How I create space to enjoy Christmas

I love Christmas*. 

But I’d like to know… How does it make you feel?

🌟Joyous? ☺️Calm? 🙏Grateful?

Nice! you don’t need to read this – but please do forward it to anyone you know who is feeling…

• Overwhelmed?
• Stressed?
• Behind?

Let me share some Christmas thoughts with you…

*Confession: I feel a bit guilty saying “I love Christmas” because so many people don’t.

I feel truly sad that it becomes a four letter word at this time of year – and actually most of the year we hear “don’t mention the C-word!” What have we turned it into?!

For me, Christmas is an opportunity to spend time with my favourite people as well as indulge one of my core values – Wonder – which is all about creating those special moments and making my loved ones feel thoroughly spoiled & adored.

(if you’d like to discover your core values, download my free workbook right here)

Here’s what brings me joy at Christmas: 

• Twinkly lights & a tree dressed with enthusiasm 
• Children singing *gulp* always makes me cry, in a good way
• Crispy, crunchy weather, wrapping up warm to go out & gloriously flushed faces as we come back home 
• Bucks fizz for breakfast and all day pottering in the kitchen 
• Extended time with family & friends 

And here’s what fills me with dread… 

• That heavy feeling when I felt I ‘had’ to ‘do Christmas shopping’ 
• The icky ungratefulness left over once the wrapping paper is gone & I’m left with stuffI don’t want or need… 
• Shops packed with ready-made ‘gifts’ 

But… I didn’t always enjoy Christmas.

What made the difference?

It was, quite simply, changing the way I looked at it.

I began to focus more on spending time with people, the simple pleasures of super-chilly air and films in the afternoon, making wrapping paper and creating our own rituals around favourite foods… mmm, smoked salmon blinis & pigs in blankets served with fizz for breakfast!

And I talked to my family about gifts.

Looking back, I know this started for me the year that my first husband sadly passed away in early December. There was no dashing round the shops that year, no pressure, just time by the fire and time cooking, board games, talking and walking the dogs.

From then on it became easier and just downright natural to ditch the pointless shopping and unwanted gifts, to choose shared experiences for Christmas. We began to choose theatre tickets and promises of days out instead of pre-packed bath salts and oil & vinegar sets.

It’s an annual delight now to bring these moments to life, sometimes looking forward to them until the following summer, spreading the joy across the year.

So, here are three questions to get you thinking about creating space this Christmas…

🌟What is it that you’d truly love to be doing this Christmas time?

🌟Where would you be? Who with? Doing what?

🌟What gets in the way? (will friends & family share your vision?)

You can get more of my self belief boosts and sparks of possibility in my weekly-ish letters written just for quiet humans right here…