Mindful and Sustainable Tips for Festive Season
by Veronica Joce
Holiday season might be the most magical and wonderful time of the year––it deepens and inspires self-reflection, connections, soul nourishment, meaningful celebrations, and gratitude. Yet, holidays also can come with high levels of stress, as you face a myriad of last-minute gifting tasks and to-do lists.
In this article, we want to share with you five mindful and sustainable tips that will help you embrace holiday season with intention and discover the joy of thoughtful gifting.
Plan ahead and be more intentional
Planning ahead is the first step for staying more mindful, intentional, and focused on what is truly important. It gives you the time and energy to think of different ways you can make gifting and the overall festive experience more meaningful and joyful.
Take a notebook or use your Productivity Planner and make a list of everything you need to do, from planning holiday activities and meal preparation, to gift shopping. Then, explore your why behind giving the gifts and think of what is significant to the recipient. Reflect on these questions:
- How do you understand and measure the value of a gift?
- How can your appreciation and love be transformed into holiday gifts?
- How do you want to share your positive energy with people you care about?
- What are other ways of giving and sharing, different from habitual practices?
By writing down your to-do’s, exploring your why behind the holiday festivities, and creating a list of mindful gifts that will be truly appreciated, you will gain more clarity and understanding on what you should prioritize.
This will help you shop more intentionally and responsibly, avoiding the consumerism habits and overwhelming last-minute experience of buying superficial gifts for the sake of giving something.
Give from the heart
We believe that, sometimes, the best gifts aren’t things, but life-changing experiences, heartfelt feelings, and authentic emotions.
Think about how you can give from the heart.
Offer forgiveness and let go of your pain.
Express gratitude and focus on small details.
Show your love to remind someone how much you care about them and cherish your relationship.
We believe that hand-written letters, notes, and honest conversations that come from the heart show a mindful connection and add a special touch to the holiday celebrations.
Here is an interesting gift idea for your loved one: write things you are grateful for to them, share your memories, acknowledge special moments, and even include some photos. Do this in privacy for a couple of months, or even for a whole year. Additionally, you can connect with your loved one’s friends and family and ask them to leave kind notes and words of appreciation in a journal. Then, choose a special day and give them the gratitude journal as a gift. Imagine how a simple notebook can be transformed into a memorable gift of timeless love that will be cherished for years to come.
Stay present
During this time of the year, our minds tend to focus on everything we have to finish before the year end. If you are not present, the holiday season will pass so quickly you will feel like it was over before you could truly experience it.
Disconnect from social media and your work in order to reconnect with yourself.
Give yourself and the people around you the present of your presence.
Spend some quality time together with people you care about.
Engage in fun, mindful, or deep conversations that can help you strengthen your bond.
Give them your time, energy, and mindful attention.
Share meaningful experiences together.
Create mindful traditions together
This year, create holiday traditions together with your loved ones that will let them know you see and value their true self. Gift them inner peace, nourishment, and gift of togetherness.
Together you can:
- Decorate home and/or Christmas tree,
- Cook a new or special meal,
- Start doing a new mindful ritual that will keep you grounded,
- Practice gratitude together,
- Create a Spotify playlist or a list of your favorite movies that will add a special atmosphere to your holidays,
- Take photos to remember ordinary and special moments,
- Engage in creative activities (play, paint, write a short story and, make a gift with your hands),
- Analyze the past year, acknowledge lessons learned, and talk about your goals and dreams.
Give a gift to yourself
Take care of yourself first, slow down, find time for your mental and physical health, and pay attention to your emotional well-being.
You will notice that taking care of yourself will help you be kinder to the people around you, stay more present, and enjoy meaningful moments instead of missing them out.
Embrace the spirit of this season, take time to reflect, and put purpose and love into every gift you give. And remember, your presence and mindful attention adds tremendous value to showing your appreciation and honouring your loved ones. Here is to gifts that bring value.