During the holidays I find it’s important to set a few healthy boundaries that will allow me to maximize the fun and good vibes, while preserving my sense of peace and serenity. Feng Shui is all about balance, and here are a few things I recommend to preserve yours:
Season and Space: while you might like to set up holiday décor throughout your house, you can also avoid overwhelm by keeping your personal space free from too much festive clutter. Make sure there is at least one area of the house where you can restore and reconnect to the spirit within you.
Size Matters: with the exception of kids toys, less really is more when it comes to gifts. In this age of Amazon, everyone buys what they need and get it the next day. So there really isn’t any need to go all out on an oversized or overpriced gift. My motto is the gift should ideally be small enough to fit in a Christmas stocking. (If it needs to be a little bigger, then it ought to fit beneath a dwarf Christmas tree 😊. A small, well considered gift is usually the most appreciated. It shows that you truly thought about that person’s unique style or taste, and also didn’t want to add more clutter to their space.
Days and Times: set your holiday hours and honor them. As you receive invitations, really think about how each one works with your schedule and sanity. You don’t have to accept every single invite. To those you politely decline, remember to send your love and well-wishes, and perhaps make plans to spend quality time with that person in the new year.
Kid Around: Do you remember what you loved about the holidays as a kid? Mine was making cookies with my Italian grandmother, using her cherished family’s recipes. Make a commitment to do one or two of those things this year. You might visit the tree in Rockefeller Center, or tour the neighborhood decorations, or wander a toy store, and though you’ll probably be doing these things for your kids…really do it for yourself. If nobody in your family wants to accompany you, go do it on your own! I promise, you’ll have plenty of cheerful company around you.
Make quiet space away from the holiday frenzy a priority (personal altars like this one to Laxmi, goddess of abundance, helps me pause and refocus)
Intending Magic: it’s a powerful practice to pause before heading into a holiday gathering, or anytime you remember, and make an intention for how you’d like to see that activity going. Do a quick visualization of the warm, smiling faces and overall great vibe you are about to enjoy. Essentially, you’re creating the magic inside yourself before you even arrive. Then you can take a deep breath and easefully step into the next action, knowing you’ve put that energy into the space, and into the world. It’s amazing how often this simple practice can manifest wonderful experiences that far exceed our expectations. And finally, let me intend this for you: May you have a delightful, magical and thoroughly well-balanced holiday season, where you maintain both your joy and serenity. With a little healthy boundary-setting, those two things can easily go hand in hand. Happy Holidays!
