Positively Beautiful: My holiday intention is simplicity

There’s a book sitting on my bedside table right now.
It’s called, “Less.”
A friend gave it to me, months ago.
“It’s a beautiful book about the power of doing less and focusing your energy where it counts,” she told me.
The minute I got the book, I thought to myself, “I really need to read this book. Accomplishing more by doing less… that sounds great!”
But … I have not read the book.
I’ve been too busy to read the book about why it’s not a good idea to be so busy.
This pretty much sums up “the story of my life.” At least, until I decide to change the story.
So, how does this work when we’re in the throes of the holidays (the most wonderful time of the year!)?
I glanced at my calendar this morning and realized how few “shopping days” we have left. Sometimes the action-packed season becomes more of a stressful burden than a blessing.
I felt a moment of panic (“not enough time!”), followed by a gentle realization. Maybe I can do less.
So here’s my intention for this holiday season: simplicity.
1. Leave more white space on the calendar. I can choose a small number of holiday traditions to enjoy rather than force myself to do absolutely everything.
2. Focus on creating meaningful experiences – like truly enjoying the Advent calendar each day, or baking cookies with my son – rather than stockpiling the world’s tallest mountain of gifts.
3. Try to set limits for my son. We’ve discussed the idea of getting “something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read.”
We’ve also talked about families that give three gifts because Jesus got three – gold, frankincense and myrrh. He told me he didn’t want any gold, but a Nintendo DS would be nice. He also reminded me that Santa would be bringing gifts and that he hoped that wouldn’t count in the total.
4. Use white butcher paper for all my wrapping, and a gold sharpie will be all I’ll need for gift tag and decoration. Thank you, Pinterest!
5. Throw a potluck for the family holiday meals.
6. Show gratitude toward friends. I dream of a heartfelt brunch for a small number of friends to express my gratitude – in January.
By choosing to do less, I can connect more deeply with the people I love most.
By choosing to do less, I can live more and everyone gets gifts that money can’t buy: patience, love, kindness, generosity and quiet, self-reflection.
Maybe I don’t need to read that book, “Less,” after all.
Because I already know what to do next.
It’s pretty simple.
Just … less.