Secondhand, Slow + Full of Soul
Something I’ve noticed in the lead up to the holidays this year is a strong emphasis on a slower, more intentional approach. Whether it’s making a homemade simple syrup to gift your sister or taking an afternoon to fold paper ornaments with your kids, it feels as if, collectively, we are feeling a shift– saying no to the usual rush, the commercialism, and instead yearning for something deeper and more peaceful.
In our family, I'm embracing "Thriftmas" fully, not just as a budget hack, but as a conscious choice to be more sustainable, thoughtful and reject the consumerism that is harming not only our planet, but our connections with each other.
In this post I want to share inspiration, ideas and maybe more than that, permission to embrace a less-than-perfect and more authentic holiday.
embracing “thriftmas”
I’m writing this early December, so holiday markets are well underway. My favourites are the events that have tables of gently used Christmas decor. Not only is this a sustainable way to decorate, it’s often a really great way to keep your dollars in your community, as the profits from these sales go to local groups and organizations.
Last year I found my favourite stockings at one of these sales!
This year I found pillows, ornaments, and cute second-hand Christmas mugs to name a few! Don't be afraid of imperfections – they add character.
Gifting
Thrifting your gifts
Not only can you thrift your decor, you can also thrift such lovely gifts! This year I thrifted my little ones finger puppets. I also thrifted our friend’s new baby clothing and a book. For my husband I am looking on Poshmark every day for a piece of clothing to buy second hand — haven’t found it yet, but I will! Giftwrap is also an easy thing to thrift. I love finding beautiful wrapping paper throughout the year and putting it aside for Christmas.
gifting what you’re naturally gifted at
When I think to Christmases past, some of my favourite memories were the wreaths that were dropped off by my dad’s coworker and the tray of baked goods dropped off by our family friend.
There is a powerful magic in gifting what you’re naturally gifted at.
If you love to bake, bake for your loved ones.
If you enjoy hosting, have people over for a cozy evening and atmosphere.
If you’re great with kids, get everyone out for a winter walk or a sledding session!
People feel the warmth, the effort, and the soul in that.
Gifting From Alignment
This year I’m being more intentional than ever when it comes to physical gifts. It’s easy to pull up Amazon and make an order, but the long-term impact of that isn’t worth the temporary convenience. Instead, when a gift supports a cause or business you believe in, the energy behind it is completely different –it carries purpose.
A few ways I’ve been approaching physical gifts this year:
Supporting passions: My son loves horses, so this year we’re gifting fudge that goes towards supporting the care of horses local to us.
Celebrating entrepreneurs: I’ve been following the growth of a local flower farm, Just Bloom Flower Farm, so I’m planning to gift one of their 2026 calendars.
Experience gifts: There’s a new cafe in our area, so instead of a physical gift for my sister, I am suggesting a coffee date to spend time together and support the new cafe in the process.
Starting a new tradition: I’ve been vegetarian for 9 years, vegan for many of them. There is nothing more challenging for me than taking part in holiday meals that involve meat. It’s hard for me to understand harming animals for “celebrations” but instead of being sad, this year I am being proactive and as a family we are adopting a turkey, to keep them off of the table and free to live their lives unharmed! Just because something is “tradition” doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.
More than ever it can feel like we have no control over what’s happening in our world, but we do. How we spend our time, our dollars, our attention is how we make changes. It’s a focus on what you do want kind of thing, slowly but surely.
Making DIY ornaments with my little one —with thrifted ribbon
Tips for Your Own Soulful Christmas
Take advantage of local events. Our town has two popular events – one at the church and one for the hospital –where they accept and sell gently used Christmas decor. I’ve loved using this as an opportunity to declutter, but also to support local organizations! Some of my favorite decorations are from these events, and I look forward to them every year.
Source your greenery locally. Instead of going to big box stores for your wreaths and greenery, find a local tree farm - and visit! - or search your local marketplace. You never know how valuable that $60 is to the family or vendor you’re purchasing from. You can also make your own, which is such a fun and grounding way to honor the seasons.
Thrift your holiday outfits! Not only is this sustainable, the clothing you can thrift can also be much higher quality than anything you can purchase from fast fashion. This is a great way to dress up and feel good without the guilt of supporting massive waste.
Create a simple structure for gift-gifting. Our kids are still very young, but for now I love the idea of gifting them: something new, something used, something hand-made, plus a favorite snack/food. I also collect an ornament for each of my children to embody something meaningful of the year prior. I love a good system for my own peace-of-mind, and this simple structure helps us prioritize thoughtfulness over excess.
Act from your core values. This season is a great time to start integrating the values you want to carry into the new year. For me, this includes adopting a turkey, but also, getting more serious about cruelty-free living. During pregnancy and postpartum I fell into survival and leaned on products like Oxiclean because it was “easier”, but Oxiclean tests on animals, and that cannot be part of my world anymore. This December, I’ll be swapping products for kinder, non-toxic alternatives.
Practice regulation — and remember what this season is about. The driving force behind my slower approach to Christmas this year, is because my children (my husband, and myself!) deserve a peaceful home and a regulated mom. If the commercial chaos is throwing me off my center, I remind myself of my go-to breathing pattern: two sharp inhales and a long exhale (a powerful physiological sigh).
A thrifted horse ornament to add to our tree this year.