Is Mariah Carey the Minimalist alternative to Santa Claus?

I walked in to my local village shop yesterday and was horrified to see Christmas decorations up, on the 3rd November! Don't get me wrong, despite having no religious affiliations, I quite like Christmas. Time off work and peace to all men? What's not to like? The thing is, I like Christmas at the end of December not in November, or even earlier.

Ordinarily I won't even think about Chrimbo until at least the 1st December and I think it is fair to say that in the past some of my present buying has been quite last minute. I used to almost pride myself on doing my shopping by wandering up and down the High Street on Christmas Eve. Probably not the best policy for a well-thought gift.

Mariah, the minimalist Santa?

However now that I am approaching the festive season with a minimalist mind-set (I have too much stuff to actually call myself a minimalist yet) I need to prepare the ground for my family. How do I navigate Xmas without accumulating more things? And, more to the point, things that almost certainly won't add value to my life. Here's a little question that's worth asking, What did you get for Christmas last year? Chances are you can't remember half of it, or maybe any of it - I know I can't! So it really is pointless consumption then.

So back to preparing the ground before my family go and spend their hard earned cash on things I don't want or need. I've asked both of the kids for a cinema ticket. The idea then is that they get to choose the film that we go and see and it is just the two of us that go and see it (I'll buy their ticket - they don't have enough money for two). My wife can get us tickets for a gig because we both say that we don't see enough live music these days and I can go to the theatre with my mum.

All I Want For Christmas Is Shoe

I'm sure that I won't get through the entire Christmas period without any gifts but hopefully they will be of the wine / consumables variety, which is okay by me! Will it be a minimalist Christmas? No, I don't think so but there will be less stuff than before and that's a start.

So where does Mariah Carey fit into this? She's not the first person you think when you think of minimalism, in fact isn't she quite famous for her excess? Just look at her shoe closet! However she is now very much associated with Christmas thanks to her 1994 song All I Want For Christmas Is You. It is played everywhere for 2 months of the year and, in these days of downloads and streaming, re-enters the music charts every year. It has sold over 16 million copies and, given that she co-wrote the song herself (something I was unaware of), had rolled in a massive $50million in royalties as of 2013.

However whereas good old St Nick encourages us to give gifts, our festive diva has a purer, simpler and, yes, minimalist message:

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree

I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas Day

I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you

So this Christmas let's all be a little bit more like Mariah, the minimalist Santa!