill back into our lives is to decide we will? Yes, let’s do it!

This Christmas, no matter how (seemingly) disinterested you seem to be, decide to make the best of it and jump into the Christmas spirit rapidly! After all, at Christmas, everything somehow gets softer and more beautiful. It’s like a magic is waved over this world and everything, suddenly, becomes better, lighter and happier.

Here, a simple guide that will help you get into the holiday mood and enjoy this season with your loved ones:

Go DIY on decorations

Buying decorations is super practical but making them is what’s adding to the wonderful Christmas spirit. Just imagine yourself and the kids sitting together, doing arts and crafts, coming up with the craziest shapes and forms for your tree and the entire house… doesn’t it sound wonderful? Apart from making unique decorations, you’ll get to spend time with your little ones, enjoy their gorgeous faces and brilliant minds, and have a chance to reconnect. These are the memories your kids will cherish forever.

Speaking of DIY, you can also go crazy on the Christmas outfits – make it a family project for everyone to design and sew (obviously, you’ll help out) their outfit, and wear it on Christmas day. Fun!

Bring on the scents

This holiday season, try to introduce some wonderful scents into your home, scents that will give power to the wonderful spirit of Christmas – think maple tree and cinnamon, pine tree and vanilla, apple and cypress, coconut and vanilla, peaches and honey, etc. These days, scented candles, air purifiers and scented air fresheners can do wonders for a room! While air purifiers will clean out the air you breathe, scented elements will give the space just the touch of smell you are hoping to get. How’s that for an instant Christmas thrill!

Cook, bake, eat

Remember when you were a child and you’d wake up to the scent of your grandma’s cinnamon pie? Wasn’t that, just, phenomenal? Well, let your kids make the same memories!

Come up with some super tasty Christmas recipes you’ll make for the family or find those treats that are not that hard to make and include your little ones into the process! You can make gingerbread together, cookies for the rest of the family (the more shapes the better), you can even let them take their pick and decide on what’s going to be the main delish… as long as you’re all included, as that’s what  Christmas is all about.

Watch a holiday movie

A Christmas movie night is a must! Make a list of all the movies your kids love to watch and gather together for a movie night. Get some popcorn and blankets, let the Christmas lights charm you into loosening up and enjoy this precious time.

It's true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, especially for moms (after all, it is mostly us who are doing all the work). But, as the very observant Caroline Kennedy put it “when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you'll find you've created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul”.

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This was a guest post by Claire Hastings, who is a wanderer and a writer. She has written as long as she can remember, and she is very passionate about fashion, running, other cultures, and her cat.

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If you are interested in guest posting, check out the guest posting guidelines for Maple Alps, here.