Doing Christmas
How to make Christmas more meaningful and reconnect the holiday with happiness
Do you eagerly anticipate this special time of year or have you become a bit cynical with the commercialisation, greediness and waste that seems to go along with it?
Nowadays the focus can often seem to be more on buying gifts rather than family values but what is it that's actually behind all the craziness to have more? I don’t believe we really want as much stuff, food or experiences as we’re being sold, although I certainly don't think these should be deprived! I think that what we're probably looking to achieve with Christmas is more joy.
Joy is a feeling of being happy and content that is associated with ease, appreciation and meaning. It can be found in the small things and is a simple switch to a more positive state of mind and, for risk of sounding like a quote on a distressed homeware sign, it's about laughing more and loving more.
Here's a few ways we can Make Christmas more meaningful and reconnect the holiday with happiness.
Let go of expectations
Most peoples expectations rate higher than reality. The build up to Christmas starts months before the big day so the idea we will have the perfect family and perfect day might not live up to our ideals.
expectation v reality
You've carefully picked out lots of wooden traditional stocking stuffers but your kids just want to play with what you consider to be gaudy looking, plastic latest must-haves that another family member bought.
You've arranged a steady stream of visits and visitors over the Christmas period but all hubby really wants is some peace and quiet, time alone to play his new X box game (that you so thoughtfully got him 😉) and to kiss you under the mistletoe later.
Figuring out how we would like things to go in an ideal world and what we expect of ourselves, our family, and our friends will go a long way toward avoiding disapointment and making our Christmas celebrations the best they can be.
Throwback pic of the littlest Bees and Bots member. Treasure those moments!
Enjoy traditions - that serve you
Traditions can be wonderful, going beyond gift giving to make Christmas extra special. Whilst the idea is to make memories you will want to make sure they’re good ones! So why not consider any existing traditions and see whether they really fit into your family or whether you feel obliged to carry them on because, well, they're a tradition.
Something that our little family does every year is table presents. An idea started by my mum who came up with this clever idea that prolonged the fun long after the morning present opening frenzy had fizzled out. We each buy an inexpensive gift for just one family member and put them in a little sled pulled by Rudolf who guards the centrepiece until after Christmas dinner - Thanks mum! We used to do new pyjamas sets for everyone to open Christmas eve and as the kids got older, this started to get expensive and they don't really like hanging out in their jim-jams with us anymore anyway! So this tradition got scrapped.
If we eliminate traditions that are no longer working perhaps that will make space to establish something new...or maybe it will just create some well needed space.
Remember why we give gifts
Remember the purpose of gift giving so we can move away from commercialism towards joy. Christmas brings everyone together and giving gifts is all part of expressing our gratitude for the special people in our lives. Gifting also gives kids access to things they want to explore and it can be fun to spend time playing with them with something they’ve been excited about getting. Spending meaningful time with family and friends is what it's all about and we shouldn't feel obligated to spend a fortune if we're not able to just because others do. It's about the love, care and thought we give others.
Other than our time, the best presents are;
Something that the person has actually asked for. Son no1 always asks directly so he knows he'll make people happy with his gift choices. This year I'm getting what I chose; the perfect jumper in the perfect colours in the perfect size. Lucky me!
My other son picks up on little cues that a lot of others don't tend to notice and is so helpful when it comes to ideas for things that are nice to have but not something the person would necessarily buy themselves. In other words, knowing the recipient well enough to choose for THEM. For example he remembered that his dad mentioned that he needed new gloves for going in the hives so we splashed out and bought some good quality ones for him.
People buy from Bees and Botanicals to gift and for many different reasons; maybe they know someone who likes and appreciates honey bees, they're looking for something special and a bit different or they like to shop (and gift) handmade. One person was super excited to have discovered our lavender soap because their friend just loves the colour purple!
Whatever your reasons for buying the gifts that you do, we hope you choose them because you want to, because they're right for the recipients and not because you're in a frenzied hurry to make Christmas perfect.
Hoping you can spend some time out of the fast lane, relax and truly enjoy doing Christmas your way.
Jade x
