How To Make Christmas Not Completely About Presents

Christmas is across the nook.

In case you have a good time Christmas, you recognize it’s a magical time of the yr. It’s additionally an EXPENSIVE time of the yr. 

Taking the Christmas presents down a notch for some can’t solely prevent some severe money, however it may well additionally convey again the true vacation spirit. Some choices are: secret Santa (nice for large households), doing solely stockings, or a spending cap.

It could possibly additionally encourage extra high quality time with members of the family, the event of recent and thrilling traditions, and cut back stress on actually everybody concerned – whether or not or not it’s mates, household or co-workers. 

With this in thoughts, we’re sharing some sensible methods on how we are able to make Christmas rather less about shopping for presents and present giving, and a little bit extra in regards to the true that means of the event. 

How To Make Christmas Not About Presents

Do a vacation cookie swap.

One enjoyable factor to do this’s not present oriented is a cookie swap. Get collectively together with your girlfriends and bake a bunch of various kinds of cookies. Then, swap!

Everybody will get just a few of every sort of cookie, so you find yourself with an array of cookies of all varieties.

We love this, as a result of baking collectively is such a enjoyable bonding expertise and it additionally leads to a variety of laughs and deep sleepover-style woman chats. 

May we advise these gingerbread or these almond butter cookies? Get some Christmas music going, pour some eggnog, and get to baking. If you’d like a brilliant simple, and wholesome cookie, strive something from DEUX.

Watch Christmas films (like each evening). 

Watching films with your loved ones or mates is one other superior solution to make the vacations much less about presents. 

As an alternative of wanting ahead to the subsequent gift-getting alternative, everybody can sit up for spending time collectively watching the subsequent movie with some festive snacks.

Whether or not you watch films each evening together with your children or each weekend together with your core group, films are the PERFECT solution to collect for the vacations with zero obligation to convey presents.

Have everybody contribute to an final vacation film listing, make a schedule, and create your dreamy vacation movie show house. (Wintery yard paradise or cozy indoor wonderland? YOU PICK.) In case you want some film inspo you should definitely take a look at the Bosstick’s Christmas card custom right here. They’ll offer you some nice film recs.

Learn tales or books collectively. 

Christmas tales at all times ship within the vacation spirit division. They at all times get it proper, and maintain the main target of the vacations not on presents, however on togetherness and love. 

So, to let these good Christmas vibes enter your property, learn a number of vacation tales. If in case you have children, learn a Christmas e-book each evening and make it dreamy with flashlights, snacks, and perhaps even some matching PJs. 

You might additionally do that together with your girlfriends by internet hosting a Christmas e-book membership. Decide just a few quick books, and meet weekly to debate the story and that means over some margaritas.

Construct a gingerbread city. 

Getting inventive and making one thing as ridiculous as a gingerbread city is SO within the vacation spirit. 

All these foolish actions remind us to decelerate and give attention to household and mates, as an alternative of what we often consider as “productive” and “necessary.” 

Certainly one of our reader’s household goes so exhausting on this custom that they make CRAZY gingerbread buildings just like the London Bridge or the New York Skyline. Superb, proper?

You don’t must be that intense, however think about how a lot your loved ones and mates would sit up for an annual gingerbread constructing occasion. 

Preserve it easy or be actually additional, both method, have a blast and bear in mind what it’s wish to be a child on the vacations collectively. 

Christmas-themed scavenger hunt.

Arrange a enjoyable scavenger hunt for the children (or adults, in the event you’re feeling playful) round the home or exterior. Embody clues associated to Christmas traditions, favourite vacation songs, or seasonal objects to search out.

This doesn’t require a lot expense as you should utilize no matter is mendacity round the home. This may positively make your Christmas temper gentle and enjoyable for everybody.

Make adorning a brilliant large deal.

Christmas adorning can look like a complete chore when it’s sandwiched between all the vacation chaos, to not point out the expense of wrapping paper and its time-consuming nature. That point between Thanksgiving and Christmas is SO busy and might have you ever dreading adorning. 

If that is you, flip the swap and make adorning an enormous deal. In actual fact, make it a complete occasion. If in case you have children, get them actually amped about serving to you make the entire home right into a winter wonderland. 

They’ll notice the enjoyment of being collectively and dealing on a challenge as a household that’s only for enjoyable. It conjures up their creativity, their sense of teamwork, and, in fact, their vacation spirit.

With out children, you may do that together with your girlfriends, too. Spend a weekend hopping to and from one another’s homes placing up decorations. Possibly even seize some new decorations—we acquired your bougie and budget-friendly adorning concepts right here. 

Bonus Tip: Make the method of discovering your good Charlie Brown Christmas tree an enormous occasion for your loved ones. Go actual or go residence, proper? (Simply kidding, no disgrace in fake Christmas tree sport.)

Create selfmade presents or playing cards

Host a card or gift-making get together the place everybody can create distinctive Christmas presents for household and mates. Present provides like markers, stamps, and stickers. Make the entire get collectively an enormous deal.

This makes Christmas much more particular as everybody could make a present for somebody from the guts. It makes the vacations private and real.

Have a inventive Christmas photograph shoot.

Okay, that is one thing Lauryn and her household does and it’s SO CUTE. As we talked about above, they choose a film yearly and do a hilarious recreation of it for his or her Christmas card. 

One yr they did The Ordinary Suspects and one other yr they did The Royal Tenenbaums. Each are hilarious and such a enjoyable reminiscence with mates or household.  

You don’t must do one thing humorous essentially, however get inventive, rent a photographer or simply have a buddy do it, and have enjoyable with it. Nobody regrets getting their photographs professionally taken. 

Your loved ones or buddy group will cherish these footage FOREVER.

Volunteer as a household or buddy group. 

Volunteering is absolutely the good solution to have a good time generosity this Christmas, with out the stress of vacation purchasing and shopping for a number of costly presents. 

Getting your loved ones or mates collectively to go do one thing for the much less lucky shall be humbling, fulfilling, and completely in-line with the spirit of the vacations. 

There are many alternatives in each neighborhood to volunteer. We suggest you discover one thing you’re all keen about, so you may actually put your all into it and make an affect. 

Make your vacation particular by making another person’s Christmas AMAZING.

Go to someplace magical. 

Ambiance can positively put you within the vacation temper. Take your mates or household someplace magical to have a good time Christmas this yr. 

Once you go to someplace new collectively, the expertise is the final word prize, not presents. So, discover someplace that goes above and past for Christmas and schedule a visit.

Disney involves thoughts, however you may additionally go snowboarding in Park Metropolis or see a whole bunch of sunshine exhibits in Chicago. New York Metropolis, New Orleans, Vegas, and even Nashville all have a number of Christmas traditions and large shows. Plus, each small city neighborhood has it’s personal Sweet Cane Lane. Seize a scorching chocolate, bundle up and roam the streets searching for lights together with your family members.

Wherever you go, it’ll be particular and memorable with none presents required. 

Provide you with completely unique vacation traditions. 

Authentic vacation traditions could make Christmas centered on precisely the stuff you need and not one of the stuff you don’t. 

In fact, some folks put on matching PJs on Christmas Day or do the Elf on the Shelf factor, however discover one thing that’s completely distinctive to your loved ones or buddy group. 

Simply take into consideration what you need your celebration to be centered on, and construct a convention round that. You will get some inspo from The Skinny Confidential crew and our readers on this put up about unique holiday traditions. 

(Severely go learn the unique Instagram put up. There have been SO many cool traditions.) 

Host sport nights.

You’ll be able to by no means go incorrect with enjoying video games with household and mates. Christmas is all about spending time with family members and this is among the good methods to take action.

The vacations have us specializing in the decorations and presents, fortunately sport nights don’t take a lot time to arrange. This doesn’t imply you have to purchase model new video games. Get inventive. Use what you have already got in your home to make your Christmas enjoyable.

In case you can’t be with family members in particular person, set up a digital sport evening with holiday-themed video games and quizzes that everybody can take part in from residence.

Don’t overload your schedule.

In case you don’t need the vacation season to be about presents, cease packing your schedule so tight this time of yr. 

It’s simple for Christmas to only really feel like an limitless listing of locations to go, stress about Christmas purchasing, hold for just a few hours, open a present, after which transfer on to the subsequent factor. 

In case you actually need to savor these moments, decelerate, and simply do what’s necessary. Say no to the remainder. 

You received’t remorse this one. Belief us!

Although selfmade presents are one other solution to make the vacations particular!

Preserve Christmas centered on what actually issues.

Tell us under your favourite methods to have a good time Christmas.

Blissful Holidays!

x, The Skinny Confidential crew

+ Learn to throw the most effective vacation cocktail get together.

++ In case you’re after little stocking stuffer concepts, we acquired you. Extra right here.