A Simpler Life 2018

Spider, sounds like a brilliant idea!! To be honest, if they were my family I would class them as 'toxic' and just ignore the nonsense, but as they are his I tend to be more careful!!

Inexplicably, what they seem to like are purpose wrapped Christmas gift sets from one of the big stores, not my scene at all.

I was talking to a woman aa few days ago....she has 3 grandchildren, all in one family, and bought each of them an Advent Calendar....their parents also get them one each...so that is 6 Advent Calendars in one family (parents get the kids a chocolate filled one apiece, grannie gives them each one with 'stuff to do' in each window)...PLUS the adults get one each (with beauty stuff for her and booze for him)...and if that wasn't ridiculous enough, the DOG gets one too with doggie-chocs each day!!!!

Personally we love Christmas, and have our own traditions....I read Dickens' A Christmas Carol each year (spread out over Advent Sundays)...Mum always visits on a Sunday and does wool-work (usually crochet) whilst I read aloud - usually in German - and we choose something 'festive' over Advent, and we have home-made festive treats to nibble.......a more recent tradition has been that I do a Christmas Quiz for Mum , she does love a quiz!) ...(100 questions ..10 rounds of 10 questions each...Some questions in English, some in German...includes 'picture' rounds...am I ever grateful for the Internet!!!)...and nearer Christmas we will listen to Carols from Kings and a German Advent concert (Mum has the German channels for free on her satellite dish)...and as Christians, we will also spend time focussing on the Biblical meaning of Christmas.

Which is not to say we go all 'spartan' for Christmas...we will enjoy a festive Christmas dinner...with enough leftovers for ONE extra meal each...I will have a small box of Turkish Delight...for Mum it will be fudge ...One batch of mince pies....and plenty of Stollen (both home made and from Lidls, who do the BEST 'everyday' Stollen)....but we do NOT pack the larder to the rafters with treats that let's face it no one really wants/needs!

I have a family member who has multiple Christmas trees (because the children 'need' their own!!!)...and whose leccy bill must triple over December with all the festive lights they deem necessary.....me, I have a small tabletop tree decorated with no lights, and straw&wood decorations...one small wreath on the door...and some battery-operated candles (I can't use the sort you light with matches!)....and in my eyes, my home looks perfectly festive!...oh and I have a few hand-made decorations too - a couple of friends and I decided a few years ago to exchange hand-made decorations instead of presents.

I lead a fairly simple life by choice AND by necessity....I do wish the shops would support me!....Once again our local supermarket has three stands dedicated to chocolate novelties...and yet no longer stocks bread flour, or any cheese other than cheddar (or some unidentifiable varieties marketed for children) ....and their milk refrigerator now has to find room for assorted festive creams and butters, with the result that all to often there is no room for milk!

Prinzess I feel so old recalling Advent calendars where you just opened a door and read a Christmas text every day.

On a brighter note the moon last night was a beautiful Christmas light all on its own, hope we have a cloudless night again tonight so all can appreciate it.

Going to check out some of Spider's links now....

I have found these posts interesting, and salute you all! Of course, we will all position ourselves at slightly different points on the 'simplicity' scale, and get there by different means.

I have been thinking about the things I will keep:
Our car is a necessity, with rural bus cuts and grandchildren care, we could not manage without, also we still camp (albeit in a luxury trailer tent so I don't have to sleep on the floor!)
Probably the biggest luxury outlay is for one of the cheaper Sky subscriptions, that includes recording. We both love watching sport, and there are excellent dramas as well. The TV only goes on in the day for occasional specific events (usually sporting) but in the evening we use the record facility to decide what to watch and fast forward through the adverts. I find myself tired and a bit achy in the evenings, but use the opportunity to crochet blankets for Loving Hands.

We too have a handmade advent calendar.

I'm going to think about other things as they come up.

We are very lucky as we live in an area that has a lot of talented musicians and actors. We can easily see something of good quality, cheaply, once or twice a month within a 10 mile radius. Our village hall social evenings are legendary as well! The village hall runs a weekly coffee morning - free, please put in a charitable donation - which is popular and well attended.

What a lovely addition to the threads! This suits us down to the ground :T and I've only read the first page so far!

We've always lived frugally, but things have evolved over the years. When we first met, tiptoed onto the property ladder and had our first child it was certainly due to means, but things have changed a lot over the last 15 years and currently it's healthy habits that suit us, planning for the future and an effort to be mindful/set a financial and environmental example for our kids that keep us on track.

I also tend to feel out of control when we're not on top of things. We plan carefully so that our small folk only have to go to childcare 4 days a week and make sure every family moment counts. We've found that by cutting back to the things that 'count' we're able to enjoy life more and relish the slower pace of our days at home. We really benefit from our little personal and family rituals that signal comfort and relaxation. This has certainly been a long time coming though, and manageable has evolved into 'just right'.

Our most recent challenge with posessions has been inheriting items from both sets of parents through bereavements and resulting downsizing. We've gradually been able to enjoy the sentimentality of going through things whilst recognising the positivity of passing things on for others to enjoy.

I love spending time planning and cooking our meals, and our location makes it easy to stay away from the ridiculous retail fads. We rarely make the drive to the nearest city and both despise the forced 'pressure' retailers create. We love family walks and enjoying the outdoors, and I would have said that open views and woodland 'sealed the deal' on our current house purchase in 2010, but I'd be lying if I omitted the very pleasing fact that we're simply not near any shops, restaurants or take away options. :rotfl: I love being in the middle of nowhere.

Our children haven't asked for anything for Christmas, and the morning and what it 'brings' is always surprise. DS is 10 and the only thing he's asked is if his grandparents are coming and if we can choose a new Christmas jigsaw to complete during the month. We enjoy Christmas day with family and a lovely meal, but beyond exchanging presents and hand/home made treats and some chocolate coins being scattered on the breakfast table it's just a lovely family day. It's the care, sentiment and memories that make it warm and fuzzy for me.

Right, thank you all for warming my cockles this morning! I'm about to go back and enjoy the whole thread with a cuppa. :coffee: