For many people, getting back to basics and keeping expenses down during the holiday season is critical. It’s not as hard as you might think. Make some changes by using these tips to keep it simple – and simply wonderful!
Explore Alternative Gift Wrappings
Wrap gifts with the Sunday comics to keep them bright and colorful. Brown wrapping paper is cheap and can be stenciled or drawn on to make a personalized visual treat.
If, like me, you aren’t the artistic type, colorful stickers are a great way to personalize your gift. Consider adding the favorite colors and themes of your recipients to make it meaningful.
I like to purchase retro holiday stickers and colored twine to decorate plain brown paper for wrapping gifts.
Recycle Gift Wrappings
I’m not talking about regifting. Giving a gift you received last year might not be the best thing to do. What if you end up giving it back to the same person? Yikes!
Reusing gift wrap, ribbons, bows, and tags from gifts you’ve received throughout the year is a great way to stay frugal. Put them all into a box and store it in the attic or somewhere out of the way until you’re ready to wrap gifts.
Repurpose Holiday Greeting Cards
Reuse last year’s holiday cards by cutting off the fronts of the cards and using them in all kinds of ways! Those lovely pictures shouldn’t go to waste.
- Turn the cards into holiday postcards.
- Add a little ribbon around the edges and use them as a gift-wrap decorations or labels.
- Use them as a door-prize handout by writing a number on the backs.
- Make them a part of holiday games.
- Attach them to a string of festive yarn, twine, or even tinsel, and use them to decorate hallways, fences, walls, or above the mantle to welcome guests throughout the season.
Craft Your Own Cards and Envelopes
Use an envelope maker to create different envelopes and greeting cards from newspapers, handouts, and used wrapping paper.
Bake Homemade Gifts
If your budget is limited this year, consider gifting cookies, cupcakes, cakes, breads, or other treats. Most of these items can be made earlier and frozen until needed. Put them in a gift bag, add a sticker to the bag, and you’re done.
Check Secondhand Stores and Flea Markets
Secondhand stores are filled with amazing finds of unique items. You never know what you might find to fit that special someone on your list this year. Where else are you going to find a toy that hasn’t been made since 1982 but holds a cherished memory for your recipient?
What about that person who loves collecting something old or one-of-a-kind? Secondhand stores and flea markets are sometimes the places to find something special.
Mindfully Prepare the Holiday Meal
Serve the main course, two or three side dishes, and one or two desserts. We often overcook, overeat, and consume leftovers for weeks. Cook less and enjoy more!
Alternatively, consider hosting a potluck. Plan the menu and have each guest bring one or two items on the list. When the meal is done, have each guest wash their dish and fill it with leftovers to take with them.
Decorate with Nature and Food
Use leaves, berries, pine cones, fruits, and plants as decorations. Tea lights, candles, and strings of white lights on their own or in bowls will enhance any scene.
There are many ways to decorate a home with food. Arrange cookies or other treats in decorated bowls, or build a snowman from little sandwiches. Clean and scent pinecones, and add them to netting for a unique decoration or parting gift for your visitors. Preserve an apple with cloves as an aromatic decoration and takeaway gift.
Simple Is Best
The holiday season will soon be upon us. Some people get drawn into the hustle and bustle of the seasons but desire to change all of that. Avoid the overwhelm of the holidays by keeping them simple.
Rhonda Crank lives as close to nature as possible in a modern world. She uses organic, non-GMO practices based on the wisdom and skills her grandparents taught her, with a little modern ingenuity mixed in.
Originally published in the November/December 2025 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
