This is our first Christmas as meandering minimalists, and we will be in Cyprus for the occasion. (More on that soon!) There’s no snow in sight, but that might be because our apartment faces the beach. In the mountains you can see snow, apparently, though we haven’t yet. And there are not only no presents, there’s no tree.
One of us at least has never liked the commercialism of Christmas and only celebrated it grudgingly. (Bah, Humbug!) But, since it is the most wonderful time of the year, we thought we’d offer some thoughts for last-minute presents. What do you get the minimalist who has nothing, and likes it that way?
Well, we can speak only for ourselves. We want travel! And great experiences. ‘Experience’ presents have become all the rage for honeymoons over the last decade. And we’re totally on board: we’ve been gifting each other nights in a lovely B&B, boat tours, and dinners at a fancy restaurant for years. (Yes, these are also presents to ourselves, but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?) A friend in Oxford gave us a gift certificate for a restaurant in her home town, which we’re planning to use when we go there.
And there are some things we like. They just don’t have physical form any more. Take books, for example. We love them, and used to have a lot of them. Now we read electronic books. They’re a far cry from the real thing. But you can get lost in them just the way you can with a physical book. And you can have so many of them available in one small device that even voracious readers like us don’t run out. And there is also vicarious pleasure: when you pick out a book someone loves, it’s almost like getting a present yourself!
Then there are donations. John’s sister and cousin came to visit us in Oxford last May. We had a great time with them, not least scouting out Endeavour locations. For Christmas this year, John’s cousin made a donation to the Oxfordshire Community Foundation in our names. Such a lovely thing! And a reminder, if we can end with a corny observation, that Christmas is also a season to help those less fortunate.
Alas, we won’t be with family in person this season, though we’ll connect with them electronically.
We wish each of you a very happy celebration for whatever holidays you observe, even if you don’t observe any at all. And we wish everyone a joyful, meandering, and minimalist 2023.
