Each year we’re weary of the consumption and busyness that is part and parcel with Christmas. 2020, however, feels like the year to let our guard down, embrace the family’s idiosyncrasies, and revel in the frivolities of the festive season…
Why? Because unlike years past, enduring an eggnog filled evening with the extended family is hardly a chore if it means we can be with our loved ones, face-to-face and in good health. Christmas this year is, above all, about togetherness.
Even if you are a Christmas sceptic, we can still balance the frivolities by making conscious decisions to slow down or simplify where possible.
So we’ve compiled a collection of our favourite Christmas articles from the archive to inspire a simpler kind of merrymaking – leaving more time and energy for the things that matter most. Enjoy...
Our favourite reads for a more intentional Christmas
How to Slow Down this Christmas
With Christmas, arguably the largest, most stressful day of excess around the corner, we’re taking a moment to set intentions for a more purposeful and conscious holiday period before we stumble right back into reality and the ensuing festive fervour. Read on...
Christmas Gifts for the Organised Home
This Christmas we’re saying goodbye to plastic-fantastic and gimmicky knick-knacks. We shudder to think of the money spent and landfill accumulated thanks to all of the electronic gadgets, exercise monitors, cinnamon-smelling shower gel and idle stocking-stuffers we’ve both given and received over the years. Read on...
The Art of Furoshiki
Furoshiki embraces the philosophy of sustainable living. This beautiful and ingenious art allows one object to have many uses by simply folding and tying the cloth in a different way. When it comes to gift-wrapping furoshiki is the perfect way to convey thoughtfulness and courtesy through the care taken in the choice of wrapping and in the way the fabric is folded and tied. Read on...
3 Tips to Simplify this Christmas
Though we have considered skipping the excess of Christmas from a philosophical perspective, we also love the joy of giving and - admittedly - receiving. Watching your partner open a gift you’ve mulled over for months... Seeing your grandmother's face as you open the tropical-scented candle she especially chose for you... So how do we create a balance? Surely there’s an alternative to the unnecessary knick-knacks and plastic-fantastic stocking stuffers that will just end up in landfill. Read on...
How to Make a DIY Christmas Wreath
After a months of puzzles, painting and sourdough making in lockdown, why not add another hobby to your repertoire with our DIY minimalist Christmas wreath. Read on...
Holiday reading material...
Written in a time well before travel restrictions and lockdowns, our Escapism Zine asked whether we should work hard and live for the moments spent away or do we design our lives to negate the need for escape all together, enjoying the small and frequent opportunities for pleasure?
With contributors including Jac from The Broad Place, Julia Busuttil Nishimura of Ostro, Meghan Plowman and Places We Swim, there's plenty of beautiful photography and introspective pieces to whisk you away if you're seeking a bit of escapism this holiday season.
Download the Escapism Zine here.
Wishing you all the best for a calm Christmas.
With love,
Plyroom
