Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

Even in 2020, the holidays have so much potential to be about real things that last – hope, renewal, love, peace, inspiration.   But advertisers want us to focus on other things.  They want us to think that love is expressed through jewelry, merriment requires booze, and joy is found in a mountain of toys.  They work hard to convince us that a gorgeously decorated tree, a Martha Stewart-worthy feast, and a new car with a big red bow will insure a perfect holiday. Advertisers are wrong. Unfortunately, I still get caught up in the promises of consumerism, even though I know they're empty.  I still rush out to buy all the things.  At times, I have maxed out my credit cards and spent all of my energy.  I've gone crazy chasing the perfect holiday. And then it's all over. The presents are opened, the food is eaten, the special events are in the past.  You'd think I'd be happy and fulfilled by all of it, but instead I feel exhausted and let down. As a ki...

For me, going back to the age of 7 or so, the holidays have always been about music.  I sang my first solo in church when I was in 2nd grade.  The choir director wanted a child to sing one of the verses of the well-known song "Birthday of a King," and I happened to be the only child who could hit the high note accurately. Musical holidays And ever since, I've been busy singing during the month of December.  From church choir concerts and caroling, to solo gigs in Handel's "Messiah," Vivaldi's "Gloria," or works by Bach, Saint-Saëns, and others, all the way to the role of the Gingerbread Witch in Humperdinck's "Hänsel und Gretel," Christmas has meant music. Until this year. I'm lucky, because at least I don't rely on the income from my music career.  It's always been a side gig for me.  Musicians, actors, dancers, stagehands, and other professionals have struggled in the era of COVID. It's literally been a dark sea...

I think we're all ready to start a new year, with the hope that the issues of 2020 that have  plagued us will be resolved in 2021. But I'm sure we have hopes in other areas of life as well.  If you're reading this blog, I'm guessing you want a life of clarity and purpose, a lifestyle that isn't bogged down by inessentials.  You want inspiration and know-how to simplify your home, your schedule, your family life, your wardrobe, your diet, your online life, or something else.  And you want to do it with positivity and gratitude every day. I need your input. Please tell me, either in a comment below or by emailing me (karen@maximumgratitudeminimalstuff.com) how or if Maximum Gratitude Minimal Stuff is helpful to you.  What am I doing well?  And more importantly, what do you struggle with?  Which of your problems have I not helped you solve? How can I add more value to your life, and make it worthwhile for you to read and subscribe to this blog? I'...

Most of us have asked our kids or grandkids, spouses, or siblings, parents, or coworkers, "What do you want for Christmas?" We encourage them to wish for things during the holiday season.  And the answers are usually material items:  toys, clothes, things for the home, or some other tangible or experiential gift they've been wanting.   Or maybe the answer is, "Nothing!  I already have everything I need."  Maybe the desires are intangible:  "I just want us to get together this season."  Or even, "I wish the vaccine for COVID could be developed and perfected and available ASAP." But there's another question we should ask ourselves and others this holiday: What can you give this Christmas? We all have abilities and resources that we can share with others.  Even children can come up with good answers to this question – gifts they can give to friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers.  When we make it a habit to ask a different question,...

As much as simple activities make happy times and wonderful memories, most people still love giving and receiving gifts during the holidays.  I love it too, and I don't want to stop doing it just to prove how minimalist I am.  Yet I agree with Leo Babauta of  Zen Habits .  He says, I don't love Christmas shopping, or the overconsumption, frenzied malls, consumer debt, environmental waste... and over-accumulation of needless stuff that goes with it.  Bah humbug!   I love Christmas, but the shopping has got to go. We don't have to buy in order to give. Think about it.  We shop like mad for a month or more, rip open the gifts in a few minutes' time, and then forget about them, break them, or exchange them the next day.  Shopping monopolizes our time, attention, and money.  "We seem to think that buying is the solution to any problem, but that has led to a society that is deeply in debt and piled high with needless stuff," says Babauta....

Are you tired of the shopping orgy that passes for Christmas in America, the U.K., Australia, and other parts of the world?  Are you convinced that the push to buy, buy, buy is not only ruining your budget but destroying your soul?  Are you ready for a change, but worry that a simpler Christmas will be too bleak and miserly for your family? Maybe you've been unable to work at your usual job for all or part of this year because of quarantine and other COVID-19 protocols.  Maybe you've struggled to find part-time jobs that would let you pay your basic living expenses, but have almost nothing to spend for the holidays. Psssst... What if I told you that most of what you really love about the holidays requires very little shopping or even none at all? Don't believe me?  Make a list of your favorite Christmas activities and think about ways to accomplish them for little to no money.  10 minimal-cost holiday activities    1.  Savor the season. One benef...

According to the  National Retail Federation , consumers are expected to spend more on Christmas this year than ever before.  "After all they've been through [in 2020]," says NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz, "we think there's going to be a psychological factor that they owe it to themselves and their families to have a better-than-normal holiday." But take a look around your home.  Honestly, don't you already have everything you need?  And if there was something you needed or wanted, haven't you already purchased it yourself?  You certainly aren't waiting for someone to buy it and wrap it up for you this holiday. In other words, you don't need someone to buy something for you.  And likely they don't need you to buy anything for them.  So the stuff we're shopping for this holiday season isn't necessary.  It might be fun, but it's probably going to add to our clutter rather than our joy. Why should you stop shopping? Have you...

I'm having a hard time finding Christmas spirit right now.  Is it simply because of all we've been through this year?  Quarantines, restrictions, shortages, joblessness, acrid politics, and this constantly-spreading disease are enough to bring anyone down.  It seems this situation has dragged on forever, yet it also seems like 2020 is speeding past.  December is here already, and it feels like it's come too soon. That sounds depressing. Frankly, I'm tired of my house.  I don't feel excited about putting up Christmas lights or other décor.  The thought of going shopping holds absolutely no joy at all.  Even with the bit of economizing we've had to do this year, I have everything I need, and so do most of the people I know.  My grandsons already have an abundance of toys.   And for the first time in nearly 50 years as a singer, I have no concerts to prepare for or attend.  My calendar feels empty , and I'm someone who likes to keep a ...

2020 has been a hard year for all of us , unforgettable in so many ways.  I'm looking forward to the joys of Christmas, aren't you? My husband Jon finally has students in his classroom – well, half the class at a time, wearing masks and socially distanced.  The third graders at his school had to go back to distance learning last week because two children tested positive for COVID, so Jon realizes that his 6th grade students could be required to re-quarantine at any time.  The students with asthma and other health challenges are still at home, so he and his colleagues are trying to accommodate student learning in a variety of set-ups.   The good news:  This situation is uncertain and stressful for everyone, but Jon has found that his colleagues are super hard-working, committed educators, and that most of the parents of his students are flexible and good-humored. It's been that kind of year. My 95-year-old father-in-law recently passed away after a long ba...

I'm a glutton. For as long as I can remember, I've felt rewarded by eating.  Perhaps I learned the pattern in childhood, when I got dessert if I cleaned my plate.  But it really doesn't matter how I acquired the habit.  The result is that given the choice, I'll take a large serving of adequate quality over a small but exceptional meal.  To some extent, I'm not truly satisfied unless I'm a step beyond comfortably full. That describes our culture, too. No one is going to argue that gluttony is a good thing.  A glutton has an excessive desire for food, drink, work, sex, TV, luxury or other things.  She doesn't just eat or shop – she binges.  A glutton is rarely satisfied for long, and is always looking for the next meal, the next drink, the next purchase, the next trip or experience.  A glutton is easily bored.  A glutton rarely says, "That's too much." I think our culture encourages gluttony in many ways.  That might explain our response ...

The holidays are coming, and we're going to be spending a lot more time in the kitchen.  But crowded counters and crammed, hard-to-access cupboards make holiday cooking more difficult, and steal some of the joy from preparing your special dishes. 11 items that consume kitchen real estate To make your kitchen roomier before you start to cook for Thanksgiving, clear away these space-stealing items.  It'll be like having a kitchen remodel – in  less than an hour ! 1.  Excess serving pieces I'm talking about fish platters, tureens, novelty chip-and-dip servers, deviled egg trays, chargers, or other specialty pieces you rarely use.  Get rid of the ones you're least attached to.  The extra space might be more valuable. 2.  Extra vases Vases can accumulate and fill an entire cabinet.  If you regularly buy flowers or cut them from your garden, keep the same number of vases as your display areas (the mantel and the dining table, for example).  Either ...

Christmas is just weeks away, and I imagine your holiday planning has already begun.  My five-year-old grandson is old enough to begin to understand and participate in Christmas-related activities, such as decorating the tree, making cookies, and setting up the Nativity scene.  Of course, he's also old enough to anticipate gifts, and has already requested "a battery engine," which means that  this * is a purchase I'm planning to make. *  This blog is reader-supported.  If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission. You aren't Scrooge. My parents didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, yet I have some very happy Christmas memories.  It's possible to create a wonderful holiday for your kids without turning it into a season of excess. A minimalist holiday is not at all Scrooge-like and skimpy, but it also doesn't glorify greed and materialism.  Instead, the focus is on quality over quantity, experiences rather than things,...