Keeping Christmas simple; how to plan intentional family activities

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Today’s special guest and sweet friend, Keri Syder, shares what she’s learned about keeping Christmas simple.  Keri is a young mama of 3 rambunctious kiddos, yet her constant focus is on living intentionally with joy.  I love that!  And I know you’re going to love her fantastic ideas for how to simply enjoy Christmas with your family this year.

How I turned the Christmas chaos around

Every year when Christmas starts to fill the air, I get all sorts of ideas on how to be intentional as a family. The idea of keeping Christmas simple flies from my mind. The lists are written, activities pinned, and schedules get way too overcrowded. Many times, instead of having the intentional family time that I crave, we end up worn out, tired, and annoyed.

The past couple years, I have been trying out a different way. Instead of doing more, I did less. The amazing thing about doing less is that you are really able to be intentional in what you choose to do. A light bulb went off as I realized I did not have to do everything.

Mamas, I know I am not alone in this. So many other families try to do it all during the Christmas season. There are so many things that you can say yes to as a family. There are extended family gatherings, concerts, tree lightings, parades, and more. All of it is usually really good. However, even a lot of a good thing can be bad. Now is the time to focus on keeping Christmas simple and start saying no.

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Keeping Christmas simple with one simple idea

How do you do this?

Well, right now is the perfect time to start! Even if you are a “no Christmas tree until after Thanksgiving girl” you can do this.

1.)  Take out a sheet of paper.

Write out everything you can think of when the word Christmas comes to mind. Is there an annual cookie exchange? A work party? Write it all down. Obviously, you do not know everything that may come your way, but this is a good place to start.

2.)  Highlight the items that bring you joy

Do not overthink it. When you read what you wrote do you feel immediate dread or excitement?

3.)  Look for a common thread

Once you have all of these highlighted, look at them and see if there is a common thread. A lot of my highlighted items involve family moments at home. I realized it was a trend. I love the quiet family time.

4.)  Write on a new piece of paper

This is your focus. From here you can think about ways to keep it simple. For example, I LOVE advent. I adore some advent activities with my kiddos. However, as much as I love it, I have realized that daily advent causes a lot of stress. It just does not happen which then results in me feeling guilty. Not exactly what the result should be. What’s my solution? To have a weekly advent! It works with our family to have 4 family advent times than 25 individual times.

More ideas for keeping Christmas simple with Simply Christmas

With everything you do this holiday season, focus on keeping Christmas simple. Your kids do not need all of the crafts and all of the activities. Ultimately they just need you. Some of our best Christmas memories are watching a Christmas movie with the tree twinkling around us. It is simple and beautiful.

Want more tips on keeping it simple, planning printables, plus a weekly advent plan? Buy your copy of Simply Christmas today! It can be purchased as the kit or the PDF.Also, hop on over to join Keri as she shares daily Christmas Quick Tips this month on Instagram!

Keri is a wife and mama of three who lives in Charleston, SC. She loves to encourage moms to thrive in their everyday life- right in the mess. Join her as she shares regular encouragement on her blog at KeriLynnSnyder.