For several weeks already, the shops and bakeries around here have been showcasing christmas candy. Cookies, lebkuchen and stollen, marzipan, cinnamon-flavored chocolates, the works. And today, there are workers underneath my office window mounting the christmas illumination on the streetlights. There´s no way to miss it- christmas is approaching fast, and with it, all those too-rich delicacies that go along with it.
As if that weren´t enough, letterboxes are regularly stuffed with catalogues featuring merchandise that no one- really no one- needs, but when it comes to christmas presents, it is bought, often by people who could use the money for other things they would need.
For many families, the pressure of the expectations that come with the holidays means the extra sress of having to procure all of those presents the kids clamor for off an already too-narrow budget, as in "it´s not christmas if there are no presents". The result, often, is additional debt that will continue to hound the family budget for months.
A merry time, in my book, works differently. Even if I remove the religious context, the holidays are meant to be a time for families to spend together, a time for reloading your batteries, so to speak. And that is not a function of the height of the stack of parcels under some unlucky coniferous tree that had, for the occasion, been dragged from its natural habitat to death and somebody´s living room.
And then, there´s decorations. No other holiday in the course of the year breeds them like christmas. Santas, reindeers, angels, garlands, candles, and tree ornaments, which then go on to clutter storage spaces for the rest of the year.
Now, if there are small children in the house, it may be understandable if parents want to turn their houses into a wonderland of glitter and lights for the season.
But for those of us who do not have children, and those of us who do not have an attic or dry basement to store all of these ornaments after use, there must be a way to celebrate the holidays that is compatible with minimalism.
I have been working on that for several years already, and by now, we have a set tradition of what we do put up before and during the holidays that is sustainable and keeps clutter at a minimum.
First of all, I discarded all and sundry ornaments that were simulating the branches of trees, as in garlands and wreaths. I have a four-candle circular candle holder made from brass (thus, unbreakable) with candle rings that look like small poinsettias that has been serving as an advent wreath for years. The only thing I have to do when setting it up is replace the candles every year. Then, there are, in total, about fifteen christmas-y figurines of different makes and materials which I spread out on surfaces all across the flat for a little festive touch, and which reside, out of season, in the china cabinets behind the plates, plus several brass vases and candlesticks (I used to collect these, might as well get some use out of them) and, for the dining table, one christmas-themed tablecloth. For the holidays proper, I have a big white christmas-tree-shaped candle that was a present from a dear aunt years ago, which of course has never been lit, but makes for a pretty decoration, plus a glass dish with several spherical glass ornaments originally intended for trees,and matching mirrored glass candle holders, to adorn the coffee table.
And that´s all. Of course, our best china and stemware will be used for the christmas dinner, and we will have incense cones and glühwein, nuts, and oranges, maybe even one or two natural fir branches to perfume the air, so, the place will be festive alright, but I, for one, don´t need to drag a whole tree inside for that.
All of the things I mentioned have been used and enjoyed for years. They can be put up in a jiffy, and taking them down and putting them away is done in mere minutes. And the best thing about them is that they do not clutter up our flat, and, having been paid for years ago, are perfectly sustainable.
And after putting them up, there´s plenty of time for us to enjoy our clutter-free christmas-decorated home.
Julia
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