Navigating The Holidays Consciously

I love this time of year.  I love the universe’s encouragement to slow down and take more time to go inward.  I love the snow.  I love the extra time with family and friends.  I love Christmas music playing in the background and the inevitable singing that accompanies it.  I love so many things about this season…

But I have to admit that this year, I also feel at odds with how I have done Christmas for so many years, and how much of that no longer resonates with me.  As I have started to slow down and cultivate more consciousness in my life,  I have become deeply sensitive to how almost every single thing I do has a greater impact on the planet and every single one of us on it.

It is difficult knowing that in order to create the easier, cheaper and more convenient world we live in (you know, in order to be able to do it all and have it all), there has been such a great cost to our individual mental and physical health, as well as to the health of the planet we call home.  

As much as I could let this knowing and these emotions consume me, I am instead choosing to think about how I can do better and hopefully through my actions, create a ripple effect.

This time of year is meant to invoke happiness and joy, but we all know that it also often creates a lot of stress and anxiety, so I felt it important to step back and reflect…To recognize what the holidays mean to me and what I value most about this time of year, how I/we are impacting the globe, the example I am setting for my children and how I might make a difference for others who need love and support, especially at this time of year.  

This is what I came up with…

For me, happiness comes through slowing down and letting life get simple.  I value time to connect with myself, my family, my friends.  I value time to laugh, and definitely time to rest. These holidays, I want to make sure that we have time together, unscheduled, to be spontaneous and adventure, to read by the fire, to simply show up and let the magic happen.

I value my family, especially my role as a parent and all that it entails, which is lots of snuggles and kitchen dance parties, as well as educating and setting solid boundaries.  This season, I want my children to understand that love and joy do not come in boxes filled with candy or toys, but in the experience we are having by being together cuddling, laughing, singing and loving.  I want them to understand the impact their gifts have, what they are made of, where they come from, and how important it is to think beyond a moment’s desire (which is incredibly difficult for a 6 & 8 year old).  I want them to see how they are connected to all things and what they do matters.

I value the true intention of this season, which is to share joy, laughter and love.  I appreciate that no matter what challenges I face, there are others who face ones far greater, which helps me remain grateful for what I have.  And it helps me, in what is otherwise a busy time, find space to support others who need it.  To donate, to volunteer, to stop and smile at a stranger or buy a coffee for someone living on the street.  

This world needs us all to show up in bigger ways.  Not to judge ourselves, or to judge others, but to show up, one day at a time, with our best.  Not to pack our schedules with more, but to step back, slow down, and see how we can be better for ourselves, which in turn is going to translate into us being better for the world at large.  

This holidays season, I encourage you to take some time to reflect.  What change do you want to see in the world, be it your world at home, in your community, or the planet as a whole?  What do you value most and how are you going to create a holiday season that supports that?

Sending you so much love, so much light, so much of all that you deserve.  

Xo

A