I am amused when someone asks, ‘Caroline, what are your plans for Christmas?” in September. We spend so long arranging Christmas, and it’s over in the blink of an eye! We look forward to the new year, our annual fresh start…yet months fly past so quickly, and here we are again at Christmas and New Year.
Christmas comes and goes. Take time to chill and relax despite the festive busyness. Amidst the clinking of glasses, vegetable peeling, cream whipping or the chorus of carols, find time to breathe deeply and ground yourself in the present moment. Take off your socks and walk on grass or sand and feel the sea on your feet. You can only be in the moment when the sea’s on your skin!
Christmas does not have to be centred around spending money. Embrace the joy of giving/receiving homemade gifts, knowing that the love infused in them outweighs shop-purchased products. Give something you’ve lovingly made, baked, or created, e.g., a card, cake, painting, or a Spotify playlist.
The list of homemade presents you can lovingly create and gift is endless. Send loving kindness and thoughts of health and vitality to people you haven’t seen in a while – post a card, email, or phone and arrange to reconnect (while you have the chance).
After Christmas, when the decorations and the house are cleared and your guests have departed, sit with the silence, and let gratitude fill the space where laughter and conversations recently lingered.
Make time to pause, rest, and reflect. Post-Christmas days allow the potential for personal insight. If you’re feeling sad or feeling lonely, it signifies the wonderful time you’ve had or post-holiday melancholy.Take comfort in knowing you’ve enjoyed yourself.
Take time to acknowledge 2023. Make space for introspection and prepare for what lies ahead in 2024. Journal about the learning and events of 2023, parts of which you’ll wish to bring into 2024, some of which perhaps you’d rather forget.
January is about taking baby steps in the right direction towards achieving your objectives. Make time for calm and reflection at the end of the year, and rather than resolutions, write your intentions for 2024. How do you hope to feel, or what would you like to achieve? It might be to play the ukulele, learn a language, or understand Quantum Physics. Write the plan for achieving your intentions and your mental, physical, and emotional wellness practices in 2024. Write about how you will feel when you achieve your dreams/goals/intentions.
Choose one habit you wish to cultivate and link it to an existing routine for better adherence. You might decide that relaxation will become part of your 2024 daily routine. Every time you enter the kitchen, inhale as slowly and deeply as you can through your nose. Hold that breath for a few seconds before exhaling slowly through your mouth – your new relaxation habit has officially begun!
This holiday season, may you find a balance between celebration and solitude, action and reflection.
Wishing you a season of serenity and a new year of living with intention.
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