Why you should downsize more than just your home this Christmas

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A few years ago, as the festive season approached, my husband and I decided that it was time to have a heart-to-heart about downsizing Christmas. In a world where we are inundated with messages that bigger, more expensive gifts show people how much we love them, we decided to go the other way.

We wanted to spend more time with the people we love, give thoughtful, meaningful gifts and reclaim the magic of Christmas.

Instead of going overboard on the presents this year, try sticking to the rule of four.

Why downsize?

Let’s start with the big question: why would you downsize Christmas (said in an incredulous tone)?

Well, there were a few reasons. Our daughter had previously received so many gifts from family and friends that instead of being excited she was simply overwhelmed. We could also see that the gift givers were disappointed not to get the excited :“Wow, I love it”, they were hoping for. It was simply too much.

It’s not about the size of the celebration; it’s about the size of your joy.

A friend told me about the four present rule: “something you want, something you need, something to share and something to read” which sounded perfect. As for family and friends, we try to keep their gifts to one (and politely ask that they don’t make it the biggest toy they can find). Experiences like tickets for a movie, show or an outing are our preferred gifts. Gift vouchers are also great as they enable her to buy something she would really like but perhaps didn’t make the cut in the list of four things.

Thoughtful gifts instead of stressful shopping for adults

With the kids sorted we decided to tackle adult gift-giving, which often saw us at the shops on Christmas Eve, racing against the clock to find the perfect present for everyone on our list.

We decided that, as adults, we all have what we want mostly, but not giving a gift seems a bit mean. So we started a secret Santa, and it’s quite a lavish one with the giver able to spend up to $250 (so you can buy something special). While $250 may seem like a lot of money to spend on one present, you don’t have to spend that much, and when you compare it to spending $50 or more on everyone it’s actually more affordable.

Bring a platter and a bottle

The other source of stress when it comes to Christmas can be the food. The thought of family and friends gathered around a beautifully decorated table filled with delicious food is part of the magic of Christmas.

But when one or two people have the job of buying, preparing, cooking and serving all of that food it quickly turns from magic to manic. People also often want to bring along their famous plum pudding (made from their grandma’s secret recipe), prawns from their local market or the nice bottle of wine they have been saving for a special occasion.

So we came up with the idea that everyone brings a platter and a bottle to share. Naturally, this takes a little bit of co-ordination (or you’re going to end up with lots of ham and no veggies), my tip is to start with what people want to bring – you will be surprised about the joy people have at sharing a particular dish.

Once you have those dishes in place, you can just add a “could you also bring a salad” or as the host you can fill in the gaps.

More room for joy

Downsizing the gifts and the stress has enabled us to focus on the traditions that make Christmas special for us.

My daughter and I love to bake ginger biscuits and take them to friends and neighbours. We make little treat bags with reindeer noses (eight Maltesers and one Jaffa) or “reindeer food” (a combination of oats and glittery things) to leave out with Santa’s snack, we watch our favourite Christmas movies and on Christmas Eve, instead of frantically shopping and wrapping and preparing food until late, we watch Carols by Candlelight.

The magic of downsizing Christmas

For us, downsizing Christmas wasn’t about giving less or getting less. It was about creating the time, money and space for what was important and what we wanted Christmas to be.

Downsizing Christmas has given us more magic, it has magnified the meaning, and it has allowed us to focus on what truly matters – moments with loved ones.

It’s not about the size of the celebration; it’s about the size of your joy. Happy downsizing, and may your holidays be filled with great stories, great food and great people.

Rachel Lane is the author of the bestselling book Aged Care, Who Cares? and Downsizing Made Simple with fellow finance expert Noel Whittaker. The new edition of Downsizing Made Simple is now available online.

• Advice given in this article is general in nature and is not intended to influence readers’ decisions about investing or financial products. They should always seek their own professional advice that takes into account their own personal circumstances before making any financial decisions.

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