How are you feeling about the imminent arrival of the festive period? Excited? Indifferent? Anxious? For many, with so much to organise it can become an overwhelming, stressful time, which it definitely shouldn’t be! Jessica Rose Williams shares her tips for having a more minimal Christmas in a bid to alleviate those frenzied feelings….Â
It’s easy to feel like we should be doing all the things at Christmas time. There’s the tree, the second tree, the food, the decorations, the stockings, the ornaments, the lights, the outside lights and we haven’t even got to the gifts yet. It goes on and on and it can be exhausting!
There’s an antidote to this madness; did you ever consider how Christmas might be better with less? For me, a minimal Christmas holds endless benefits. It’s a liberating feeling to boycott all the madness and consequently we’re only left with the good stuff, the stuff that really adds value.
Christmas is the perfect time to embrace some simplicity so we can enjoy all the festivities instead of overloading ourselves and our homes with too much stuff and pressure to create the elusive ‘perfect Christmas’. There’s beauty in simplicity and Christmas is no exception.
If you can relate to the above, here are ten minimalist decorating ideas to consider this Christmas that are really simple and easy to achieve.
1. Think less is more – Never underestimate the power of a single statement item surrounded by space. Allow the few items you really love to stand out by resisting the temptation to surround them with other stuff.
2. Fairy lights – Lights are the easiest way to create mood. Decorating the tree with fairy lights only can make a real statement but still create a calm and cosy mood without feeling stark and bare.
3. Stick to a neutral colour scheme – I opt for as much white as possible at Christmas. It’s my favourite colour to decorate with anyway and Christmas is the perfect time to run with that as much as possible. White also evokes a feeling of calm.
4. Embrace black – Don’t be afraid to use non traditional colours in your decorating. Black can add striking contrast and a dash of elegance.
5. Decorate with intention – Having more lights up than the neighbours will not make an ounce of difference to your Christmas. It’s easy to slip into feeling competitive, but decorating with things because we want to not because we think we should makes much more sense.
6. Learn to say no – It’s ok not to put up that old ornament you secretly despise – nothing horrendous will happen. Tune into your intuition and only use things you really love.
7. Bring the outside in – Festive foliage creates a comforting natural mood. You don’t have to be a professional stylist to have a go at this either. Keeping things really simple and DIY looking can still have a dramatic effect.
8. Candles – Using a variety of candles, ideally at different levels, will create a cosy ‘Christmas Carol’ like mood in an instant.
9. Use natural textures – Material is the easiest way to add texture and cosiness to a room. I’m not sure you can beat that feeling of snuggling under a blanket with a warm drink on the sofa during those dark cold winter nights.
10. Focus on the moments
The true meaning of Christmas doesn’t lie in ‘stuff’. It lies in whatever it takes to make your heart sing. For me, it’s getting cosy under a blanket and putting my favourite Christmas film on (White Christmas incase you were wondering) or sitting by a roaring fire with a friend and stuffing our faces with mince pies.
You can find oodles more minimal Christmas inspiration on my Pinterest board.
Thank you Hubsch Interiors, Rose and Grey and North East Chandlery for kindly gifting the items featured.
Wishing you the merriest of Christmases everyone!
Thanks Jessica! We can’t wait to do less this Christmas! Make sure to take a few quiet moments to enjoy Jessica’s peaceful and calming Instagram feed too.
