Slow Down. Consider What You Really Want. Then Do That.

We’ve come to the time of year where (in my life anyway) people start asking, “Are you ready for the Holidays?” or “All done for Christmas?”. As a person who tends not to be “ready” for things until very shortly before the “thing”, that is definitely not me!

Much of the time, I’m still kind of in denial that the holidays are a few short weeks away.

How can you get yourself into the holiday spirit?

I have begun to listen to Christmas music which does help a bit.

I’ve also been trying to figure out what it means to live in a more meaningful and intentional way around the holidays. A few things come to mind.

My 11-year old decided that she wanted to donate some of her spend money to help others to have a better Christmas. She chose a local shelter that also provides meals to those living there, and others who are currently homeless. Supporting her to do this felt intentional and meaningful.

My 15-year-old wanted to spend some time at her Grandparent’s home, helping with their Christmas Tree farm and having 1:1 time with them. Supporting her to do this felt intentional and meaningful.

Engaging my family in conversations about what they would like to receive as gifts, and really listening to the answers rather than making assumptions felt intentional.

Creating a holiday schedule that supports spending time with family and friends, as well as enough time for rest and rejuvenation feels meaningful and intentional.

Maybe as you consider your schedule, that slowing seems impossible – traditions have gotten in the way and you’re on your way to just as “crazy” a year as ever. No worries, you can still start from here despite that truth.

Here are three ways I thought of…

Create some space.

This could be the year that you just slow down a bit. You say no to that holiday party that doesn’t sound really fun. Maybe you focus on only 1 or 2 baked treats rather than the 4 or 5 you usually make.

Consider what you really want.

How could you block off an hour in your calendar to do something that you really want? A small gift to yourself – like reading for an hour in your local coffee shop, or meeting a friend at that yoga class you’ve been missing.

Practice saying “Yes” AND “No”.

This means saying yes to things that really make your heart sing and no to the things that feel like a burden. You really want to go to the caroling evening downtown but it overlaps with the office get-together that you’re dreading? Say yes, to the thing you really want to do, while saying no to the office party.

{Related post: Simplify and Figure Out When to Say NO!}

Here’s to all of us in our pursuit of purposeful living!

I would say this time of year provides us with the biggest opportunities AND the biggest challenges.

Comment below if you have any other ideas, and please share if you know anyone who has that look in their eye right now and you think could benefit from creating personal space!