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A Very Merry Minimal Christmas

arrowsandbow9 • November 10, 2020

A Very Merry Minimalist Christmas

Every year before Christmas, that little sweet spot after the Halloween fun and the Thanksgiving Feasts, I like to start fresh. Clean up and clear out and just reset my mindset. The holidays are a whirlwind and I think by resetting, it allows me to be more in the moment and experience the time more.

This year with Foxi coming, that is even more heightened - I want everything to be perfect so when she enters this world, it’s just us and her and we have time for ALL OF THE SNUGGS.

I have put together guides to a minimal christmas before, but this one is a little unique. After a few years of living the ‘trailer life’ and getting rid of the majority of our possessions, it forced us to think differently. And even though we have space for ‘stuff’ now, we all still are accustomed to the minimal lifestyle and...we actually crave it now!

There’s just something so freeing about detaching ourselves from “things” and experiencing life instead of filling it with ‘stuff’! You know? And here are some tips on how to organize into more of a simple life if you are craving that feeling too...hey 2020, you were a doozy - we can all use a little change!

Do we still buy things? Yes!

But what’s changed is our intention on what we bring in. With a heavy hand on the thought process behind things and weighing out what it will add to our lives or weigh us down.

So first things first, clean out! Purge + Organize! My favorite thing to do this time of year before all the consumption happens. I’d rather clean out and look at a blank wall then have a home filled with things I don’t love or stress me out. More on tips for organizing on my organizational highlight on Instagram!

Last year I shared an ‘unconventional’ his / hers gift guide and it is something I even reference back to! But The Petrone Family has one ‘gift’ each year that stands out.

Our absolute, hands down, favorite gifts to give [and receive] are experiences! There is so much meaning behind experiences and it’s like giving a big hug along with a ‘I want to experience this with you, cause I love you!’

Now, we don’t do lavish and ‘experiences’ sounds pricey and this year is really limiting with that as well. While you may not be able to buy tickets to concerts or amusement parks this year, you can make your own ‘coupon’ for a future experience when things reopen. We try and allocate funds each year to ‘save’ for experiences for the family or a trip and this hasn’t changed but it’s really helpful when you actually plan something - it takes the stress out of booking something that may seem lavish the rest of the year.

For Dino

Get a pedi, get a massage, go on a nice lunch date - together! It’s nice to get out and do things and build time as a couple.
Trading love languages - Dino and I have done this in the past and it is so great. It makes you understand each other's needs, it allows you to spend special time together and it really shows what each of you need in a relationship. It’s brought us closer together throughout the years and it’s one of my favorite traditions.
What are your spouses favorite hobbies? Dino loves cooking so I usually grab him a new cooking tool that will excite him!

For Us:

A night at home date night, send those kiddos to grandmas house for an evening!
Check Groupon for couples dates like; wine tasting, painting, cooking classes...
Our "Pancake Challenge" is always a fun one. We both gifted each other our one thing that meant the most to us and made us both feel loved for a week. Mine was food so DIno made me whatever I wanted for a full week, any time of day! And Dinos is physical affection. So he got a whole bunch of that. We loved it so much we did it for the entire month of December.

For the kids we love to give things they can use over and over, are educational, or make them think outside electronics. My kids love to be active and I appreciate that but I think the lack of having things around that make them sit still helps with that! ‘Toys’ can get overwhelming and take over your home and let’s be real, they get over them fast.

My kids LOVE arts and crafts and can be entertained for hours. It’s something you can do with them too, and that’s important - and who has colored as an adult? Soooo soothing you guys!
Books and puzzles are perfect because they are unique, add character and can be interactive. I love when they share with me a line from a book or when they ask me to do a puzzle with them on a Friday night. Give me the cozy’s and melts my heart!
Outdoor anything is great for the whole family - it gets us away from the electronics! Lord knows we all need that these days. Anything that gets them moving! Trampoline, bike, skate board, jump rope, bubbles, balls, hockey sticks…go nuts, it’s for the good of their sleep (lol)!
Board Games. Another one that is great for interaction with the kids - plus you all get really into it and it’s so fun seeing their little personalities come out with a roaring game of ‘Sorry’! Plus board games are really well priced!
LEGO sets! Always a winner in our house no matter the age! And Im all about anything that they can build or create. Gabe especially loves robots and even building them!
Lastly, Fresh jams for the whole family! Match ‘em guys - you will look perfectly dorky and over the top and it makes for a fun photo opp. Plus who doesn’t need a fresh pair of jammies and slippers once a year? And if you don’t want to match, get them unique jams that match their interests! Quinnie still loves her kitties and it creates a simple personalized gift!

As a family:

Beach day or mountain day... depending on where you live. Get outdoors and take a day trip somewhere!
Plan a trip to the snow this season. Snowboarding day passes or even just a free sledding day!
Splurge on a home projector that you can do outdoor movie nights.
Coupons for everyone to pick one night a week to pick where they want to go to dinner.
Trip to the zoo, museum, aquarium...
We love Mexico and try to go every year, although travel is a little interesting thus year, its still possible. Whether you fly somewhere or drive, check Travelzoo and other deal spots for deals on stays.

Asking others to participate with our minimal gift giving (Aka grandparents): We simply just let them know how we're rollin as a fam now. And kindly suggest some fun activities they can give the kids or they can give the kids. If they really want to give a gift I'll reference the list above.
Overall, don’t overthink it - especially this year, our time with loved ones is the very best and anything from the heart will be perfect! Enjoy the time with each other and have a great holiday season!

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