Abby Quillen

Freelance Content Marketing Writer and Editor

Holiday Celebrations

A Christmas Raft

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We were inspired by Tricia at Little Eco Footprints to make our own version of her “calm and creative” natural advent calendar, so last week we gathered leaves from around our neighborhood, numbered them, and strung them on a piece of twine. Tricia shares all sorts of wonderful “quick and simple activities” to do in the evenings each day. However, I took a quicker and even simpler approach (read: scrapped together at the last minute) and told Ezra that we would “sing a Christmas song, tell a Christmas story, or make a Christmas craft” each day.

He was thrilled at that idea. So the first evening, as we untied our leaf, I asked, “What would you like to do tonight to celebrate?”

“Make a Christmas raft,” Ezra exclaimed.

“You mean a Christmas craft?”

He gave me a funny look.

And that, future house guests, is why we have the oddly strung together chopstick contraption in our bathtub.

I hope you too are finding delight in unexpected places this holiday season.

Here are a few more inspiring ideas for simple and joyful December celebrations:

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Field Guide to a Simple, Joyful Holiday Season

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The holiday season is here! Honestly, I’m excited. Having a four-year-old helps make this time of the year fun and wonder-filled.

We used to buy and ship a lot of stuff around the country, and it was incredibly expensive and stressful. So for the past few years, we’ve been on a mission to make our celebrations joyful, memorable . . . and slow. We’ve established a few traditions, like tree decorating, cookie making, and a solstice celebration. But we try not to get too frenzied with making, baking, or gift giving. We leave lots of time for taking walks, reading aloud, telling stories, and just being together.

I’m excited about the handmade gifts we have planned for our close friends and family members, but I can’t say very much about that here, at least until after the big day. So I thought I’d offer you a roundup of some helpful resources for making this holiday season simpler, greener, and more meaningful:

Ideas for do-it-yourself recycled gift bags, green gift bows, meaningful gifts, and plenty of food for thought on focusing more on people than things this holiday season.

A fantastic list of resources for making the holidays simple and stress-free. Also worth checking out: 35 Gifts Your Children Will Never Forget.

A beautiful natural advent calendar and simple gift-giving strategy.

Twenty-eight ideas for clutter-free gifts, including gift certificates, cooking or yoga lessons, and homemade edibles.

And finally, here’s a roundup of my past posts about simple, natural, and slow ways to celebrate this time of the year:

As a gift to myself and my family, I’m embracing slow blogging this holiday season, so you may notice fewer posts than usual.

Are you planning a slow, simple holiday celebration this year? I’d love to hear about it. 

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