10/06/2026
KEEP CHRISTMAS SMALL
I know it’s only October, so please forgive me for sharing a Christmas post. But I want to talk to you about something serious. ===> I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas this year.
Everything costs more. Groceries cost more. Gas costs more. Utilities cost more. Just living everyday life seems to take a bigger bite out of the budget than it used to.
And small businesses are feeling it too.
I know I’m not the only one who has noticed that people are being more careful about what they buy right now. And honestly, I think that’s probably a good thing in some ways. Maybe this is a good year to rethink some of the pressure we put on ourselves at Christmas.
So this year, I’m calling my Christmas campaign: KEEP CHRISTMAS SMALL.
🎄Not small in meaning.
🎄Not small in joy.
🎄Not small in generosity.
Small in all the ways that help us remember what Christmas is actually about.
Christ is the reason for Christmas.
🎁 The presents are not the point.
🎁 The decorations are not the point.
🎁 The perfectly coordinated Christmas tree is not the point.
🎁 The giant pile of gifts under the tree is not the point.
🎁 And spending money we don’t have certainly isn’t the point.
What if this year we gave fewer gifts—but chose them more thoughtfully?
🎄What if we made some of them ourselves?
🎄What if we baked something, crocheted something, sewed something, painted something, canned something, built something, or repurposed something we already had?
🎄What if we bought handmade gifts directly from the people who made them?
🎄What if we shopped at the little antique store down the road, the craft booth at the local market, the family-owned shop in our town, or the small online business run out of somebody’s kitchen table, garage, spare bedroom, or backyard workshop?
And when I say shop local, I don’t just mean local to me. I mean local to you. There are small businesses all over this country being run by real people. Moms and grandmothers. Retirees. Artists. Makers. Farmers. Antique dealers. Woodworkers. Seamstresses. Bakers. Candle makers. Jewelry makers. People who are trying to make a living -- or simply add a little extra income to help their families.
When you buy from a small business, somebody usually notices.
🎁 Somebody sees that order come through.
🎁 Somebody makes it, wraps it, boxes it, and carries it to the post office.
🎁 Somebody does a little happy dance because something they made with their own hands is going to be part of someone else’s Christmas.
I know that because I’m one of those people. Duct Tape and Denim has always been a little bit about this idea anyway—using what we have, giving old things new life, creating something unexpected, and finding value in things other people might overlook.
So Keep Christmas Small feels like a good theme this year. And I hope it becomes more than just something I use to promote my own business this Christmas. I hope it becomes a conversation.
🎄Maybe your Christmas is already small.
🎄Maybe you’ve always made gifts.
🎄Maybe your family draws names instead of buying for everyone.
🎄Maybe you’ve decided to spend less this year.
🎄Maybe you’re decorating with things you already own instead of buying something new.
🎄Maybe you’re shopping handmade, vintage, repurposed, or local whenever you can.
🎄Or maybe you’ve been thinking, We really need to simplify Christmas this year, and you just haven’t decided what that looks like yet.
I’d really love to hear from you.
Is anyone else planning a smaller Christmas this year?
🎁 Are you making any of your gifts or decorations?
🎁 Are you shopping handmade or local?
🎁 Are you cutting back on the number of gifts you give?
🎁 Or do you have another way your family keeps Christmas meaningful without letting all the stuff take over?
Let’s hear from the Duct Tape and Denim crowd.
Maybe we can give each other some ideas.
And most of all, remember why we’re celebrating in the first place.
