Creating a More Conscious Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza

Dear Soul Sisters,

As we move toward the Christmas/Holiday gift-giving season, I find myself dreading all of the shopping and eating and spending and gorging that seems to come with the season these days. How can I celebrate Christmas AND align to my new consciousness of reducing consumerism and senseless shopping?

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will not find it under a tree." --Roy L Smith

Dear Desperately Seeking a Conscious Christmas,

Thanks so much for your question and we hear you! With the economic downturn and the spiritual upturn we're experiencing on Earth, we're certain you're not the only one asking! We've got lots of great ideas for putting a little less consumerism and a little more consciousness into YOUR Christmas (or Chanukah or Kwanza).

To kick things off, we’d invite you to take a quantum leap in consciousness with us. While our families and jobs DO provide the tangible means for our income, God, Spirit, the Universe, is our SOURCE and SUPPLY of everything! What do you need more of right now? With that in mind, take this Karen Drucker lyric out for a spin, “God is my Source, God is my power, God gives me everything I need. So I give thanks for all my blessings, God gives me everything I need…” When we start here, we open to possibility and dance with the Divine in an affirming and accepting way. We begin by feeling more grateful for what we have and where we are and let go of any feeling of “lack.” Sing it whenever you you need the reminder!

Then we’d urge you to get clear about what Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza means to you. Take some space alone in the quiet to ask your heart what you LOVE about this time of year. What memories pop up? What spirit needs to shine through for you to feel the JOY? Maybe it’s trimming the tree, lighting the menorah, giving gifts or perhaps it’s simply spending time with loved ones in front of the fire. Whatever makes your heart sing for the season, do your best to incorporate that into YOUR celebration. We’d urge to share this with your family and let them know where you are coming from. At the same time, encourage them to share the parts that will mean the most to them too! Now more than ever, it's about honoring the "we" over the "me."

If you have kids, this is especially important. Let them know ahead of time that while they have a fabulous list, they won’t get EVERYTHING on it this year. Ask them to highlight the one or two things that they really, really want and assure them that Santa will do his/her best! Spend some time talking about the true meaning of the holidays. We LOVE the "Gift of the Magi"story by O. Henry to show this better than either of us could tell it!

Now, onto the gift-giving part. Here are our ideas for making the most of your holly jolly time and resources this year. As our Earth awakens, it’s wonderful to be re-thinking our approach together!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – this motto of environmental conservation works equally well for having a more conscious, less consumer Christmas.

REDUCE the number of presents you are giving by suggesting to your family, workplace or social group that you draw names or have a “white elephant” Christmas gift exchange. Each person then brings just one gift to give to a specific person or to someone at random. If you used to go for a $50 limit, try $25 or even $10 this time and see how creative you can get!

REUSE gifts that you have been given in the past. “Re-gifting” has gotten a bad rap, but if you have gotten a gift that you can't use or don't like, but you know someone who you think would genuinely love it, we say go for it! You don't have to tell them you are re-gifting, only that you thought of them when you saw it.

When it's time to wrap, look around your house for wrapping paper, cards, tags and see what you can reuse from last year. This means spending less on paper AND making less trash for our planet! With this in mind, go outside and see if you can gather enough evergreens to make your own wreath. Once you open to doing things differently, we have a feeling the ideas will FLOW!

RECYCLE by shopping at second-hand stores for antique, vintage or “like-new” items. We are huge fans of Good Will, Value Village and other second-hand stores. Often the things you find there are better than new because they tend to be unique or one-of-a-kind and not the same old, same old that is being sold in every retail outlet this year. This also turns your shopping trip into a scavenger hunt, which takes some of the tedium out of it for you and makes it, gasp, FUN!!!

Here are some other ideas for creating a more conscious Christmas:

Nothing can make you feel prosperous and more open-hearted than giving to those who have far greater needs this time of year. Include your kids in this activity. Adopt a local family, send gifts to a service man or woman overseas or volunteer to serve food at a shelter this holiday season. Spending time helping others always helps us focus less on what we don't have and more on what we DO.

Shop locally! As easy as it is to load that Amazon cart and hit “check-out,” why not give the little guy your dollars this year and save on gas & shipping costs too? Walk around your neighborhood and see what the elves are offering. If you start earlier, you’ll have plenty of time and be surprised by all the goodies right around you!

Give the Gift of Time (and your talents) – Gifts of time and talent can take many forms. If you are giving it to someone you don't get to see often or spend a lot of time with, make it a gift for a whole day together doing some of your favorite things like an all-day movie party or a home spa day where you paint each others nails and give each other foot baths. If it is for a partner or parent, a coupon book for some “honey-dos” is often a great gift. Give a coupon for a batch of cookies, a back rub, or an afternoon spent raking leaves or changing out all the batteries in their fire alarms. Anything that you know they hate doing or can't do on their own makes a great coupon. If you are a massage therapist, hairstylist, plumber or have some other high demand skill, give free or discount coupons to everyone on your list. We have a feeling they'll ooh & aah!

Give experiences not things – If there's a movie or a play you have seen or a restaurant you have eaten at that you know your friend would love too, give them the gift of this experience. If it's in your budget, buy another ticket for yourself and make it the gift of time spent together as well.

Get crafty – That’s right, tap into your artistic side and make something. If you have a hobby that you particularly love or are good at, make homemade gifts for your friends and family. The extra love you put into a homemade gift really shows and you get to spend your time doing something you enjoy instead of pounding the pavement at the mall desperately searching for the “perfect” gift.

Here are some sites with ideas to get you moving:

1) http://www.ayummymommy.com/2009/10/unique-handcrafted-homemade-christmas.html
2) http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/p/tutorials.html
3) http://www.feelslikehomeblog.com/2010/10/10-handmade-christmas-gifts-you-can-make-now/
If this is so not up your alley, try Etsy instead for some amazing items by artisans shipped right to you! 

Give the gift of appreciation – Instead of buying presents for your nearest and dearest, write each of them a letter letting them know how much you appreciate having them in your life. Be specific and mention special times you have shared, moments you have treasured and memories that will stick with your forever. Perhaps include an old photo of the two of you together if you have one.

Pay it forward  – Make a donation in honor of a friend to a cause that is near and dear to a their heart. Most organizations will send a letter to the person letting them know that a gift has been made in their honor. They will most likely be touched that you went out of your way to support a cause that they care about. 


Cook,  Eat & Drink Less – Take that feast made for a King and Queen down a notch! We all know how easy it is to overdue it this time of year and belly-aches and hangovers can be telltale signs! Buy a little less, bake a little less and imbibe a little less of everything you're offered.

As you plan your holidays, we would also suggest that you be mindful of how you are spending your time and make sure that there is plenty of “down time” in order to make the “up time” more enjoyable. One of our favorite quotes for the holiday season is, “DO LESS; ENJOY IT MORE.” Take this as your mantra this year and choose to do only those things which really feed your soul and enliven your spirit. Practice saying “no” gracefully and take time to nurture yourself with healthy food, regular exercise, long salt water baths, soothing or invigorating music, and plenty of sleep (we recommend lots of naps this time of the year :).

And last, but certainly not least, let LOVE be your guide. It’s easy to get caught up in feeling like you have to give the BEST gift, buy the most expensive item and make the most amazing meal so your family feels cherished. By infusing the feeling of love into everything you do and buy this season, your true intent will shine though.

Peace, Oneness, Love and Light to you during this busy season and into 2012!

Jennifer & Lara

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