Minimalist yet magical Christmas?

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Maybe your house is bursting at the seams with toys already and your children don't play with half of them?
Perhaps you feel Christmas has become excessively consumerist?
Or simply you're on a tight budget?

Whatever the reason, please use this thread to share ideas for how to cut down on the excess and still keep Christmas magical.

Minimalist things to get a 2 year old that I've put on my list:

fun character hot water bottle
fun character bath mitt thing.
fun bath bubbles etc.

I have filled up all my Trofast and am not allowing more plastic tat in!

Some excellent ideas for 'useful' presents (which reminds me of my mum refusing to get me a collapsible square cake tin - one of the ones that does different sizes - for my birthday as she wanted to get me something fun. She gave in after I pointed out that I'd never justify spending that much on myself and on what planet does cake not equal fun?)

Anyway, character hot water bottles and photo books are going on my list as that way I won't have to root around to retrieve the hottie from DS before I go to bed and I might get my photo back as they won't need to look through the photos on it

Last year I bought plenty of useful things as presents and the kids loved them, I think generally as long as they have loads of presents to open they're not overly bothered about the content. You can guarantee they will end up playing with just 2 or 3 favourites anyway, so seems sensible to give stuff you would buy anyway.

Last years pile included character bedding, dressing gown, slippers, umbrella, personalised cutlery, a fleecy blanket each for our DVD nights, clothes, electric toothbrush, character pyjamas, hot water bottle covers, pencil cases, etc. I think if a lot of stuff has their favourite characters on then they don't mind that much what it actually is!

DD is 11 and wants to go on school trip next June that will cost around £700 all in so thats her big (December) birthday gift and christmas gift from us and a few other family members who normally gift money. Will chat to her dad (my ex) about doing the same.
Small gifts wise, from us is new pjs, dressing gown and kindle gift card. Ive allowed a £10 budget for little bits - minecraft keychain, chocolates etc.
DD2 will be 1 in mid January. Shes getting a doll with pram that doubles up as a walker, a little tikes cosy coupe, a few books and some pjs. If anyone asks, im asking for money towards an activity - sign and sign, swimming, etc

With our friends we do a secret santa with a v low spend limit.

Foodwise, we just do sunday roast but with turkey as dad gets one from work as part of the xmas bonus. Dessert will be ott - dd makes mince pies, apple pies and a gingerbread house in advance and we decorate our our own gingerbread men on the big day. And we drink Shloer and ikea mulled wine.

Lovely idea for a thread, and for a way to do Christmas without the excess

We used to go a bit overboard with presents because there is only us and my mum who buy for them, although a couple of childless friends/godparent types seem to like to buy them a few bits. This year I am going to get them one fab thing they really want and a small treat each from siblings. Stockings usually have lots of bits which I will try to keep practical or edible but fun.

Food will have to be different this year, as I am trying to become vegan. Don't mind others having meat but won't need so much. Ideas for vegan festive meals welcomed!

We have always gone overboard on a massive tree. Don't know if I can give that up. Might have to be our one big indulgence. We will go to the pine woods and get fallen branches and holly from the garden to make wreaths and garlands though.

We make a big deal out of all the christmas prep and have an advent calendar full of little notes that say what we will do that day (make cards, write cards, post/deliver cards, school nativity/fair, St Lucia, make marzipan) etc. The kids love this. Although I am not sure their desire for a lego advent calendar is totally assuaged. We are likely to be time as well as cash poor though so can't create too much pressure for ourselves on that one.

Want to find a nice pay it forward thing to do too.

I cant move in my house fmdue to the amount of toys we have. I have in previous years, returned gifts using the gift receipt & then deposied the money in my dc bank account.

If anybody asks what to buy the kids, I usually say 'fiver in an envelope for their uni fund!'. Most people are slowly coming around to the idea, it makes sense as their gift is far more long lasting than plastic tat.

Diamonds I wish my PiL and SIL understood the concept of gift receipts... (they are great at getting me stuff which isn't my taste or duplicates stuff I've got - they never check - and usually is donated to a charity raffle at work).

Mentioned the concept of a photobook to DH over breakfast this morning and he instantly dismissed it as 'more kipple' which is a shame as I thought it was a lovely idea and two small books take up less room than more bleeding playmobil.

I'm another fab of giving a huge pile of practical presents. Last year, my DD even asked for vests for Christmas!

Typical practical presents include lunch boxes, clothes (underwear, nightwear and outerwear), books and stationery, foods they're not normally allowed (bubble gum, chocolately cereal etc), stuff needed for their hobbies etc...

We also often get experiences as presents. Season tickets, theatre tickets etc. This year the girls are getting tickets for cirque du soleil and DD1 is going to a gym camp for a week.

But actually, despite the children getting lots of gifts, we do our utmost to make sure Christmas is not centred around presents. So we never have tv on over Christmas, lots of family parties, and parties with friends. Trips to the cinema / theatre etc. In short, we use Christmas to focus on spending time together as a family. And it is lovely!

Re the photobooks, there's an argument for just getting a little old fashioned album, the sort about 6x4" with pockets, and putting in physical photos rather than getting the more professional (and expensive) printed sort. Then you can leave some pockets free at the end, and DC can take their own photos and add to it, so it becomes even more their own special thing over time.

DH is not keen on overly useful presents - I was often given furniture as a teenager and there is only so much excitement a 13 year old can rustle up about a pine chest of drawers. But I think stuff like a ballet bag or gym hoody would be enjoyed and appreciated.

Maybe consider wheat bags instead of hot water bottles? You can get them inside teddies etc.

My children have loads of presents from last year they never opened. I plan on giving some to charity and re-gifting the rest.

I'm also going to tell people what the children would like, so they only get stuff they will enjoy using.

IssyStark that reminds me of my mum refusing to buy me lovely Toast flannelette bedsheets for Christmas because they were boring, and she wanted to get me "shoes, jewellery or a nice handbag"...

Spoke to my mum yesterday. She's going to renew ds1's subscription to Aquila magazine, and, brilliantly, agreed to knit hot water bottle covers with their initials for both boys Also discussed ds2 who has huge amount of stuff inherited from his big brother and she's totally onboard for consumables like Peppa Pig bubble bath, colouring books etc. Now if I get only get the pil to agree...

How do you do giving clothes for christmas? I have never managed this. Anything they need, they need earlier than the end of Dec - new season clothes, warm pjs, gloves and hats etc. Anything they've managed without until 25th Dec, they probably won't really need in the next 2 months and I'd do better to wait until Sept and get the next size up.

IssyStark - thank you for the Aquila link. My dd will love this and it will make a great gift from the PIL's. They always give us cash bless them as they are quite elderly and infirm now and dont enjoy shopping.

My mum is surprisingly on board too for a minimal christmas. I think now both her and my DF are retired they are on more of a budget and less likely to go overboard.

We find the GPs impossible to control.

My parents more uncontrollable the ILs. Given up trying.

PILs like to work from a list but don't like to give practical presents so I try to suggest small (size) ones. This year I am going to suggest disney DVDs and a leappad. I give them amazon wishlist with lots on of varying prices and they choose what to get from that. So DVDs will be the cheaper end. Leap pad the expensive end. Some years they have spent just a fiver. Some years hundreds. Is impossible to predict.

From us the dcs are going to get a joint present - a little tiles playhouse for garden and a stocking with not much in.

Trouble is both my dcs have December bdays too...

This thread reminded me of my presents from my granny as a child. Maybe an easy 'ask' for some of these PiL situations?!

They would always be on a bed time theme. One year pyjamas. Next Rupert hot water bottle cover. Next dressing gown. Then nighty. Looking back it was always quite nice to think of her making sure we'd stuff for bed. The 'extravagance' was the box of Lindt chocolate animals (I wonder if still on the market) we used to get from her cat. I remember thinking it was v grown up to get a whole box of chocolates to myself. Even if they were teddies, dogs, cats whatever. Or a chocolate orange. That also seemed a huge treat!

Magazine subscriptions
Activity/club subscriptions
Cinema gift cards (in a box with a bag of popcorn)
IOU vouchers.
underwear, swimsuits, pyjamas
all good practical gifts much appreciated by my kids and they don't take up lots of room.

ahh this is my space

I cannot bear overdone

Loving the photo book idea; ds, 3.1, loves looking at pictures of himself.
I came on the Xmas thread to look for ideas of how to manage Xmas for a 3yo with enough toys and 5 month old dd who will inherit them all and has enough clothes! In laws especially are hard to control and buy lots of tat

Will be watching with interest :)

This is just brilliant. We too are decaying under a sea of crap.

I did a photo book for each of the kids last year. 0-3yrs and A5 size with a photo of their bed friend on the front cover. They thought is was the best present ever and they both keep them by their beds. 'Twas a roaring success. Otherwise board games are good. The ones you'll want for a few years.

We also have a charity chuck out between Christmas and new year, which helps.

I also wrap up things like pad of A4 paper each, box of tissues for by their bed, book(s), craft stuff, slippers if they need them, any clothes they'll genuinely need over winter, a treaty snack thing...

I'm trying to minimalist the 'stuff' this year. The kids will still get plenty but I'm going to quality over quantity! They are 7 and 4 so we already have a lot.

Our problem is my parents spend Christ only knows how much on them, in laws spend about £70 each, 3 sets of aunties and uncles spend about £30 each on them and then a ridiculous number of aunties and uncles give little presents. I know it's a nice problem to have but it's hard not to drown under the stuff. Ds has a birthday on 23/12 too - FFS!

I try and guide people towards craft stuff for dd because at least it will get used up and things like football tickets / strip for Ds but tbh I'm mostly ignored or they get that AND all the other stuff.

So, yes I'm trying to cut down but I may be fighting a losing battle

Ps photo book is a great idea

I think I might just request 'mismatch tights' for DD - she'd love them and they'd be useful!