Joanna Gaines Reveals Her Surprising Holiday Plans: ‘Enough Is Enough’

Joanna Gaines is taking a “stripped down” approach to Christmas with her family this year.

Ahead of the premiere of Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House, the interior designer has decided to switch up her holiday season plans. “It isn’t always so easy in a season that can pull us in lots of directions,” Joanna wrote for Magnolia Journal on November 11. “Where the peace we long for, the time back we’ve earned, is constantly at war with expectations of more: more doing, more buying, more magic, more everything.”

Joanna described her perfect Christmas — which she plans on “fight[ing] for” over the next few months — as “essentials-only.” She said, “One where I am loved and have the chance to love in return. One where I am warmed by my family and my friends. One that lets me breathe — and deeply. Instead of requiring the kind of exhale that leaves me breathless, it makes space for the kind of breath that lifts and stirs me awake to the moments I set out to take in.”

Especially after the hecticness of fall schedules — Joanna shares five kids with husband Chip — the Fixer Upper star wrote about how much she looks forward to the holidays. It’s a “promise of the year’s finality, and with it, a chance to slow down and surround yourself with only what fills you up — the people, the meals, the traditions no one dares let go,” she explained.

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Joanna is determined this year not to wake up exhausted on Christmas Day, waiting for what was once her most-anticipated day to be over. “This is when I say enough is enough,” she continued. “This is when I want to rebel against my own nature and rebel against the voices in our culture telling me it won’t be the day of my dreams if I’m not out there hustling.”

In another recent story from Magnolia Journal, Joanna revealed that she’s already in holiday mode, early November being the longest she can hold out on decorating her home. Since winter break is often the longest her kids will be at home, she adds some pieces, including a card table, that encourage them to connect.

However, true to the spirit of her other post, Joanna added that her setup doesn’t change much from year to year. “For me, this season isn’t about introducing a lot of new but about celebrating the old, the passed-down, the patiently waited for,” she wrote.