this christmas: an experiment in minimalism

This year wasn't the first that I've tried to get the little lady to buy me less stuff for Christmas. For years, I've actually been trying to get her to buy me nothing for birthdays or Christmas. All of these attempts have thus far been unsuccessful, and it hasn't really bothered me a ton. This Christmas, however, was different in that I was obviously in a different place as far as "stuff" was concerned. This being the case, and knowing that the little lady wouldn't go for a zero-presents Christmas, I made her a proposal for my gifts in early December that she accepted:

1. A total limit of $50.
2. Items must be consumable: gift cards for places like iTunes and Amazon (where you can get digital content that won't clutter up more than your hard drive), snacks, a certificate for a service or favor, etc.

The idea was that I would come away from Christmas Day with a net increase of zero possessions. I've been serious about getting rid of things and about focusing on true needs. As of right now, I can't think of anything I actually need.

While the gifts that the little lady and I exchange account for the vast majority of the gifts and material possessions we deal with during the holidays, they're definitely not everything. Here's how I dealt with gifts from other people:

My parents give me money to buy myself presents every year (with 14 grandchildren, they're too busy buying them stuff), and this year I tried to keep my approach to that money somewhat similar to my approach for handling gifts from the little lady: a net increase of zero possessions. I was less successful here, but was still pleased with the results. I needed some new casual shoes, and I've never visited so many stores and tried on so many different pairs in an attempt to find a pair that I would love, both for looks and for comfort. I came away with a pair that is really comfortable, has some fun colors, and that I absolutely love to wear. As soon as I got home from the store, I threw out the pair I was replacing, and I must admit that it was really difficult. They didn't look that bad, but the padding had been worn down and they had grown uncomfortable. In the old days, I probably would have saved them to use for "grubby" needs, like yard work or moving. Now, realizing that I rarely do such things, I tossed them out. Difficult, but it's done. It wasn't until I started this post that I thought about them again. I feel good about the decision I made. Anyway, I also bought myself a new sweatshirt to use when I go to the gym. I needed something to protect my car from sweat (my gym has neither showers nor a good place to change, plus it's close to my home), so that was my solution. I got it for more than 50% off, so again, I feel pretty good despite the net increase in number of possessions. Why? It's simple, really: I actually needed the item, and I didn't rush out and buy the nicest, most expensive thing I could, as I probably would have done in the past. Progress! Net increase in possessions: one

My family does a gift exchange, and my sister drew my name this year. She drew my name last year as well, and last year's gift was a gift card to donate to a charity. She asked if I wanted the same thing, and I said yes. It's a small amount (the going principle in my family is to try not to burden each other with gift buying), but it will be put to good use. Last year, I selected my favorite charity, The Nature Conservancy, to receive the funds. This year, the little lady is going to select the charity. She likes Doctors without Borders, Charity Water and programs for starving children, so it will be something along those lines. Net increase in possessions: zero

The little lady's mom got our name in her family's gift exchange, and we asked for and received an iTunes gift card. I don't really consider digital content to be a possession since it's not physical and can't clutter the house, so I'm happy. Net increase in possessions: zero

My mother-in-law's family likes to do white elephant gift exchanges, so we participated in this madness last night. We got a couple items we knew we would never use, and the little lady discretely gave them to her step-father. Excellent. Net increase in possessions: zero

My relatives in UT like to exchange gifts, and we were given a few food gifts and one nicknack kind of gift when we visited them last week. As much as I hate to say it, the nicknack gift will probably be gone soon. Minimalism or no minimalism, I've never liked that sort of thing anyway. Net increase in possessions: one (soon to be zero)

We travel every year for Christmas, so we open presents before we leave town. I was quite pleased to find that the little lady had mostly honored the agreement we made for my gifts, with the one exception being a new sweatshirt. This is better than all previous birthdays and Christmases, so I was really happy. Plus, she happened to buy a sweatshirt that I had been eyeing around the time I started to purge my closet and cut back on my spending and acquisition of material goods. So, this was a good gift and although it's not needed, it will definitely get used a lot. Net increase in possessions: one

The little lady hasn't really embraced the minimalist ideas I've begun to espouse and practice, so I didn't hold myself to the same constraints as I gave her for buying me gifts. I did, however, put some minimalism into her gifts. I gave her two gifts--a pair of shoes and a handbag--that were net possession increases, and then several certificates for experiences and possessions that she can select herself. For the possession certificates, she has to exchange one old item plus the certificate in order to get the new item (for example, one old pair of jeans in exchange for one new pair of jeans). This should result in a net increase of only two items for all the things I gave her, which means that although her new items were pricey, this was the cheapest, most minimal Christmas we've ever celebrated. I'm very happy about this and see it as major progress. I intend to cut back even more next year, but am still going to try to be creative in order to make the giving/receiving aspect of the holiday enjoyable and memorable. Net increase in possessions: two

Ultimately, I realize this was hardly a minimal Christmas when you look at it through the lens of pure minimalism or through the eyes of most people in this world, but progress has to begin somewhere. I may have missed an item or two, but by my count, we came away with a net increase of only five possessions. I estimate that this is a decrease of at least 75% over years past, so I'm quite pleased. Next year, we may even end up being neutral on the net possession count. Maybe even negative, which would be awesome. I suppose if I were to count all the possessions I sold, gave away or threw away in December, I'm already there.