Simplify. Focus only on what matters.

Those have been my two goals for this year. I've completely overhauled church activities, family time, personal possessions, and the way I run my business in order to simplify my entire life. It's been a slow process, but I've been able to spend more time on what really matters.

Now that the holiday season is upon us, I'm going to do my best to continue the simplification process. In this fast-paced, over-scheduled, consumerism world in which we live, it almost seems more feasible to climb Mount Everest!

If like me you've been working to simplify your life or if you're just looking to simplify the approaching holiday season, consider some of the following suggestions to eliminate unnecessary noise and enjoy a meaningful holiday season.

Streamline Your House Cleaning

Have you ever spent the entire day — maybe even an entire weekend — cleaning your house from top to bottom before hosting friends? It's likely that you were so exhausted from cleaning your house that you didn't have enough energy to enjoy the company of your guests. And the thought of future visitors seemed much too daunting.

It doesn't have to be that way. Try the following tips to simplify your cleaning process during the holidays:

Involve your entire family. Cleaning the house can be fun, especially if you're able to tackle it with the ones you love. As a family, schedule a time to clean, organize, or streamline together. Determine who will complete each task. Then make it into a game.

Reward the family member who finishes his or her job first. Give that individual 10 extra points to start family game night. Or give him or her the biggest Christmas cookie. Maybe both!

Family members can also play a game of "Remember When?" as they clean. As family members work on a specific task, select one memory related to the area they're cleaning to share with the family. It could be a memory about how that bedroom was decorated when the first child was born. Or you may recall that a certain piece of furniture was formerly used in the living room and given to a neighbor in need. When each person is deliberate about sharing a story, you'll be amazed at what memories you can recount.

Whichever cleaning method you choose, remember to have fun. Turn up the music, and make memories as a family.

Whether it's picking up messes, washing laundry, or cleaning the kitchen, a parent's work is never ending. But if you choose one extra cleaning task to tackle each day, you'll be ready for guests at a moment's notice.

Streamline your belongings. Less stuff means less to clean. Eliminating clutter reduces stress all year round, but it's especially helpful when your schedule maxes out. Having one less thing to clean, organize, or straighten up will reduce your stress all year long.

Focus on your guests, not your mess. Remember that hospitality, not perfection, should be the number one goal when inviting someone to your home. If you have a smile on your face, engage in thoughtful discussion, and rejoice in God, there's a high probability that nobody will notice the dust bunnies hiding in the corners.

Simplify Meal Planning and Prep

If you'll be acting as host or hostess for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, pre-planning a few details will be well worth it during crunch time.

If you'll be the guest in another home, discuss plans now with your extended family, and offer your help. Most people will be thrilled to have someone with whom they can bounce off ideas and will be grateful to have help organizing the big day.

Whether you're planning the entire gathering or simply want to be a helpful guest, consider these options as you prepare your Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.

Determine your guest list. You're probably well aware of the immediate family members who will gather together to give thanks and celebrate the birth of Christ. But are there others you can invite? Is there a widow you can include in your gathering? A single parent whose child is visiting the other parent? A family who hasn't yet heard the gospel? Meal times make for excellent ministry opportunities.

Pre-plan a menu. Historically, our family has sent emails back and forth to determine what the menu will be and who'll make each dish. Simplify the process by pre-planning your Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.

Pre-planning can be as easy as searching online for "Thanksgiving meal ideas" or "Christmas meal ideas." You can find entire meal suggestions, including recipes for those with special dietary concerns.

If the entire family will be chipping in to prepare the meals, you may want to further simplify the planning by creating a spreadsheet with the meal plan. You can include each item, recipe links, and a sign-up form. Everyone will be on the same page (and you won't have three dishes of green bean casserole).

Prep as many dishes as possible. Did you know you can prepare most traditional holiday dishes ahead of time? For many items, you merely need to assemble the dish up to the point of baking, cover well, and then freeze. Thaw your dish in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the oven on your serving day.

If you've never tried preparing and freezing a dish, it's a fantastic option when trying to streamline and make the holiday season stress-free. Search online for "freezer-friendly holiday recipes" for specific instructions.

Simplify Gift Giving

Going into debt or spending every spare moment searching for the perfect gift can add an immense amount of stress during the holiday season. As believers, our goal should be to focus on the real meaning of Christmas, not the commercialized version of it.

However, with the right motive, this season can produce a spirit of generosity we never thought possible. One way to be generous is to give time, money, resources, or gifts. However, simplifying the gift-giving season is possible, and it all starts with getting organized.

Prepare a simple budget and gift list. Make a list of all those to whom you'd like to give a gift. Think through family members, friends, teachers, those in need, as well as those whom you can serve in a ministry capacity.

Then determine your budget. Next to each person on your list, write out the dollar amount you're willing to spend on that person. Tally the amount in your second column, and re-adjust your budget until it's less than or equal to your total budget. Don't worry if your budget is low or non-existent; there are plenty of inexpensive and free gift options.

Simplify your gifts. Let's admit it, most of us have more than we need. When it comes to gifts, make a pact with yourself not to add clutter to the homes of any of your friends and family. If you need a few ideas to spark that creativity, here are a few practical gift options for a clutter-free Christmas season.

Experiential gifts. What if you planned an "experience" for your loved ones instead of adding to the collection of toys and gadgets? You could set up a day at the batting cage, sign up for a marathon, plan a trip to the homeless shelter, surprise your family with a scavenger hunt, take a trip to see Christmas lights ... the ideas are endless. Experiential gifts are fun for all ages so test your creativity, don't add to the clutter, and most of all, make memories with your family.

Do-it-yourself gifts. Do you remember making homemade gifts for your parents as a child? Once upon a time, those gifts added to the clutter. But today, the same principle can be applied in a more practical approach. If you do a quick search online, you'll find plenty of DIY gifts that you can make in bulk to give friends and teachers. The whole family can get involved together, too, so there's the added bonus of quality family time.

Photo books. If you have kids, there's a good chance that their grandparents would love to have a photo book full of gorgeous pictures of their grand babies. Set up a Google alert for "free photo book" offers, and you'll soon realize that this could be one of the most meaningful and one of the least expensive gifts of the season. One benefit of organizing your pictures into a photo book is that you can make it once and give it twice. Plus, you can make one for your own household to preserve those memories for a lifetime.

Gift cards. Gift cards are one of the easiest, timesaving gifts you can give. You can purchase them all at the same location or order them online. Gift cards can be practical when used for groceries, household supplies, or clothing. Your recipient may not splurge on a massage, cleaning service, or a professional organizer, but he or she might jump for joy if given one of these options as a gift.

The gift of time. Instead of taking time to shop for the "perfect gift," you could use that time to help a friend or family member with a project that's been overwhelming them. They'll rave about the amount of progress they can make on a project just by having someone there to encourage them along the way.

As a believer, the main goal of Christmas is to celebrate Christ's birth, not "collect for yourselves treasures on earth" (Matthew 6:19). It's a constant process, but when you begin simplifying your life and removing those "treasures," a funny thing happens. You want everyone you've ever met to experience the benefits of simple living. There's less to clean. Less to buy. Less to upkeep. But ... there's more time. More time to make memories. More time to serve those around you. More time to spread the love of Christ. More time to enjoy the season.

Simplify. And focus only on what matters.

This article courtesy of HomeLife magazine.

Christine Satterfield is a pastor's wife and mom to two rowdy boys. She's the author of Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule and blogs professionally at idreamofclean.net and springcleaning365.com.