❤️ 🎁 Be Gentle With Yourself this Christmas 🎁 ❤️ [Christmas Recommendations] (Patreon)

As we know, Christmas can be a lot. It can be intense, chaotic, heck, even downright stressful/depressing. 

All holidays, particularly Christmas, are very good at bringing out big emotions, positive and negative. And while that, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing, I try for a more gentle approach. I try to treat Christmas as just another day - no high expectations, no low dragging dread. Just a day to eat, give out a few gifts and be gentle with myself and the people I care about. If its a good day - great! If not - it’s just a day.

For me, Christmas isn’t really about the day anyway, but more so the week after. It’s that strange time between Christmas Day and New Years that just feels like a vacuum. A special little time capsule that leaves us all a little spacey.

As such, I use this limbo to do the things I enjoy most. So, I slow down, I let myself be quiet, I build a fire, I read, I walk, I bake apple crumble, I file and paint my nails, I play card games, I call my friends, and fundamentally just live the life of a senior citizen.

I never have any great plans, I’m not hosting parties, I’m simply allowing myself to be quiet and enjoy my many lovely freedoms. And I thought, maybe, it might be fun to share some ideas on how to best take things slowly this Christmas with you.

As always, please know these are simply suggestions. If the things I suggest don’t appeal to you, then that’s absolutely okay. What I like, you might hate, and vice versa. There’s no one way to spend your time or to make yourself happy. Do what works for you, and don’t think too much about it. Nothing is a waste of time if you get something out of it.

✨ Watch New Content: ✨

Often, because of work, travel, exercise, socialising, and you know, general life, I’m genuinely too tired to watch anything new. My brain can’t take on new stories and characters, and so I fall into the squishy arms of comfort watching. So, with limited responsibilities and some time on my hands, I love to watch things I haven’t been ready to take on. If you’re the same, I suggest we put on our bingeing pants and go forth to the new content. I’ve already got a list of things I’m gonna take on, and I’m hoping to get at least half way through before New Years. Fingers crossed :)

📺 Movies/TV Shows: 📺

Fresh (horror/comedy about cannibalism and the perils of modern dating)

Barbarian (horror movie all about why air b&b’s are a terrible idea)

Home Alone (I know, I’m a disgrace. I’ve never seen it. My mother clearly neglected my media intake)

Turning Red (I am so behind on my Disney movies. Apparently, its all about the ups and downs of puberty and fitting in and it sounds adorable)

Jurassic World Dominion (I’m not even gonna lie, I’ll probably end up re-watching the first and third one too. I need a raptor turning to the camera, saying “Alan”. I just need that this Christmas)

The White Lotus (Crazy rich people. I’m in)

Ozark (YouTube shorts won’t let me rest. I need to know the plot beyond everyone’s pointing guns and yelling and then absolutely nothing happens.)

Only Murderers in the Building (It’s giving me camp, nonsense grit vibes. I love it)

The Umbrella Academy (I will start and finish this, gosh darn it!)

✨ Be Quiet With Yourself: ✨

We lead automatic, time-orientated lives that we often don’t get a chance to check-in with ourselves and see what we need or want. Even basic things like hunger, rest and intimacy get pushed aside because of work, commitments and travelling, and so it’s very easy for us to become unaccustomed to honouring our needs.

So, why not be quiet? Listen to your body. Do you feel like a nap? Do you need a sandwich? Would you like a slice of pie? How about bringing the blankets downstairs and resting on the couch? Maybe you wanna see your friends, maybe you wanna hug your mom, or maybe you just wanna put on some ambient noise and think about nothing at all.

Just remember to check-in with yourself and make your needs a priority. I have great plans to squish my doggos and not talk for many hours.

✨ Go Outside: ✨

I know it’s cliched, I know everyone says it, but being in fresh air really does help. It won’t cure anything, it’s not an instant fix, but it is so good to get out of your house and into the world.

I’m incredibly lucky to live so close to woodlands and nature, and I really try to take advantage of that as best I can. The outdoors has a lot of possibilities that we often write off. You don’t just have to mindlessly force yourself out the front door, you can make it as spontaneous or as planned as you like. Go for a midnight stroll, take a torch, feel the freedom of being alone outside, meet a friend at a cafe, take a flask and go to the park, go trash picking, take a book and go to a quiet space - just get yourself breathing in that cold winter air.

✨ Organise & Declutter: ✨

Being in the house gives us the time to really look at our space and see what’s in it, what’s missing, what could be put to better use. I know cleaning and organising sounds boring to a lot of people, but you honestly can get hooked so fast.

Over the years, we collect a lot of stuff. And a lot of it isn’t serving a purpose. It’s absolutely healthy and good to collect things, but it’s a fine line between collecting and just being overwhelmed by stuff we don’t need. This Christmas I am going top to bottom and sorting through. I’m hoping to recycle, re-home, give to charity and even find some lost gems. For me, doing this is all about seizing control and taking the time to really make my space as homey as possible.

This might be a hit or miss for some people, but that’s totally fine. I like things being clean and tidy and homey. I like things smelling nice and looking pretty, but maybe you don’t. I also feel really good mentally when I’ve decluttered, so for me it just has a lot of perks. Also, cleaning and organising uses a lot of energy and gets you moving around - if you’re looking to keep your step count up, it’s a great at home activity. And now, I will stop pushing the perks of organising :)

✨ Be Affectionate with Yourself & Others: ✨

Just like with everything else, intimacy can get lost in the demands of life. It’s not an urgent email, it’s not a looming deadline, and it’s certainly not the gas company issuing a final warning. Intimacy is a quiet and easy to neglect need. And it’s often at Christmas that we finally allow ourself to realise, “shit, I wanna hug my sister”.

So, hug your sister, your mom, your brother, your dad, whomever is willing. Tell them you love them, let them tell you how they feel, sit close to one another, rest your head on their shoulder, clean the dishes together, fight over the last piece of turkey. Just be close and present and cherish that you’re alive and together. This absolutely extends to alone time too. You, you beautiful little weirdo, are worthy of rest, relaxation and indulgence. Have that bubble bath, book yourself a massage, clean your sheets and put on fresh pjs.

And above all else… just be good to yourself.

Have a safe and cozy Christmas :)