Counting Down to Christmas...
reflecting on family traditions
Christmas is just around the corner. My friend has been counting down the days since the beginning of November!
Today I feel the need to reinvigorate our three-decade-old philosophy of living simply, using less, recycling more, and treading lightly on this amazing planet. In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s all too easy to lose focus. Especially when I venture out into the busy shopping malls, glistening with decorations, and bulging with tempting ‘specials’ at every turn!
I can’t help noticing how the commercialisation of Christmas tries to creep back into our lives. Even someone as practiced as I am at living simply and frugally can get a little lost and need a gentle nudge to remind me my lifestyle values and goals.
Creating rituals and traditions around important occasions are important elements in children’s lives. We shouldn’t really have to wait for a special occasion to say thank you or be thankful, but having such wonderful and solid traditions binds families together and teaches tolerance and respect.
In our family our tradition is to celebrate a secular Christmas, with a focus on gratitude, family togetherness, peace and goodwill, and sharing our bountiful life with others. We have many friends who are deeply devout Christians and we fully appreciate the religious significance Christmas holds in their lives. It is important to our family to hold space in a respectful way for all to mark this time of cultural festival in whatever way it has meaning in their lives.
Later today, I’ll ask the grandkids to wrap some a strand of tinsel around a potted ‘woolly bush’ (Adenanthos sericeus) that served as our Christmas Tree last year and which has since doubled in height. Then we’ll add a few purple shiny baubles, and drape an set of fairy lights we inherited from my in-laws around its soft, feathery greenery.
Our living area is adorned all year around with LED Christmas lights, a hangover from not taking them down years ago after the festivities because they add a touch of soft and cheerful magic into our everyday lives, and remind us that life is meant to be joyous and playful.
My memories as a child of this time of year, coloured with joy and expectation, come flooding back, coupled with the memories we created with our own now grown children.
This year I’ve decided to revisit some of my favourite ways to keep Christmas creative and clutter-free:
Home-made hampers: I love the idea of making little boxes of home-baked treats, garden produce, and flowers from the garden. It’s a labour of love that keeps me connected to the rhythms of summer in the garden. Last year my dad moved into residential care, and clearing out his house we discovered his huge collection of old biscuit tins, most of them pretty and in excellent condition. Frugal and Thriving have some great ideas for creating delightful personalised themed hampers you could create and give as gifts! Or check out this blog by Avenue Hampers if you need more ideas!
A feast for the senses: One idea I came across that I’m thinking about is adding potpourri, scented candles, potted herbs, and fresh flowers around the house to help create a calm, sensory-rich holiday atmosphere. As always freshly baked mince pies, fruit platters, smoothies, and herb teas on the day will tempt our taste buds, all accompanied by soft background classical music favourites.
Gifts that encourage connection: This year we’re focusing on giving board and card games as gifts we can enjoy as an extended family. In the past we’ve bought or made outdoor toys and sports equipment we’ve enjoyed on our lawn or at the beach. Christmas is ultimately about connecting with the people we love. I love how playing games draws us together as a group before and after lunch, with no one left out of the fun and conversation.
Re-gifting and reducing clutter: Every so often I come across a treasure I’ve held onto because it’s too valuable to pass onto the opportunity shop, or still has sentimental value. Sometimes I find just the right person that I know will adore it, or needs something just like that in their life right now. Re-gifting is a gentle reminder that giving is what matters, not accumulating. This year I’m helping my granddaughter organise a stall at the local Christmas Children’s Market to sell her much loved collection of Beanie Boos which she has outgrown.
Creative wrapping: One of the things I used to enjoy doing was recycling paintings the kids had done during the year as wrapping paper. We’ve also decorated butcher paper and recycled brown paper shopping bags using stencils, finishing them off by tying with raffia twine or scraps of ribbon. It is both practical, beautiful, and fully recyclable. And last year I raided my stash in my sewing cupboard, and wrapped some of the gifts in pretty material left over from projects, or bits that I know I’m never going to get around to using.
Community Christmas Hampers: Every year a local charity collects food and other household grocery items for distribution as hampers to disadvantaged families in our community. Last year a homeschooling mum I know encouraged each of her children to thoughtfully select a different item from their pantry or the supermarket each day for the first fortnight in December, which they collected in a box and then donated. A beautiful and valuable lesson in thoughtfulness and generosity. I need to remember to do this in the coming weeks. Perhaps I’ll decorate a box and put it by the tree to remind me…
Focusing on these time honoured festive habits, rituals, and reflections nudge me back toward actions that reinforce my values: generosity, creativity, environmental care, and meaningful connection. And that’s important to me.
This Christmas, I hope to celebrate with intention, mindfulness, and joy in a way that truly reflects the spirit of the season.
Lastly, because I am after all a home educator, and the festive season is frequently a fraught time for many homeschooling and unschooling families, especially those who have relatives who simply don’t understand or value their choice to step away from mainstream education, I have to share Julie’s When They Don’t Get It: her wise, compassionate words and 7 tips for handling this time of year are essential and necessary. I’ve said them myself many times over the year in my online support group. I love how our home educating community has grown over the decades and how we connect and work with each other, offering much needed support. For that I am truly grateful!
How are your plans for the Christmas festive season shaping up?
If you haven’t pulled the plug on your homeschooling routine yet, and if you are one of my paid subscribers you might enjoy the 15 page Secular Christmas Traditions and Creativity Unit Study (click on the link at the end of this email). It’s packed full of great activities you can do with your children to help get you into that festive spirit and reflect on the secular traditions and meaning of Christmas.
I’m dropping Notes most days and would love to connect with you that way — you can add a comment or like. Don’t forget we can keep the conversation going on any of my posts by adding a comment there too.
If you’re homeschooling in Australia, don’t forget to download my FREE Resource Directory for a bumper list of educational and curriculum providers and suppliers, as well as comprehensive guide on getting started how to register as a home educating family.
Whatever your approach, your lifestyle or education philosophy, I’m here to support you. Take what you need, leave the rest. I want you to lean on my experience because I’ve leant on others — we are in this together, growing and learning from each other!
That’s all for now! Until next time, Beverley
