The holiday season is supposed to be the “most wonderful time of the year,” right? But for many of us, it’s actually the most over-stimulating time of the year.
Between the endless pings of holiday sale notifications, the pressure to post the “perfect” family photo on Instagram, and the late-night doomscrolling through gift guides, our brains are fried before the first carol is even sung.
At unpluggedroutine.com, we believe the best gift you can give yourself this year isn’t found under a tree. It’s the gift of presence.
If you’re feeling burnt out by the digital noise, it’s time to hit the reset button. Here are 25 life-changing ways to unplug this Christmas and rediscover the magic of a slower, more intentional holiday.
Why a Digital Detox is Your Best Holiday Strategy
Before we dive into the list, let’s talk about why you feel so drained. Modern technology is designed to keep us in a state of “continuous partial attention.” We are never 100% in one place.
When you’re always checking your phone, you aren’t fully present for the taste of the hot cocoa or the sound of your kids laughing. This “digital baggage” prevents your nervous system from actually resting during your time off.
By choosing to unplug this Christmas, you are reclaiming your attention. You are choosing memories over pixels. You are telling your loved ones, “You are more important than this glass rectangle in my pocket.”
The Ultimate List: 25 Ways to Disconnect and Reconnect
1. Set a “Digital Sunset”
Decide on a time—say, 7:00 PM—when all devices go into a charging station in another room. Your brain needs time to stop producing cortisol and start producing melatonin. This “sunset” ensures you actually sleep on Christmas Eve rather than scrolling until midnight.
2. The “Phone Basket” Tradition
When guests arrive for Christmas dinner, have a decorative basket at the door. Everyone drops their phone in. The first person to reach for their phone has to do the holiday dishes! It turns a potential distraction into a fun, bonding game.
3. Rediscover Analog Hobbies
Remember life before screens? Dust off that 1,000-piece puzzle or pull out a deck of cards. These activities engage your brain in a tactile, soothing way. Puzzles, in particular, promote a “flow state” that is incredibly meditative.
4. Go on a “No-Phone” Winter Walk
Leave the phone at home. Walk through your neighborhood, breathe the crisp air, and look at the Christmas lights with your own eyes, not through a camera lens. Notice the smell of woodsmoke and the crunch of snow under your boots.
5. Send Handwritten Holiday Cards
Instead of a mass “Happy Holidays” text or a generic Facebook post, sit down with a pen and paper. The act of writing is slow and intentional. It forces you to think about the person you are writing to, making the connection much deeper.
6. Practice “Micro-Moments” of Mindfulness
When you feel the urge to check your phone—perhaps while waiting for the kettle to boil—stop. Take three deep breaths. Notice one thing you can see, one thing you can smell, and one thing you can hear. This grounds you in the “now.”
7. Delete Social Media Apps for 48 Hours
You don’t have to delete your accounts forever. Just remove the apps from your phone on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) will vanish faster than you think once the physical icon is gone from your home screen.
8. Host a “Storytelling Night”
Gather around the fireplace or the dinner table. Ask the oldest person in the room to share their favorite childhood Christmas memory. Listen—really listen—without distractions. These stories are your family’s heritage; don’t miss them because you were checking an email.
9. Cook from a Physical Cookbook
Ditch the iPad in the kitchen. Using a physical book or a handwritten recipe card prevents you from getting distracted by incoming notifications while you’re trying to bake. Plus, floury fingerprints look much better on a cookbook than a touchscreen!
10. Create a Holiday Playlist (And Then Put the Phone Away)
Curate your music beforehand. Hit “Play” on a Bluetooth speaker, then put the device in a drawer. This prevents you from “surfing” for the next song every five minutes, which keeps you in a state of constant decision-making.
11. Read a Real Book by the Fire
There is something magical about the smell of paper and the weight of a book. Give your eyes a break from blue light. Reading fiction, in particular, has been shown to increase empathy and lower heart rates.
12. Engage in “Active” Listening
During holiday gatherings, make it your goal to learn three new things about a family member. Put your phone face down and maintain eye contact. You’ll be surprised how much people open up when they feel they have your undivided attention.
13. Bake with Intention
Don’t just rush through the process to get the “perfect shot” for social media. Feel the texture of the flour, smell the spicy cinnamon, and enjoy the process of creating something from scratch. The joy is in the making, not the “liking.”
14. Turn Off Non-Human Notifications
Do you really need to know that a random person liked your photo or that a store is having a sale? Go into your settings and turn off all notifications except for direct calls. If it’s not a human trying to reach you, it can wait.
15. Spend a Morning in Nature
Whether it’s a local park or a snowy trail, nature is the ultimate “unplugger.” It reminds us that the world keeps turning without our digital input. The “fractal patterns” found in trees and clouds are naturally calming to the human eye.
16. Host a Board Game Tournament
Nothing brings out the fun (and the healthy competition) like a game of Monopoly, Scrabble, or Clue. It’s the perfect way to bond across generations without a single screen in sight.
17. Declutter Your Digital Space
Spend 15 minutes unsubscribing from junk emails that stress you out. If an email list doesn’t add value to your life, hit “Unsubscribe.” Think of it as a digital “spring cleaning” for your mental health.
18. Volunteer Your Time
Shift the focus from “me” to “we.” Serve a meal at a shelter or drop off toys for a drive. Real-world impact provides a “helper’s high” that no amount of social media engagement can match.
19. Take “Mental Photographs”
Instead of reaching for your phone to capture a moment, pause and tell yourself: “I want to remember this.” Blink your eyes like a shutter. You’ll find the memory sticks much longer because your brain had to do the work of recording it.
20. Stargaze on a Clear Night
Wrap up in a warm blanket and head outside. The vastness of the night sky has a way of making our digital stresses and “urgent” emails feel very small and insignificant.
21. Write a Gratitude List
Before the chaos of gift-opening starts, write down five things you are grateful for that aren’t “things.” Focusing on relationships and health resets your perspective before you enter the consumerist part of the day.
22. Establish a “Tech-Free Zone”
Designate a specific room—like the dining room or the “den”—as a 24/7 tech-free zone for the entire week of Christmas. This creates a sanctuary where people know they won’t be interrupted by a ringing phone.
23. Do a “Brain Dump”
Feeling holiday overwhelmed? Grab a notebook and write down everything on your mind—every chore, every gift, every worry. Once it’s on paper, your brain can stop “looping” the information, allowing you to relax.
24. Create Handmade Gifts
Whether it’s a knitted scarf, a jar of homemade jam, or a hand-painted ornament, putting your hands to work is the ultimate way to reconnect with your creativity and slow down the pace of the day.
25. Plan a “Slow Morning”
Don’t set an alarm. Don’t check your phone as soon as you wake up. Stay in bed, enjoy the silence of a house at rest, and let the day begin at its own pace. The first hour of your day sets the tone for the rest of it—make it a quiet one.
How to Handle the “Digital Withdrawal”
Let’s be honest: when you first try to unplug this Christmas, you might feel itchy. You’ll reach for your pocket where your phone usually sits. You’ll wonder what’s happening on your favorite news site or if you missed a “Merry Christmas” text.
This is normal. It’s just your brain’s dopamine system adjusting to a healthier, slower level of stimulation. After a few hours, that phantom vibration in your pocket will stop, and it will be replaced by a sense of calm you haven’t felt in months.
The Long-Term Benefits of an Unplugged Routine
Why stop at Christmas? The goal of an unplugged routine isn’t just to survive the holidays—it’s to change how you live in a digital world. When you learn to disconnect during the most hectic time of the year, you prove to yourself that you can do it anytime.
By establishing these boundaries, you:
- Lower your cortisol (stress) levels: Constant pings keep you in “fight or flight.”
- Improve your sleep quality: Less blue light means deeper, more restorative rest.
- Strengthen your real-life relationships: People feel seen when you look at them, not your screen.
- Increase your focus: You train your brain to stay on one task at a time.
Conclusion: Reclaiming Your Holiday
Christmas isn’t about how many likes your tree gets or how quickly you respond to an “urgent” work email on your day off. It’s about the warmth of the fire, the taste of the food, and the people sitting across from you.
By choosing to unplug this Christmas, you aren’t missing out on anything. In fact, you’re finally seeing everything for the first time in a long time.
At Unplugged Routine, we want to help you build a lifestyle that prioritizes your mental health and real-world connections. This Christmas, let the only thing that’s “recharging” be you—not your phone.