How to Create an Intentional Slow Christmas this Holiday Season

How to create an intentional slow Christmas season this year, focusing on what’s truly important and meaningful this holiday season. Learning tips for creating an old fashioned Christmases, where money and stuff weren’t the focus, but creativity with what one had, making memories and building family connections.

The holidays, especially Christmas seems to be getting faster paced and costing more each year. The average North American is suspected to spend over $1,000 on Christmas plus an additional up to $800 on food according to google. To me this just sounds stressful, even if you aren’t struggling financially.

Let’s make space to have an intentional slow and simple Christmas this year. Here are some simple slow ideas for you.

How to make a meaningful memory filled intentional Christmas?

My mind often drifts back to Little House on the Prairies, they didn’t have much. But Christmas time was so meaningful and special for Laura’s family and her community. Obviously hustle and bustle, money and stuff isn’t what makes memories and connection.

Let’s find out how to have an intentionally slow Christmas holiday season with memories, traditions and relationships at the focus!

Decorate with intention.

Over the years my collection of Christmas decor has been minimized down to one plastic tote and a smaller plastic tote with our Chronological Nativity Advent Calendar. (This doesn’t include the live greenery we cut down each year.) This has made it easy to decorate with meaningful intention.

Intentional minimal Christmas decor also makes for an easier clean up come January!

Only put out things that have significance to you. Is it a gift from someone special? Remind you of a special memory? Or perhaps it’s finding something that just makes your home feel so cozy and festive. Remind you of the reason for Christmas? Then it’s meaningful!

Another tip to decorating with meaning is to make homemade Christmas decor. Some ideas are popcorn garlands, dried orange garland, or other sweet homemade ornaments.

Homemade decor can be fun to make during a girl’s night, with your kids, or as a personal unwind time DIYing with a cup of your favourite hot drink and Christmas music playing in the background.

This kind of decor brings rest and makes memories. Not to mention looks so beautiful and makes for an old fashioned Christmas decor.

Minimize gifts, maximize experiences.

Memories are the best intentional Christmas gifts!

I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to have a minimalistic approach to gifts and rather focus on making memories with loved ones. You can even check out my post on how to create a minimalist Christmas list for littles (and truly any kids).

I love the slow and intentional approach to making homemade gifts and homemade ornaments. Not only are you decorating with intention, but your also maximizing some beautiful experiences with your friends or family!

Simple intentional family Christmas traditions can also bring family and friends together. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Nativity Advent Calendar (This one is our favourite!)
• take a Christmas lights drive
• go sledding
• go Christmas caroling
• volunteer together (at the food bank or wherever!)
• attend a Christmas concert
• put on or watch a nativity pageant
• go skating or cross country skiing.

Help those in need.

Helping others, especially during the Christmas season may take some intentional planning, but it’s so worth the deep meaning of setting ourselves aside and putting others first.

This really goes hand in hand with minimizing gifts, and maximizing experiences while creating beautiful memories! When one minimizes gifts there is more money and time to focus on those in need.

I’ve even heard of some families who intentionally ask their relatives to take the money they would spend on them and instead give it to their favourite charity.

But helping those in need is more than just donating money. The experience, especially when done with family or friends is incredible.

Over the year’s I’ve enjoyed doing Operation Christmas Child, helping at the food bank or homeless shelter, simply making up gift baskets for the elderly or homeless and just visiting with them. There are so many more ideas, even asking in your local community Facebook groups one can find families in need.

Focus on togetherness, not More!

If you can turn off all the noise that’s telling you you need more, more stuff, more gifts, more Christmas parties, more Christmas this and more Christmas that.

It’s truly ok to say ‘no’ my friend!

Focus on togetherness this Christmas holiday season with those closest to you whom are special and mean a lot in your life. Surprisingly the simplest things can be the most meaningful and memorable!

Be present in the moments.

Slow down and enjoy the little moments, this takes intentional effort but it’s so worth it. Often this is what’s most memorable!

Like your toddler’s amazement at every single Christmas decor item as you pull them out of the boxes to decorate. Be present to involve them in decorating.

Simply enjoy when your child asks you to read a story under the Christmas tree or when you’re walking down the Christmas light street with a friend.

Prioritize rest, make space for it.

This is super important, especially for us mama’s who want to make the holiday season so special for our loved ones. Mama, It’s ok to say No! You’ll need to be intentional to create the space for you to slow down and rest this Christmas season.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but no one can pour from an empty cup.

The holidays are filled with so much hustle and bustle, but you can create intentionally slow down to create special space and time to rest! Here are some ideas…

• sip a hot cup of your favourite Christmas tea while reading a good Christmas book,
• relax to Christmas music in a bubble bath,
• call a good friend, or
• go x-country skiing if that’s your thing.

You know what fills you and bring you true rest. Simply slow down by scheduling rest into your calendar, at least weekly. You got this!

How to Intentionally Grow Closer to Jesus at Christmas

You may have heard these sayings before… “Jesus is the reason for the season.” and “Keep Christ at the centre of Christmas.” Those are great, but how does one practically do this?

This simple answer is to spend time with Jesus in His word reflecting on His birth and life. But what about our families, especially our younger children? This also takes intention to slow down and focus on the true meaning of Christmas, and it’s so worth it!

Over the years I’ve created an intentional Advent family traditions to help my family keep Jesus at the centre. Doing many of the above ways to have an intentionally slow Christmas truly does this!

The Nativity Advent Calendars (a 12 or 25 day one) get your whole family into the Scriptures to learn the Biblical Advent story in order of events, all while making it fun and interactive! Find out all about it in my chronological nativity advent calendar post here.

But what about you mama? Maybe are you needing things for your little or teens to listen to or read. I have some wonderful resources for you!

12-Day Chronological Advent Calendar

Intentionally Go Deeper with these Christmas Readings of Jesus Birth.

As a parent chapters 1-7 of The Desire of Ages have so transformed my view of Jesus and the amazing GIFT He truly is of Good News of Great JOY to ALL people, today a Saviour has been born and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart!

Listen/Read to the Christmas Story via…

• Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Luke 1-2 (FREE eyewitnesses accounts)
• Jesus Calling The Story of Christmas by Sarah Young (Kids board book)
• The Story Of Jesus (FREE Podcast for Kids, chapters 1-5)
• The Desire Of Ages (FREE Podcast, dramatized version, chapters 1-6)
• The Desire Of Ages (Book, chapters 1-6)
• The Desire Of Ages (Audible, chapters 1-6)

I pray these ideas and resources will be a blessing to you and your loved ones this Christmas!

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This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

• Christmas Farmhouse Teas
• The Desire Of Ages (Book, chapters 1-6)
• The Desire Of Ages (Audible, chapters 1-6)
• Jesus Calling The Story of Christmas by Sarah Young (Kids board book)
• bubble bath
• plastic tote for Christmas decor

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