David and Me after touring this beautiful home called The Towers

Every Friday is “Friday Fun Day” and I post a website, quote, recipe, or story that relates to simple and minimalist living. Sometimes I just post something fun and inspiring!

Visiting my husband’s family in Baton Rouge always includes a side trip to Natchez, Mississippi to visit his sister. Natchez is a charming little town that sits on the Mississippi River and is at the southern end of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  Natchez was spared the burning and destruction that was inflicted on much of the south during the Civil War. As a result the city retains much of it’s pre-war beauty and many of its fabulous historic buildings survive to this day.

Today Natchez is full of restored antebellum homes, quaint little shops, and fabulous restaurants. The people are lovely and lots of fun. Natchez is full of southern hospitality and lots of simple pleasures. The simple pleasures in life are what make our day to day existence so full of wealth and abundance.  Below I share with you the beauty, elegance and simplicity of Natchez, Mississippi at Christmas time. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Happy Holidays and all that good stuff!!

Christmas tree in downtown Natchez

Street in downtown Natchez

one of Natchez's homes beautifully decorated

another beautifu Natchez home

Historic antebellum Mansion Longwood lit up for Christmas

Beautiful Natchez Nativity scene that I saw in a shop window

Just another gorgeous Natchez Home

Louisiana Christmas Fireworks

I think the great livers, the people who are fully self-actualizing and alive, are the great givers. ~Mark Victor Hansen

Let me start out by saying that I absolutely love Christmas! What I don’t love is the over-commercialization and pressure to buy lots of stuff that we don’t really need. Now, I’m not insinuating that everyone should be happy with only a candy cane and tree decorated with homemade popcorn garlands. I am suggesting that much of what we buy is the result of pressure from advertisers who tell us that if we truly care about our loved ones we will shower them with the most expensive gifts possible. One only need watch a jewelry commercial during this time of year to understand what I mean.

I’m not against gift giving by any means and I think that if someone one wants to honor someone with a gift that’s great. Giving gifts is an act of love and a wonderful gesture to let someone know that you care about them. Since gift giving is a ritual that is probably not going away anytime soon wouldn’t it be great if a massive movement changing the way we give gifts started to evolve? What if we started recognizing each other with gifts that helped those less fortunate than us? Most of us have enough chotchkes to last a lifetime so what if we took that $20 we might normally spend on a scented candle or decorative ceramic figurine and spend it to help a less fortunate person or animal instead?

A Christmas without gifts might seem a bit foreign to some. How does one celebrate without gifts you might ask? It’s easy. Think of all the holidays you don’t buy gifts for and how you always have a great time anyway. Do you exchange gifts at Thanksgiving, Halloween, 4th of July, or Cinco de Mayo? No we don’t and we don’t lack because of it, right?

Over the past few years I have drastically downsized my gift giving with family and friends. Not having to fight the hustle and bustle of shopping crowds has made the holiday season so much more enjoyable for me and I don’t find myself in the red come January. However this year I have decided to spend a little extra money on charitable donations. There is so much need right now and I want to do what I can to help. So many organizations do such great work but they desperately need money to continue their missions.

This year I will be giving a little extra money to my favorite animal organization and my close family and friends will receive a beautiful card (on recycled paper of course) that says a donation has been made in their name. Animals are so precious and they do not have a voice so it’s up to humans to advocate for them. We all share this planet together and that means we must each do our part to ensure that all species have a chance at a comfortable life. By giving my money to help them I help out humans as well because animals bring  joy to so many people’s lives.

Charitable giving doesn’t only mean non-profit organizations but individuals as well. Perhaps you know someone who is having a hard time and could use a little help not to mention cheer this holiday season. Why not put a gift card for a local grocery store in the mail and send it to them anonymously? If they have children, you can prepare a special basket with small toys and books and leave it on their front porch when they’re not around. Another idea is to go shopping with a friend and buy a needy family some basics like clothing and food. There are many organizations in every community that can give you the name of a family that needs help and they can also let you know exactly what they need.

This is the time of year after all when millions of people celebrate the birth of a man who taught compassion, sharing, and love. Let’s honor him by practicing these virtues.

My mother's simple yet elegant Christmas dinner table

As a young girl I loved reading the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I was especially fascinated by how they simply yet joyously celebrated Christmas each year. Their financial resources may have been limited but that didn’t stop them from celebrating to the fullest. The Ingalls didn’t spend weeks shopping for gifts for each other or planning the perfect holiday soiree. They focused more on spending time together and participating in fun frugal activities like baking gingerbread and making cranberry and popcorn chains to trim the tree. The family would gather around the fireside and read the Christmas story from the Bible. Gifts for the children were stockings stuffed with an orange, hard candy, and maybe a special doll or toy.

The simplicity of a prairie Christmas is still appealing to me as an adult. I may not be able to emulate the exact way the Ingalls celebrated the holidays but I can come up with my own version of a simple Christmas. Too much pressure is put on us to have the perfect holiday festivities and buy the perfect gifts. Trying to meet these expectations takes the fun out of Christmas for me and makes the season seem superficial and sacrilegious.

Simplifying the holiday is a process. Each year you better figure out what are the most meaningful activities and rituals you cherish most. You might find that cooking is where you want to put your energy or you may decide that going all out with decorating your home is what you enjoy best. Simplifying is not about deprivation but keeping those traditions that enhance and make the holiday season most meaningful to you.

Keep in mind that many people may not understand your desire to simplify the holidays. Many people are used to the commercialized way of celebrating and are not going to understand for example why you no longer display the blow-up Snow Man on your front lawn. But that’s ok because there’s nothing simple about trying to pressure others to conform to your ways. People will change when they are ready if they ever change at all. For those of us who want to simplify the holiday season, the best we can do is come up with what works best for us. If they follow-great! If not, then we can hope we lead by example.

Several years ago when I first began my quest to get away from the material aspects of Christmas and focus on the true meaning of the season, I was met with a bit of resistance. For example some of my friends and family wanted to continue with gift exchanges so I suggested we set a limit on what we spent. The next year I suggested consumable gifts or gift cards. Eventually some were even game to opt out of gift exchanges altogether. Instead we would spend time together at a local restaurant or going to a special event. I think people were actually relieved to have one less gift to buy. I’m not completely against gift giving and I think people give gifts with the best of intentions. However, I now feel that I have enough of everything I could possibly ever want and spending money just to spend money does no one good in the long run. I now take the money I would have spent on gifts and give it to those in need.

I’m not going to give you a list of what you should do to simplify the holidays because I don’t know everyone’s individual situations. My husband and I don’t have children so obviously our holiday will be celebrated quite differently than someone who has three kids who are anxiously awaiting Santa’s arrival. Below are some of the things we do in our household to simplify the holidays and enjoy them to the max. I’d be interested to hear what you are doing this year to simplify so please feel free to share.

• My husband and I do not exchange gifts. Since we travel to see family every year at Christmas, we spend our money on airline fare and eating out at good restaurants. This year we travel to Baton Rouge and we have many favorite eateries we will visit. New Orleans is not far away and their cuisine is some of the best in the world. We also go to Natchez, Mississippi for a few days-more wonderful southern food!
• We don’t exchange gifts with siblings or friends. We do however buy our parents a present and our young nieces and nephews a small gift like a book or some art supplies.
• I’m in charge of the decorations and I like to keep it very simple yet elegant. I hang a live green wreath with a big red bow on the front door and set out lots of red and white candles throughout the inside of our home. I take a large glass vase and fill it with some of my tree ornaments and place it in the middle of my dining room table surrounded by greenery. I would love to have a small tree but so would my feline companions!  Enough said, huh?
• Just because I don’t go all out with the decorations doesn’t mean I don’t love them. Since there are people far more talented than me when it comes to decorating, I prefer to go riding around the city and look at their creativity.
• I love Christmas music and play it around the house and in the car from Thanksgiving until New Years. Mannheim Steamroller’s Christmas collection is my favorite.
• We no longer send out Christmas cards. I do love them but my husband and I have become more concerned in the past few years about our environmental footprint so we choose to forego them.
• We make a donation every year to our favorite charity. I get the most reward from this because this is what the season is all about!

Beautiful Fall Day in Japan

A hug is a great gift – one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange.  ~Author Unknown

Time flies! Can you believe it’s almost Thanksgiving? Black Friday, that day following Thanksgiving when US shoppers officially begin their Christmas shopping is also just around the corner. Shopping the day after Thanksgiving has never been my scene not to mention getting up at 5am to stand in line for a deal on a flat screen TV is not my idea of a day off. Plus I really don’t think Christmas is about shopping till you drop.

There’s nothing simple about shopping for the sake of shopping. Just because advertisers tell us this is the day to shop doesn’t mean we have to. We can create our own traditions that have nothing to do with excessive consumerism and spending money on items we or our loved ones don’t really want or need. For those of you like me who prefer to do something a little more creative, a little more fun, and a little more relaxing, check out my 21 Black Friday alternatives below. And of course please feel free to add any others you might have as well.

1. Volunteer. Although most of us don’t have to work the Friday following Thanksgiving there are many places that are open such as hospitals, homeless shelters, animal shelters, etc… and they would welcome your help.
2. Sleep In. Most of us have the day off so why not sleep in a few extra hours. What luxury, huh?
3. Make Friday a movie day and watch some movies you’ve wanted to see. If you plan ahead you can check out some DVDs from your local library or rent from Netflix or your local Redbox.
4. If the weather in your area allows it get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Take a hike or a bike ride.
5. Clean out a closet or drawer. Get rid of things you no longer need and start the holiday season feeling lighter and less burdened by material possessions.
6. Get out your holiday decorations and throw out any you no longer like or use. Keep those decorations you really love and begin your holiday decorating early. Make a special hot drink to enjoy while you “deck the halls.”
7. Read a book. Is there a book you’ve been dying to read but haven’t had the time? My favorites are mysteries and this is the perfect weekend for a “whodunit?”
8. Have a friend over for coffee and have a long leisurely visit. Catch up and laugh a lot.
9. Black Friday is a great day to start or finish an arts project. Do you like to knit, paint, or sew?
10. Get out the holiday music and start enjoying it. Before you know it the holidays will be over so why not enjoy all that beautiful music as much as you can. My favorite song is “Do you Hear What I Hear?”  and I can’t wait to start hearing it nonstop for 5 weeks straight. You think I’m kidding but I’m not. I love Christmas music!
11. Play board games with your family and/or friends.
12. Bake some more goodies. Tis the season for sweets and this time of year is a great excuse to indulge.
13. Write a letter to someone. There are still people out there who would love to receive a handwritten letter in the mail. I bet you know just the perfect person in your life who would appreciate this.
14. Play with your kids.
15. Play with your pets.
16. Write. Most of us have the writing bug at some time or another. Start that short story, poem, or novel that is just aching to be put down on paper.
17. Take a long soak in the bathtub.
18. Call a friend long distance and shoot the breeze.
19. Go introduce yourself to your neighbors if you’ve never met them.
20. Clean your house. Enjoy the rest of the weekend knowing your cleaning is done for the week.
21. Do nothing. Be spontaneous and enjoy not having to be anywhere.

Some of my old fashioned Christmas gift wrapping creations

As I mentioned in my last post, I have drastically cut back on the gift giving the last couple of holiday seasons. I still give small gifts like candy, wine, coffee, etc… And of course there is the white elephant gift exchange my family will be having on Christmas day. Now that my gift giving has been simplified, I have more time to focus on gift wrapping. I love gift wrapping. It’s so creative and fun. When I was a child, I wanted to be a professional gift wrapper when I grew up. Maybe if I had followed that aspiration, I would still be employed, huh??  My mother used to let me wrap all the Christmas presents each year. She would masquerade my gifts in boxes so I couldn’t see the contents. And, I never peeped! Really, I never did!

Gift wrapping can get expensive and of course those gift bags (which I always reuse) are a bit hard on the pocketbook as well. So for those of you who love the art of gift wrapping but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, allow me to introduce to you the roll of brown wrapping paper. Yes, it’s that dull paper you use when you send gifts through the U.S. Mail. But it has oh so much potential for creativity and it brings an old fashioned flavor to the festivities. I love the presentation of brown paper wrapping so much that I now use it to wrap birthday, wedding, and shower gifts. I then personalize them with occasion appropriate ribbons and accessories.

Here are some tips on how beautifully wrap your Christmas gifts using brown paper:

• You can buy a roll of brown paper at your local discount or hardware store. Another option is to cut up brown paper grocery bags.
• Keep a small collection of bows, ribbons, and yarn odds n ends.  I recycle what is given to me on gifts I receive. If I happen to buy something that is tied up with a colorful piece of material, I add that to my collection as well.
• Wrap your gift in brown paper and then add a fancy bow or tie a ribbon around the package.
• Brown paper with just a pretty bow can be quite beautiful by itself, but sometimes I like to get more creative. Cutting out pictures from magazines or newspapers and pasting them on top of the gift is one option. Another option is some type of live or artificial greenery.
• You also might want to add a small accessory like a candy cane or snowflake cut-out to the gift.
• If you have a knack for drawing, use colored markers to add pictures or holiday greetings.
• Cut up old holiday cards or old holiday shopping gift bags and use them as gift tags.

Old fashioned brown paper gift wrapping is simple, frugal, and elegant. It stands out and the recipient is usually thrilled that you went to such effort to create a special package just for them.

Christmas in Birmingham

I love the Christmas season. It’s always been one of my favorite times of the year. The festivities and hoopla of the holidays make winter’s arrival a bit easier to bear. By the time the New Year has arrived, I’m ready for a break and I actually look forward to the colder and lower key days that lie ahead. Each year David and I visit family. This year my family is up on the rotation schedule, so by this time next week, we will be in Birmingham, AL. I hope it’s cold but not too cold! J  My parents always have the outside of the house decorated with white lights and of course a beautiful tree inside. The foyer table hosts a beautiful nativity scene to remind us of the true meaning of the season. There will be scrumptious calorie-laden food and plenty of good drinks. Yes, we will all probably gain a pound or two (or ten) but who cares because January is the perfect month to work off the excessive holiday pounds, right?

In addition to all the traditions we participate in each year such as Christmas dinner, church candlelight services and friends dropping by on Christmas day night, we started a new tradition two years ago. Instead of everyone exchanging gifts in the traditional way, we now play the white elephant gift exchange game.  We set a $5.00 limit and we all end up with something silly, useless, and tacky! But oh what fun we have. I love this new tradition for many reasons. The main one being I no longer have to spend the holiday season in the malls spending money I really don’t have on a gift that’s probably not wanted or needed. It also takes a lot of pressure off of me to find that perfect gift.

It seems like so many of us today have a surplus of material goods and one more bath and body set, no matter how well intentioned the giver, is probably not going to mean that much. David and I have never really exchanged Christmas gifts so the holiday shopping gets easier and easier each year. Even my friends and I have changed the way we give gifts to each other. A box of candy or bottle of wine is just as nice. Some friends and I skip the gift giving all together and use the money to go out to a nice restaurant. I now have more money in my budget to give to a favorite charity which to me is an important part of the holiday season-helping those in need.

As the Christmas season becomes less and less material for me each year, I’m realizing I love the holidays more than ever. I feel much less stressed and I enjoy those around me much more. I’m not completely against gift giving, but I do think Americans have gotten out of balance over the years with the incessant gift giving. Yes, I know this is the time of the year the corporations, government, and Wall Street urge us to go into massive debt so we can still be paying off gifts we can’t remember in April, but consumer debt only enslaves us and benefits very few in the long run.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the life of a man whose main message was love and peace. It’s a time to enjoy family and friends, eat yummy food, listen to good music, and hopefully get a little rest and relaxation. It’s not about spending money you don’t have or money you should be saving. All around, I get a sense that many people are downsizing this year. I’m sure a large part of it is the economy, but I also think some of us are becoming more conscious of the things that really matter in life. We’re beginning to get our financial houses in order and simplify our lives so we can enjoy the blessings we already have without always striving for more. I hope the downsizing of the holidays is a permanent trend. We may all have a few less gifts to open each year but we will be richer in so many more ways.