Mindful Christmas Gifts

We have reached the final month of 2019! The final month of a decade and the beginning of the Holiday Period. It can be a little overwhelming to say the least. Between school concerts, the Christmas present rush, making plans to see all your loved ones and also even just organising the big day. There is a huge amount of pressure to spend, arrange and rush about, but Christmas doesn’t need to be like this. At it’s core Christmas is about sharing love and time with others, our best memories of Christmas are those moments where we were simply with the people we love having fun.

Here are a few gift ideas that may draw the focus away from the frantic nature of Christmas and return us to the true importance of this magical time of year:

1) Plan a fun day out for your loved one. Create an itinerary and get crafty by putting together a little pamphlet of what they can expect. This way they can still receive a beautiful gift made by you and get excited for the wonderful day you have planned!

2) Organise an indoor picnic. Yes, it’s freezing outside. But there is nothing stopping you from creating your own indoor wonderland! Push your couch out of the way and put up some fairy lights, light some candles and create your perfect picnic hamper. We’re thinking mulled wine/ribena, Mince Pies, sandwiches, hot chocolate and maybe even a cheese board. Then pop on your favourite tunes and surround yourself with plants. You could even put a fireplace video on your TV! Make sure to put your phone on airplane mode so you can really enjoy the moment.

3) A home craft or baking day. When it comes to gifting for children particularly, often the most nourishing experiences are those when they can learn from their family members. Why not arrange a day where you can get a few of your loved ones together and you can teach each other a skill. Whether that be baking scones with your grandma, knitting with your aunt and maybe even learning about native birds with an avid ornithologist (bird watcher)!

Just remember that Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year. And Christmas in the UK is a beautiful and spectacular experience!

We hope this gave you a bit of inspiration for your holidays,

Much Love,

H+K

Practices for Daily Inspiration

By the end of the working week it is perfectly normal to find yourself feeling depleted and exhausted. While we rush around ticking off our to-do lists and hustling for our next goal or dream, it can be challenging to maintain our trajectory and keep a firm eye on why we are doing what we do.

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to curate and cultivate practices to keep you energised and empowered! Therefore allowing you to fulfil your desires and continue serving your community.

As a team we are constantly aware of the things we need to do in order to ensure we are able to continue helping others. However, sometimes you need to take a break from the rush of working and take a moment to reignite that creative self we all have.

Here are a few ways we love to make sure that we are servicing our inner self:

Kelly:
One daily practice that really serves me is my gratitude journal. Every day I write three things down that I am grateful for in a lovely bound journal. This beautiful book then serves me as I re-read the last three days when I need a bit of a boost of inspiration. I also start every day reading my list of “I am” words, these are qualities that I see in others that I admire and want to cultivate in my own life. For example “I am happy”, “I am kind” and “I am strong”. In this way I am positively reinforcing those traits and ideas that I love in others and creating a space for them within my life.

Hayley:
When I am preparing for my day I write down 6 things that I want to achieve with the understanding that I am aiming to complete 3 of those tasks. Any tasks that are not completed are carried over to the next day with non judgment. This is a hugely beneficial practice for me as it allows me to clear out those ‘daily worries’ as I become aware and understanding of what I need to achieve. By not placing the fear of having to complete every task I am also acting in kindness to myself and this allows me to carry this through every aspect of my life.

Team Practice:
For the past few years both of our families have created and used a ‘Happiness Jar’. This is a big jar where we place little notes of all of the achievements that we are proud of, things that make us feel good and moments that made us happy. Throughout the year this jar gets fuller and fuller and by Christmas time we all choose a day to go through our ‘Happiness Notes’. This is a fantastic way to reinforce the beauty of the little moments in life, it also demonstrates that goals are achieved by the daily practices and victories.

We hope that this has provided you with a little bit of inspiration for your own daily practices. Remember we are all on a journey so these things take time, never judge yourself for where you are and always admire how far you have come.

Much Love,

Hayley and Kelly