Amy Slenker-Smith

How to Easily Decorate for Christmas in 1 Day

November 28, 2025 by Amy Slenker-Smith 11 Comments

After Thanksgiving, I decorate for Christmas. As a Christmas decor purist, “post-Thanksgiving” is my favorite time to decorate. I cheer for stores like Nordstrom’s that wait until after Thanksgiving. Usually, my decorations appear by early December. Gratitude at Thanksgiving My resistance to decorating before Thanksgiving stems from what has become known as the spending season instead of the holiday season. As a society, we move right past the gratitude holiday into the spending holiday. Kudos to REI who closes on Black Friday and encourages everyone to get outside. As I simplify, I actually enjoy the holidays more. And I mean all the holidays, including Thanksgiving. We focus on time with family, simple traditions, and giving to those in need, especially at the holidays. I think it helps our story get better and better. So if you're trying to figure out how to create a holiday season focused on what matters most, I have some suggestions. Start by setting …

7 Secrets to Hosting a Party You’ll Actually Enjoy

November 21, 2025 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

It’s party time! Maybe you’re hosting Thanksgiving, or pulling together a festive dinner? Each December, we host our annual holiday party—a gathering that now welcomes over 75 friends and neighbors. This year marks our 26th celebration. It’s truly a labor of love and one of our favorite traditions. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot. Whether your party is big or small, these lessons might make your gathering a little easier and a lot more joyful. Keep It Simple No surprise here: we simplified. We do less. Years ago, party prep took over our lives. I used to be scrambling until the last hour. Now? Decorating took just a few hours last week. Back then, I had to declutter and rearrange every room to make space for guests—clearing counters, stashing things in closets. It was like creating a path through a maze of our own stuff. Why didn’t I just donate it? Minimalist homes are always ready to entertain. If It’s Not Broken, Don’t Fix It For a long time, my husband started each menu from …

Alternative Christmas Ideas That Bring More Peace and Less Stress

November 8, 2025 by Amy Slenker-Smith 6 Comments

Christmas is different now. Everything shifted when I began my journey to own less. A few years ago, I wrote about how just one decoration sat on display in my home—and how, surprisingly, there was no guilt or panic. Only peace. I had confidence. I knew I could decorate with ease, and even enjoy the process, because I’d pared down what we owned to only what we loved. These simple, alternative Christmas ideas have changed everything—and they might inspire a different kind of holiday for you too. Every December, I take out four boxes of decorations from the closet. I unpack and place them around the house, then return the empty bins—all in one evening. It’s simple. It’s enough. Some years, we visit a tree farm in Pennsylvania to cut down a Fraser Fir. In other years, when we’re traveling, we use a small tabletop tree. Either way, it’s lovely. I also donate some ornaments each year, knowing they’ll bring joy to another family. When the decorating is done, I feel a wave of calm just …

How To Talk To Your Family About Simplifying Gift Giving

October 28, 2025 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

The holidays will be here soon, and many are anxious about gift-giving. Currently, this is the topic people are asking me about. They remember last year that gifts detracted from the joy of the holiday itself. Some were overwhelmed by all the gifts they received. Others were made to feel less than because they misunderstood expectations for buying gifts. And this year, budgets are tight for many families. Here's why people feel this way: 25% of Americans are still paying off debt from last holiday season, according to WalletHub; and 31% of 2024 holiday shoppers who used credit cards still haven’t paid off the balances. The same is true for 31% of 2024 holiday travelers who used a credit card for their travel expenses, according to NerdWallet. 53% of Americans admit to opening up at least one unwanted holiday gift each year, per Finder.com data; In 2024, Americans spent around $10.1 billion on presents no one wants, per Finder.com data; What if you did something …

How I Downsized My Wardrobe into One Average-Sized Closet

October 1, 2025 by Amy Slenker-Smith 4 Comments

This is my closet and my entire wardrobe. Yes, everything is in one normal-sized closet. I'm not hiding more clothing in bins under the bed. And I didn't commandeer the guest bedroom closet either. Just this one single space and it holds everything. Yes, really everything. What if I told you that you could use just one closet and skip the seasonal clothing swap forever? At the same time, your closet would stay neat and organized with less laundry to do. Sound like something you'd like? You can do it. Here's how. Experiment with Less Most organizing problems are volume problems. So I started by experimenting with less. Going through my closet and donating items at the end of each season wasn't working. I had to get extreme. I accepted the challenge to wear just 7 pieces of clothing for an entire week; (inspired by Jen Hatmaker’s book Simple and Free, 7 Experiments Against Excess) And I still left the house for work, church, and social engagements, always in clean clothes. :) …

How to Get More Done with a Clean Kitchen Counter

August 28, 2025 by Amy Slenker-Smith 6 Comments

I love my kitchen counter. Because it is always decluttered and ready to work. At the end of the day, I reward its efforts by putting things away and cleaning it. Empty counters clean up easily without appliances and decorations to move. The benefits of a clean kitchen counter are endless, not to mention that they are a space where your eyes can rest at the end of the day. Imagine coming home after work and feeling relaxed as you prepare dinner. Instead of the stress of a messy kitchen and then ordering takeout. Once upon a time, our cabinets and pantry were filled to the brim. Being an "organized" person, I found myself reorganizing the pantry every weekend. The top shelves housed just as many dishes as their lower companions. Counters were cluttered with appliances, canisters, and decorations. Doing anything in the kitchen required rearranging. I said to myself, "It shouldn't be this hard." Then, I looked inside the cabinets. It was pretty obvious we could …

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