It’s no secret that the holiday season can be a polarizing time of year:
- It can bring family together or trigger the sadness of broken relationships.
- It can be filled with decadent food/gifts or remind you of how little you have.
- It can flow with joy and peace or create anxiety and havoc.
- It can brighten your mood with tasteful decor or overwhelm you with clutter.
While childhood trauma and money issues aren’t overnight fixes (if only😩), adjusting how we interact with holiday decor can be simple and reap an abundance of rewards.
Here are three such strategies for using decor to bring delight instead of dread:
1) Replace rather than add
A common practice I see is decoration through addition.
When the holidays roll around, a number of changes manifest themselves:
- Festive tchotchkes are crammed next to year-long decor.
- Holiday sets of plates are packed into already-filled cupboards.
- Themed wardrobes are stuffed nearby everyday clothes.
Our balanced living space gets upended overnight in the “spirit of the holidays”.
Rather than squeeze more stuff into the same amount of space, what if we considered replacing decor with holiday alternatives during the season?
- Box up your normal trinkets while the holiday decor is out.
- Store standard plates while your themed set is in use.
- Pack away summer clothes while autumn and winter garb is worn.
By decorating through swapping rather than adding, we can still enjoy the season without creating clutter. It’s also an exceptional chance to experience life without certain items – if you no longer miss something after not having it for a season, that might be an indication your life is better suited without.
2) Seasonal not specific
With so many holidays each year, how is it possible to live as a minimalist and still decorate?
One solution is to use seasonal rather than holiday-specific decor:
- Instead of a six-foot Halloween skeleton by your front door, what if you decorated with a bundle of fall squash?
- Instead of putting a Rudolf figurine on your table, what if you used a winter wreath centerpiece?
- Instead of an inflatable Easter bunny on your lawn, what if you planted spring flowers to celebrate the new growth of the season?
By opting for season-specific decor, you can save yourself time (by decorating fewer times per year) and space (by having less overall decor) – it’s a minimalist’s dream.
3) Felicity before fads
While the previous two points are helpful techniques for managing decor, the core consideration should fall back on what brings you joy during the season – not what follows any particular trend (even if that trend is a minimalist aesthetic).
Just as the purpose of decluttering is to create space for what’s important to you, decoration is the opportunity to create a welcoming home and a warm environment.
Although a giant snow globe and Easter flags aren’t my favorite look, maybe they bring wonderful feelings and value to your life.
Decorating as a minimalist may include paring down your decor, but it may also just involve intentional choices around the decor you choose to display. Ignore the crowd and find what fits your own taste.
Final thoughts
Instead of caving to the stress brought on by seasonal clutter and consumerism (I’m looking at you Black Friday), let’s take a few moments to evaluate our decor, declutter where needed, and focus on the elements that bring beauty and happiness into our lives.
Have fun with this process and enjoy the holidays!🥳