5 Questions to Create Christmas That You Enjoy
December means we’re about to welcome another year, and it also means Christmas. Some of us get anxious about Christmas: the gifts to buy, people to see, cards or emails to send.
Last year, I read Chic Christmas by Fiona Ferris. This easy-to-read book helped me understand that things can be different around Christmas, and I’d love to share what I learned with you.
Fiona suggests picking a theme for Christmas. It can be chic and relaxed, for example. Or simple and joyful. This theme will become a measure for everything you do around and for Christmas.
For me, this year, the theme is peaceful and beautiful. We often go away for Christmas and New Year. This year, we plan to stay in Australia, which already feels peaceful and restful for me.
Then ask yourself: how do you want to feel? Write down the feelings you want to experience around Christmas time. Check with your theme: do the feelings you want to feel correspond to your theme?
I want to feel joyful, happy and relaxed.
Then, list what you enjoy about Christmas and what you want to do during this time.
What I enjoy about Christmas:
A feeling that anything can happen
A new year is coming up — it's time to leave this year behind and move on to something new!
Want to do during Christmas list:
See only those people I want to see. Reach out to the people and friends I’ve been thinking about, and don’t beat myself up if I don’t reach out to someone.
Pick one planner and one review so I would not overwhelm myself with repeated reviews from different angles.
Keep in mind that usually, whatever I plan for the first quarter is a plan for the entire year. Does anyone do the same thing?
My favourite planner at the moment is Unravel Your Year by Susannah Conway. You can download it for yourself at no charge.
Here is what I can (and want) do to help Christmas time be restful and beautiful:
Cook simple meals that I learned during my AIP diet, continue slowly adding food I haven’t eaten for a while, and notice how I feel. No rush.
Paint more and go for walks more.
Watch Christmas movies. This came to me another day while I was walking. I always loved Christmas movies; watching them puts you in a mood that allows miracles to happen.
Celebrate my wins, focus on what I did get done and look at what I’ve learned this year.
Katherine North also suggests calculating how many loads of washing you got done, toilet paper rolls you changed (nappies changed if you have a baby), meals prepared, etc. We don’t even look at all these things, but it’s incredible how much we did get done without acknowledging it.
I also want to:
Make some AIP truffles and piparkook (an Estonian version of ginger cookies).
Look at beautiful pins for Christmas on Pinterest and just enjoy the Christmas feeling from the photos.
Listen and watch winter coffee shop ambience videos on YouTube while I journal.
Next, look at what you don’t want your Christmas to be.
For me, it would be:
I don’t want to stress about presents or cards I may buy but don't send. Instead, I could send emails with pretty images.
I don’t want to buy any more paper planners. I got one that I’d like to use. It’s small enough to take with me if I travel.
Then Fiona suggests decorating your home the way you want to decorate. Disregard what anyone else might be doing. Maybe you like the simplicity of Scandinavian-styled Christmas, but perhaps you want as many decorations and lights as you can possibly fit! It’s your Christmas. Do what makes you happy.
My Christmas is simple yet sophisticated. I like silver and gold. Sometimes I like blue, and sometimes I like red—deeper red. I really would like to go minimal this year, so my Christmas will be white and green. Maybe a splash of gold.
What else do you want your Christmas to be about?
For some of you, attending a service at church is a must to feel that Christmas is here. For others, it’s spending a day at the beach (yes, I heard this version from one Australian girl). For me, it’s celebrating Christmas Eve. For many Australians, it’s a big and splendid lunch on Christmas Day. Write it all down.
Here is what else I want my Christmas to be about:
Drinking delicious tea.
Catching up with my girlfriend at the Strand Arcade because they decorate it beautifully, and it always feels like Christmas. And visit Dymocks Book Store in the city.
Cutting out snowflakes from tissue paper and trying to make quilled snowflakes.
Painting some abstract and beautiful flowers, too. Daisies.
Having time to do nothing: go for long walks, read a novel and maybe do more yoga.
I hope some of the ideas above resonate with you or help you develop yours.
These are five questions to ask yourself to create the best version of your Christmas:
What do you want your Christmas to be about?
What you don’t want your Christmas to be about?
What theme do you want to choose for your Christmas this year?
How do you want to feel this Christmas?
How do you want to decorate your place for Christmas (if you do)?
Enjoy this special time. It is only special if you decide it to be. You may not be celebrating Christmas at all, but it’s a great month to add some magic to your life in whatever way you decide it looks like.
Olya
“Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.”
~ Oprah Winfrey
Need extra joy in your life?
Read A Tiny Book of Joy: 10 ways to add more joy and creativity to your day - every day. Available from your favourite online store.
