A friendly thread for those of us planning a simpler or more frugal Christmas

[SausageGuzzlingLabradors]

I love Christmas, but don’t love facing January broke and knackered. Various changes this year (not least my lovely DD becoming a Young Quaker) have made us all reflect on what a good quality Christmas might look like, especially how, when and where we choose to spend money.

We have some outings planned, but fewer than usual. Will eat at street food markets on our London trip, not in a restaurant. I’m avoiding shops and Christmas markets and have invited a friend to our church’s nine lessons and carols. We have friends coming over for board game nights, a baking afternoon and a trip to a local panto. I’m not buying new decorations. DD plans to go carolling (with her choir friends) to raise money for a local charity. We’ve limited presents, but will all get something we want. I’m trying to shop locally, not just at the big supermarkets.

I’ve probably already planned too much.

Anyone fancy sharing thoughts, ideas and plans for their simpler Christmas?

That sounds really lovely. I struggle with the consumerism around Christmas.
I have tried to shop from independent crafts people, but that's as far as I've got!

I’m also looking to buy Christmas gifts locally ( mostly food). The other option is to make my own crafty gifts but I couldn’t wish that on anyone!

The last few years I've really pared back on Christmas at home. I only buy for my two young adult children (stockings with little things, and a couple of bigger gifts), an alcohol gift for exDH (who will come for lunch) and for my mum who is elderly and abroad and needs no 'stuff'. I make a point of only buying local, hand made (Etsy), secondhand, or from small independents online (eg whisky distillers). Real tree with the same nostalgic decorations every year, no other decs or outside lights or any crap

Our (DC and I) favourite day out is the 23rd when we go to collect the turkey from my friend with a small holding, visit her animals and have a gossip, then home for lunch in our village pub.

Christmas lunch includes an elderly uncle, and we have it buffet-style from my ancient inherited hostess trolley to cut down on stress around cooking timings and food getting cold. It's just a large Sunday lunch with crackers and a lot of booze

The rest of my time off work (6 days this year!) is spent on the sofa, fire lit, eating turkey, chocolate and cheese, drinking too much, watching films, board games/puzzles and maybe video chats with friends/family. I don't cook and the kitchen is open house for the DC. One of them often ends up cooking me dinner! I might do a couple of walks locally but don't drive anywhere or do any shopping. It's absolutely blissful! And my DC now say how relaxed it is unlike Christmases as children which were always really hectic and totally exhausting. And no one misses the extra stuff we used to have and do!

QuattroFormaggi your Christmas sounds absolutely lovely. Relaxed, welcoming and about people, not stuff. It’s what I’m trying to grasp, in a way that suits our family. I don’t want my children to remember Christmasses of stressed parents, rushing about, pressure to dress up and a pile of stuff to find a home for.

I have promised myself not to go overboard on buying loads of food we don’t need. I’ll buy for the food bank instead. We still have dessert wine to drink from last Christmas.

My neighbour is a florist as she’s offered to make me a Christmas centrepiece in exchange for raiding my garden for laurel and other greenery.

I know that I can find people quite irritating at Christmas and I’m trying really hard to remember that everyone is trying their best and wants to enjoy the time together. I’ve just arranged a Zoom Christmas drinks with my best friend in Australia, which I’m really looking forward to.

How about organising a living advent calendar - cheap to do and a way to get neighbours together

www.edenprojectcommunities.com/stuff-to-do/organise-a-living-advent-calendar

We've all agreed to limit gifts and they should be something to wear/eat/read or grow.
We will have a lovely lunch - there are enough of us to make having a turkey worthwhile and we don't need to go overboard with masses of food that will sicken us.
We're all looking forward to it

What a wonderful idea! We live down a little track in a village so it wouldn’t work for us, but I’d love to organise it for the main village next year.

@SausageGuzzlingLabradors there are a few near me (beyond the one in my street) and one of them has a note at each address saying which would be the next house and a QR code to donate to the local food bank which is a lovely idea.

I totally agree! And I'm a massive Christmas person.
This year I've made apple and blackberry jam for everyone and crocheted keyrings of autumn leaves and acorns. Crocheted my godson and my husband a stocking also.
No new decs here and I've decided we are not allowed any Christmas food until Christmas Eve.
Unfortunately it's very hard to make Christmas presents for teenage boys

PeachyPips78 I’m also a big Christmas person. I absolutely love it, but not the stress. Your crochet gifts sound lovely age I’m sure will be appreciated. My son’s godmother crocheted him several Minecraft characters which he loves.

DM has sabotaged my plans by buying DS the Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar. He’s thrilled, of course! I’ve got a little traditional calendar from the fair trade stall at our church which is much more fitting.

I needed cheering up this afternoon, so DS and I arranged the nativity scene MIL got us a few years ago. To prove a point to me about being super early, DD moved the Wise Men across the room for the longest journey!

I’ve put a string of coloured lights on our gates. They are missing a few working bulbs, but who cares?!

This sounds wonderful ❤️ we have great respect for the Quaker way of life and I did go to meetings for a while.

We seem to be making Christmas simpler each year and we feel more and more content with it. We live quite a simple life anyway which we enjoy but this year have extra scaled back.

Limit of £10 each for family, most things have been bought from Etsy or ethical retailers. £50 each for the DC, mainly from vinted or charity shop.

Activities wise one of our DC favourite activities to do is walk into town looking at the lights then look at the tree in town and get a bag of chips. Easily pleased 🤣

Meat is from a local butcher, we already have milk bread and a veg box each week so will just add to those for Christmas. Also got an m and s order but have massively scaled it back.

Can you crochet a PlayStation?

We once had a routine of breakfast at home, to Mum's for dinner and gift exchanging, then home of r a couple of hours and then either host a buffet tea or it would be off to one of my sister's houses if it was their turn to host.
Last year we discussed with Mum making it simpler. She wants to host still so now we have a lie in, a lazy morning and breakfast, then to hers for dinner in the late afternoon. My sister will still host a buffet but on a different day.

DH's side of the family is just his elderly aunt. She likes cold meats etc so one day we do our own Christmas dinner just to our tastes, then an easy buffet the day after with cold meats, salad and mince pies when she comes around.

Gifts are pared back this year. Nieces and nephews are all now over 18 so we no longer exchange and BIL and SIL don't give to ours either. My DC don't really want much so I'll take then on a shopping trip before or after Christmas as they can choose a few things.

DH and I cba with lots of gifts so we are going to do token things this year.

I don't know if our Christmases have ever been really big but I'm definitely planning lower key celebrations this year. I've got saved seeds and cuttings put by as Christmas presents. I might make edible gifts (sweets and cakes) if I get time. As a family we do a lot of music which we love and makes Christmas special but costs very little.

I also have a wishlist of completely free gift ideas that I wish someone would do for me. I'd love it if someone made me a stack of paper pots rolled out of newspaper, or saved their yogurt pots with holes poked in the bottom for seedlings. I would be delighted to have a pile of saved wooden lolly sticks for plant labels. I'd be ECSTATIC to receive a cardboard box full of nice jam jars with the labels soaked off and matching lids.

I know not everyone is like me but probably many people would be happy to have something thoughtful and free rather than some generic smellies for appearance's sake.

Lovely thread. The crocheted gifts sound gorgeous & I want to come along to the smallholding.

Some lovely ideas for gifts here. I’m afraid we’ve not been nearly this imaginative- but we are a work in progress here!

I have just remembered we have a big puzzle bought last Christmas. We will get that going on the coffee table. I love a jigsaw.

DS says he’d like to try geocaching, which might add a bit of fun to Christmas walks.

I've decided to host a "bring a plate" do with some friends instead of us all going out as a lot of people are feeling the pinch aren't they?
I'm looking forward to it and when I suggested it I got some great feedback

We’ve invited several sets of friends to ours’ instead of going out too. I’ve discovered an amazing eight-hour brisket recipe which will be my cheap, fuss-free go-to.

We’re Quakers, I hope it continues to be a good fit for your daughter. The only presents I give for people not my children is food….this year I found out what everyone’s favourite chocolate is earlier in the year and and making them all that-flavour fudge. My teen DD is doing this for her support staff at school.
My children continue to make me willow and holly wreaths, they’ve done this each year since nursery a long time ago - and the walk in the woods for this is a favourite activity even my 15 year old son loves this! We string dried orange slices for the tree but have no other decs. Oh, and we are blessed to live by the beach so each Christmas Eve we walk and have a bonfire and hot chocolate on it. Simple enjoyment.