Minimalist Christmas anyone?

I'm more of a maximalist than a minimalist: my children , they of the tastefully decorated houses, do sigh and refer to my home as " Santa's Grotto"
In my volunteering role, I do see people for whom the season is not one of joy , for a variety of reasons, of course, but as a Christian I celebrate this time with pleasure and try to spread the bounty.
We in the Northern Hemisphere celebrated midwinter with feasts and lights before Christianity, but those clever early clerics simply highjacked it!

I think the last few posts have come close to the truth. That mostly Christmas is a time for making the children feel happy and loved. For them, it is a magical time, and whatever life has brought to the grown-ups, the children should be the ones making warm memories.
And I don't mean going over board with expensive presents and foods. Just quality time with joy, love, and a sense of wonderment.
Lovely warming photos Gingster.

I ve seen it all now one house has left their rather nasty looking ‘body’ with a near skeleton type face from Halloween in their garden and dressed it up in a Santa suit and hat !!!

BlueBelle

I ve seen it all now one house has left their rather nasty looking ‘body’ with a near skeleton type face from Halloween in their garden and dressed it up in a Santa suit and hat !!!

well that's enterprising and cost cutting!! hilarious... not great for you though...

BlueBelle

I ve seen it all now one house has left their rather nasty looking ‘body’ with a near skeleton type face from Halloween in their garden and dressed it up in a Santa suit and hat !!!

I suppose we have to accept that Christmas means different things to different people (she said with a world-weary sigh...).

What you've described is, to me, a bit tacky - and it could be unnerving for some for that very reason... we all do Christmas differently.

As for me - I'm more inclined towards FriedGreenTomatoes2's warm winter lights and mulled wine.

... because the only Christmas that sticks in my mind is the one where me and assembled (small) group of friends and family sat around the table from around 2 in the afternoon until about 9 at night, simply chatting as it grew dark and the candles were lit and glasses re-filled. All of those people are now dead, and I know I will never experience another Christmas like it. "The Blacksmith's Cottage" where we sat is now sold and 're-vamped' and the quiet country lane in which it was situated is now lined with cars...

We were talking to a lady in the lift who said she has crossed 80 people off her Christmas card list due to the cost of postage.

Congratulations on being able to afford postage for all those cards! I'm going minimalist on those this year thanks to the rising cost of stamps.

We enjoy Christmas here and will do cards, decorations and a tree but not yet! Christmas puddings already made and we'll male mince pies in a couple of weeks' time. I don't like Christmas cake so we've stopped doing that. Husband has a slice of fruit cale with icing for Christmas Day pm.

But for us Christmas is really carols, Midnight Mass and the Christmas Day Eucharist. We'll be just the two of us on the day but family gatherings on 28th and 30th and we are perfectly chilled about it.

To be accurate, Christmas begins on Christmas Day. I know this is a very outdated view, but I agree that "Christmas" starts far too early, even before the season of Advent begins. And it takes so long for all the lights and tinsel to come down in the shops, so everything looks "tired" not festive at all.
One thing that really drives me round the bend is the endless Christmas muzak in shops. I feel sorry for the staff.
I have bought Christmas cards though and we will send them. Also nice Advent calendars for the grandchildren.

Don’t really enjoy Christmas now as my mother died on Christmas Day five years ago. I just put a few Christmas ornaments out, no tree. I’m happy with that.

Shinamae

I am definitely bah humbug about Christmas. Don’t decorate now. Don’t do anything at al really .Give the grandchildren presents but not so much my adult children
Give to the Salvation Army because they really do help people who have nothing…🤷‍♀️

Same here Shinamae - I like candles and I might get in a bit of greenery for Solstice!

Dickens

BlueBelle

I ve seen it all now one house has left their rather nasty looking ‘body’ with a near skeleton type face from Halloween in their garden and dressed it up in a Santa suit and hat !!!

I suppose we have to accept that Christmas means different things to different people (she said with a world-weary sigh...).

What you've described is, to me, a bit tacky - and it could be unnerving for some for that very reason... we all do Christmas differently.

As for me - I'm more inclined towards FriedGreenTomatoes2's warm winter lights and mulled wine.

... because the only Christmas that sticks in my mind is the one where me and assembled (small) group of friends and family sat around the table from around 2 in the afternoon until about 9 at night, simply chatting as it grew dark and the candles were lit and glasses re-filled. All of those people are now dead, and I know I will never experience another Christmas like it. "The Blacksmith's Cottage" where we sat is now sold and 're-vamped' and the quiet country lane in which it was situated is now lined with cars...

Because the only Christmas which sticks in my mind .....

Dickens ...
Thank you for letting us into that wonderful memory of your perfect Christmas night.
Simplicity, and camaraderie
Tinged as memories often are with sadness and regret (that they can't be repeated).
It chimed with the sentiments that always surround me when thinking of Christmas
I suppose it is the very reason adults often find this time year hard, and the very reason we try so hard to make it 'magical' for children.

Cazza1953

Don’t really enjoy Christmas now as my mother died on Christmas Day five years ago. I just put a few Christmas ornaments out, no tree. I’m happy with that.

Yes, when you have had a loss ( or losses) around Christmas time, things change.

@FriedGreenTomatoes2 I've already written my xmas cards, bought all presents, and will be wrapping the last of them tomorrow!
I delivered one card/gift just over a month ago, but other than that one, the rest will all be delivered by 9th December, as that's my sister's birthday, and she'll be the last of my xmas deliveries
Once that's done, I'll be closing my door and only leaving the house for essentials like bread and milk, otherwise I'll be hibernating and seeing no-one, doing nothing until 2nd January- I hate this time of year

Whatever that is, is so hideous...why bother? You can go minimal but Christmassy!

Minimilist Christmas, no thank you.

However, I am not a fan of decorations going up at the start of December. Mine go up around the 20th December. The earlier weeks of the month are given over to cleaning, baking etc.

Right now, I do not know how many I shall be making Christmas dinner for - no family coming, but I have put my name down with the Red Cross as willing to invite up to 11 guests . Not sure how late they will let me know if anyone is coming!

The cost of stamps puts me off sending so many cards. I used to wrap and post my Christmas presents to England (I live in Northern Ireland) I now send a bank payment to my daughter's account and she does the rest for me. I have a grandson at Uni this year so sending a payment to his account and he is going to sort my daughter and son-in-law's gifts. All done easy as that 🎄

I'm married to a heathen so we don't celebrate Xmas

ordinarygirl

I'm married to a heathen so we don't celebrate Xmas

What about you- are you heathen too?
Are you Pagan?

Do you celebrate Yule?

grandtanteJE65

Minimilist Christmas, no thank you.

However, I am not a fan of decorations going up at the start of December. Mine go up around the 20th December. The earlier weeks of the month are given over to cleaning, baking etc.

Right now, I do not know how many I shall be making Christmas dinner for - no family coming, but I have put my name down with the Red Cross as willing to invite up to 11 guests . Not sure how late they will let me know if anyone is coming!

What a fantastic idea.. do you have the quests come to your home.. so generous and kind Grandtante

Surely there are 12 days of Christmas starting on Christmas Eve. This in the European tradition is followed by a Carnival. Until Shrove Tuesday. Sadly, in my opinion, starting it all in November and impatiently waiting for Boxing Day to take the tree down and go shopping again, is a travesty and becomes nothing more than a commercial event. And it’s all over after The Speech. Such a pity.

J52

We have an old cottage and I love making it look festive. I decorate the traditional porch with a wreath, garlands, some real, some fake and lights.
Inside, the sitting room mantle has a fruit and leaves garland ( fake), also the real fire on, especially on Christmas Day. The bannisters have a woodland garland and lights. Other things are dotted about the house.
I love getting all the decorations out and remembering where they came from and Christmases past.

I think we are all desperate to spend Christmas at j52's place. It sounds lovely !

It is harder when Christmas is associated with a loss.

It will be 12 years this Christmas eve that a note and our first GC's first Christmas present were put back through our letter box. The note said we were no longer a part of their lives and were to stay away.

They are our only GC and our DS is in Aus, so it's just the two of us but I still love Christmas, so we've never held back from making our home as festive as possible.

Of course there's always some sadness but as the years go by it gets easier and the level of sadness reduces.

My DH hates Christmas but helps me put up the tree, we have an artificial tree, as our dog had an allergic reaction to the pine needles. I decorate my hall table and the unit in the dining room. I put up individual stockings on the staircase which spell HoHoHo, as myDGd wanted it when she stayed with us. The only thing I’m not putting on the tree this year is my collection of Swarovski snowflakes, baubles and bells, our youngest DGd will try and pull at all of the ornaments on the tree and I’d be devastated if any where broken.

Just the thought of all the commercialism of it makes me want to hibernate.