More magic and less chaos – How to give the gift of a simpler Christmas
If you feel tired just thinking about Christmas, you’re not alone. Christmas is a magical time, but it’s also a chaotic one with endless shopping and planning, wrapping paper and presents. While the adrenaline is pumping as we tick items off the to-do list, our children are watching – and picking up on our stress.
So, how can we make Christmas simpler and less frenzied for the whole family this year?
The trick is to switch the focus of the holiday season. Prioritise spending time as a family over getting new gifts. Involve the children in the build-up to Christmas in a fun and intentional way. Make the season about sustainability, generosity and inclusivity.
When we shift the tone of the holiday season, making Christmas simpler becomes…well, simple! Here’s some great ways families with young children can flip the Christmas craze on its head.
1. Experiences Over Things
While gift-giving can be a fun part of Christmas, the true spirit of the holiday is making memories and spending quality time with family. Here are some excellent, family-friendly ways to emphasise activities rather than things.
Create Your Perfect Tree
Instead of plastic or freshly chopped Christmas trees, this year turn the tradition into an arts and crafts opportunity. Gather the children and make a tree out of upcycled driftwood, old egg cartons or colourful felt. Your children will love the out-of-the-ordinary DIY Christmas tree all the more because they built it themselves.
A Christmas Eve Tradition
While Christmas Day can be a crazy mix of cousins, wrapping paper and glazed ham, for many families in New Zealand, Christmas Eve is a quieter occasion. If you don’t have any obligations, take the night before Christmas to start a family tradition. Make a themed-dinner, go for a drive to look at the lights or watch a cheesy old Christmas movie. It will give everyone something to get excited about beyond presents.
Go to Your Children Centre’s Christmas Party
If your childcare centre has an annual Christmas party, go! Your little ones will love seeing their friends and teachers outside of regular hours. It’s a chance for them to show off their home-away-from-home and a time when the holiday is focused on their experience.
2. Choose Simpler Gifts for Children
It’s all very well to say that Christmas isn’t about the presents, but, let’s be honest, we all like a few treasures under the tree! Instead of being a Grinch and taking all the presents away, we encourage families to simplify their gift-giving practices. Here’s a few examples.
Op Shop Bargains
There are endless treasures to be found in second-hand shops. Before you head straight to the big name toy stores, try bringing the children to an op shop and see if they can find some surprisingly perfect pre-loved presents.
Less Bells and Whistles
Here’s a little childcare-inspired tip for you – simpler toys are the best! Toys without flashing lights and moving pieces are durable, affordable and encourage imagination. Some incredibly simple childcare favourites include painted rocks, wooden blocks and good old puzzles.
Check out Curiate for toys designed to encourage your child’s natural curiosity.
0-12 months: Rainbow Pastels
1 – 2 years: Treasure Cylinders
2 – 3 years: Wooden Fruit Set
3 – 5 years: Dinosaur Bones
Books, Books and More Books
Books are such simple presents that they often get overlooked in favour of flashier, more exciting gifts. But books have lasting power that few other presents have and, while they may get tossed aside on the day, come bedtime, children (and parents) are always thrilled to have a new story to read. Need some book ideas? Here’s a few.
3. Focus on Sustainability
With children being taught sustainability everywhere from childcare to playgroups, they’ll jump at the chance to make eco-friendly changes wherever they can. Here are a few easy yet ground-breaking steps to make Christmas a more environmentally-friendly holiday.
Forgo the Crackers
At the risk of shocking Kiwis across the country – can we go without the Christmas crackers? Crackers are fun, but only for about 20 seconds. After that, they leave rubbish and discarded small plastic toys behind that quickly head to landfill. Let’s forgo the crackers this year – or if they’re a big part of your festivities, how about trying these homemade, plastic-free crackers?
Homemade Gifts and Decorations
Whether it’s to decorate the tree or contribute to the family Secret Santa game, homemade Christmas gifts and decorations are simpler and more sustainable. From origami ornaments to hand-sewn stockings, fingerprint fridge magnets to cookies-in-a-jar, the options are only limited by our imagination.
Rethink Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper is the next plastic bag – it’s a single use product with very little value and is surprisingly easy to replace. Try wrapping gifts in newspaper, cardboard boxes or tea towels. Or get creative – we’d love to hear what your children can come up with!
4. The Gift of Giving
While you prepare for the abundance of new stuff your children will receive for Christmas, give your children an opportunity to find joy in giving as well.
Get the children to help you fill a box for goodwill
Make some homemade Christmas cards for grandparents or cousins
Bake some gingerbread biscuits for the neighbours.
Change the focus from getting to giving and see your children rise to the occasion!
5. Share the Love
Did you know there are over a dozen religious holidays celebrated towards the end of the year? From Hannukah to Kwanzaa, Diwali to Eid-al-Adha, turns out the festive season isn’t just for Christmas. The holiday season is a great opportunity to teach your children about other cultures, traditions and religions. Speak to your childcare centre for tips – each year, we talk to our parents about incorporating different customs in the classroom.
Join Us in a Simple Christmas
Are you looking for a way to keep adrenaline in check and keep the whole family grounded this Christmas? Join the team at New Shoots as we shift away from chaos and presents and towards family activities, sustainability and minimalism.
If you have any more tips on keeping everyone grounded this Christmas, pop into your local New Shoots Children’s Centre – we’d love to hear them. Have a wonderful holiday season!
Discover more about your child’s development here.
· Find out what Neuroscience Educator Nathan Wallis says 3-7 year olds need to learn.
· Tips for your child’s first 1,000 days.
If you’re interested in learning more about New Shoots centres, our website is a great place to start. You can:
Find the centre nearest you
Contact us to organise a visit
Discover our curriculum, vision and foundation principles
For regular updates like us on Facebook and Instagram.