Happy Thursday, lovelies! May this find you during a break of refreshment, and may you take relaxation and bliss from it. The weekend is coming 😉
As Hanukkah comes to a close and Christmas approaches, a holiday themed post is most appropriate, right? I’ve been thinking about what might be needed this time of year so here are 5 Gifts to Give Yourself this Christmas!
- Grace
This season is packed with expectation; from your family and friends, even your current and former selves. Everyone has their own ideas of exactly what the holiday should include, where it should happen, what you should eat and how long you should stay. Little you expects each Christmas celebration to be as full of magic and wonder and gifting perfection as it was when you were young and when those expectations aren’t managed we move farther and farther away from the beauty and joy of the holiday. Give yourself (and others) a heaping box of grace as you inevitably forget a few things, fail to do what someone thought you would, or get frustrated when your own expectations aren’t met. With a pinch of understanding and forgiveness in every interaction, we’ll all start moving closer to the heart of this celebration of love and peace.
- Quiet Moments
Don’t let things get hectic. You are the architect of your mental space and the only way to keep your mind from running from to-do list to gift list to grocery list to Christmas card list is to take a break. Don’t scroll through Facebook during your five minute break, think of what you enjoy about this time of year. Remember the best gift you ever unwrapped as a child. Try to enjoy the act of baking cookies for the beautiful piece of creation that it is, rather than as another obligation.
In the Christmas story, as miraculous events were occurring and ancient prophesies coming to fruition, Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart”. If the mother of the universe’s most incredible and important child took time out from fussing over him to sit back and reflect, you can give yourself time to do the same.
- A Vacation from “Diet Talk”
Give yourself a gift you’ll never want to take back, and decide that for the rest of the holiday season you aren’t going to talk negatively about your body or diet. Yeah, you’re going to have more chocolate than you normally do. There will be cheese platters, chip trays, decadent sweets and more calorie laden beverages than ever before. Last year I talked about this topic and encouraged leeway, an understanding that this is a special time of year and balance is the key. This year I want to issue a new challenge. Decide that you aren’t going to talk about how bad something is for you. Don’t mention your diet as you reach for a snack, or how you’re going to get back on it starting New Year’s day. Don’t look at your body with disdain as you try on party dresses that used to fit. Regret never helps. Decide that calculating the miles you owe based on how many cookies you eat isn’t going to help you enjoy them any. Piling on guilt is no way to celebrate.
- Alone Time
As things get busy and being together becomes the focus, here’s a little reminder that you should never feel bad for deciding to take a break. People can be exhausting, full stop. People who you haven’t seen in a year asking questions that you don’t have good answers to, judging your decorating skills and leaving their dirty plates on your couch, like infinitely more so. Take a break. Close the door, take a walk, hide in the car, what ever you need to give yourself space to get away.
5. Love
I’ve never met a person who wasn’t busily trying to share love with others in the Christmas season, but all that giving of love can leave us pretty drained if we aren’t working on filling the love tank back up again. Don’t feel bad for asking for a special date or more long hugs than usual. Dive deep into meditation or Bible reading. If you need a phone call with the people who tell you how great you are, do what you need to get it! Sharing love from abundance is infinitely more powerful than sharing yourself into a deficit.
Much love at Christmas and for the season ahead ❤
For more helpful holiday ideas check out previous blog posts here, here, here and here!
audaciousblog.com 