Perhaps more than any other time of year, the holiday season encourages and facilitates contemplation, relational growth, spiritual sustenance, heartfelt celebrations, and an attitude of genuine appreciation.
However, the holidays may also bring about significant levels of stress because of the many last-minute giving duties and to-do lists that must be completed.
In this post, we want to share with you some recommendations that will help you embrace the Christmas season with purpose and experience the pleasure of thoughtful giving. These tips are conscious and sustainable, and we hope that you will find them helpful.
Make preparations in advance and try to be more purposeful
The first thing you should do to become more attentive, purposeful, and focused on what exactly is most essential is to make a plan for the future.
It frees up both your time and your energy to consider the myriad of ways in which you might enrich the experience of giving gifts as well as the holiday season as a whole with greater meaning and happiness.
You should get a notebook or use your Productivity Planner to write a list of everything that needs to be done, including the planning of holiday events and the preparation of holiday meals, as well as the shopping for gifts.
The next step is to investigate the reasons behind why you are giving the presents and to consider what is meaningful to the receiver. Reflect on these questions:
In what ways may the worth of a gift be understood and evaluated?
How may your admiration and affection be translated into presents for the holiday season?
How do you wish to share the good energy that you have with the individuals who are important to you?
What are some alternative methods of giving and sharing that are not the same as routine practices?
You will gain more clarity and comprehension on what you should prioritize if you write down your to-do’s, investigate the why behind the holiday festivities, and create a list of mindful gifts that will be truly appreciated.
By doing so, you will be able to purchase with more purpose and responsibility, so avoiding the habits of consumerism as well as the overwhelming sensation of shopping at the last minute for presents that are only superficial for the sake of giving something.
Support your neighbourhood merchants and shop locally
Visit the stores in your neighbourhood, introduce yourself with a kind greeting, and look around to see what you can discover.
Weekend farmers markets and craft markets are wonderful locations to purchase thoughtful presents, and by shopping at these markets, you are helping to support and maintain the families of those who own small businesses.
Don’t throw away your cash on greeting cards
There are some people who won’t agree with me on this, but if I have anything pleasant to say to someone, I always make sure to say it.
A card is beautiful, but most people throw them away, and thus they wind up in the recycle bin (or the trash!) If you really must purchase a card, look for options that are manufactured from recyclable materials or that offer something back to others who are less fortunate.
Be considerate of your environment
Don’t tear the wrapping paper to pieces when you open your present. Keep the paper in reserve for another present. That’s how the vast majority of our parents raised us!
When going for the rustic look in your residence, consider stuff already present at home. What about leftover pieces of cloth or the assortment of art supplies? Would anything like that be helpful to you?
In the event that nothing else works, utilize a roll of recycled butcher paper and some string on hand. Choose some flowers or branches from the garden, and voilà! So simple but so kind and considerate as well!
Avoid purchasing plastic toys and batteries for children
All I’m going to say, without seeming like a total jerk to you, is this: batteries and plastics are two of the most harmful types of waste to the environment because of the poisonous and corrosive compounds that are present inside them.
Unfortunately, the majority of both types of waste will eventually be dumped in landfills!
Choose more environmentally conscious decisions, such as purchasing toys made from repurposed wood materials and selecting toys with a longer lifespan that can be passed on to other children or made a donation when they are no longer played with.
In this way, you will be able to teach your children some good lessons about conserving the environment and being thoughtful towards it.
Donate with your whole heart
We are of the opinion that sometimes the most meaningful presents are not physical items but rather life-altering events, real sensations, and genuine emotions. Consider the ways in which you might make a donation from the heart.
Give someone the gift of forgiveness, and then let go of your hurt.
Demonstrate thankfulness, and pay attention to the smallest of things.
Do something loving for someone to remind them how much you care about them and how much you value your connection with them.
We feel that honest talks that originate from the heart, together with handwritten letters and notes, are the best way to demonstrate a thoughtful connection and give a unique touch to the festivities around the holidays.
Write down the things you are thankful for that they have done for you, share your memories with them, recognize significant events, and perhaps add some photographs. Carry out these steps in seclusion for at least a few months, and preferably for a whole year.
Additionally, you might reach out to the relatives and friends of your deceased loved one and request that they write letters of condolence and expressions of gratitude in a diary. Choose a memorable occasion and present them with the gratitude diary as a present.
Imagine how a plain old notebook might be converted into an enduring token of affection that would be treasured for many years to come by the recipient of such a gift.
Be there for others
During this time of the year, our thoughts often centre on all that has to be completed before the end of the calendar year. If you are not present throughout the Christmas season, it will go by so fast that you will have the impression that it ended before you had the chance to enjoy it properly.
In order to reacquaint yourself with who you are, you need to disconnect from your job and social media. Give yourself and the people around you the gift of your presence by being present in the moment.
Invest some of your time in the individuals you care about by spending time with them. Take part in light-hearted, reflective, or in-depth talks that will help you grow closer to one another. Lend them some of your time, energy, and conscious attention while you are at it.
Co-create meaningful rituals with one another
Create new holiday traditions with the people you care about most this year, and make sure those rituals let them know you recognise and cherish who they really are. Give them the gift of inner calm and sustenance, as well as the gift of coming together.
Give something to yourself as a present
Make sure that you take care of yourself first, that you slow down, that you make time for your mental and physical health, and that you pay attention to how you are feeling emotionally!
You will discover that taking care of yourself will help you be nicer to the people around you, be more present, and appreciate significant moments rather than losing out on them because you are absent-minded or preoccupied with other things.
It’s important to unwind once in a while, and the holiday can be a perfect time for it. Don’t carry your emotional baggage to the next year!
Take Away
We all vividly recall a time when giving Christmas presents meant getting something that the person really desired or needed. We sometimes get the feeling that the genuine spirit and meaning of Christmas are becoming lost in the shuffle of just gifting something – without giving it a thought.
If you’re out and about and you come across anything that makes you think of a friend or family member, you should purchase it and save it for Christmas. Because you weren’t frantically searching for anything at the eleventh hour, this will mean a great deal more to them, and you can take my word for it!
Forever Young People are dedicated to teenage mentoring programs and take great pride in mentoring young people throughout Hertfordshire.
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