by Whitney Barthel posted in Tips & Tricks

With concepts like ?carnival Christmas? becoming a thing, this year I vowed to be different. I LOVE Christmas, so every year I went overboard with filling the house with decorations and buying several perfect gifts for everyone on my list.

This year, I am trying something new. I am having a minimalist Christmas and here is how.
1. Every gift I purchased fell into two categories; something that can be consumed, or something that can be used daily -- like beer and socks.

2. I kept things simple by getting everyone the same gift based on gender.

3. I resisted buying myself gifts while shopping. This was really hard!

4. I got my kids only ONE gift this year. I bought them each their own blanket for movie night. currently all fight over the two blankets we have. Giving all my brilliant gift ideas to Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts, and Uncles was painful, but I?m willing to let them spend their money.
5. Just say NO to Elf on the Shelf. Thankfully, my kids made this decision easy for me. Before our elf could even get into mischief Frankie found him misplaced in my bedroom. He was totally freaked out and said, ?Mom. I hate that elf. I don?t want him sneaking around.?
Obviously, I told him it?s probably not a good idea to hate, but I would make sure the elf wouldn?t sneak around at night.

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