Every Christmas Day, I clean my house. From its consistency in my life over the past twenty years, you might think that this is a sort of profound ritual. It is not. Rather, it is the motion of a guilty conscience.
You see, we have so much. We probably have too much. Even though we’ve cut down a lot on the gifts that we give and receive, it still feels like a lot to incorporate the new into our lives.
It’s also a New Year’s ritual of sorts: evaluating the old in our lives and bringing in a little bit of the new. If you’re in a similar winter-cleaning mode, here are some ways to bring together the giving spirit of the season and the spirit of minimalism.
Give a gift of something that your child has outgrown. We did this before Christmas this year, gifting clothes to a set of shorter neighbors. We’ll do it after as well, making room on my daughter’s bookshelves by giving her early readers to a neighbor who is learning how to read.
Tuck items away for times when you need a treat. For us, these are sick days. I put away craft kits and coloring books and the like for times when my daughter is sick in bed, since this is the only time that she likes to do these sorts of activities.
Sell extra items that you have not used this year, and put the money toward paying off a debt, reaching a personal goal, or to giving to a project that helps those who have much less than you have.
Gift something beautiful that you own but do not use. I did this before Christmas, giving away a dress that I had made for my brother’s wedding. I am not really a dress person, and I only used it twice. The person who received it was delighted.
Share. Did you get something for Christmas that others in your extended family or community might enjoy? Consider making it a communal resource and offer to share it with others.
How do you keep a minimalist spirit going during the Christmas season?