MY SLOW & QUIET CHRISTMAS #1

 ⎨My Slow & Quiet Christmas #1⎬

This post is part of a series of posts that accompanies my journaling & inspirational workshop, "Quiet Christmas: A Self-Love Journey for the Month of December". If you're looking for a way to slow down at Christmastime, find peace, and savor this time of the year like never before, then this workshop is for you! :) The course doesn't take into consideration the religious aspect of Christmas, it's a Personal Growth, Bliss & Healing workshop.

What if the cure for Holiday stress was more self-love and honoring our needs and desires? Quiet Christmas is an inspiring and powerful workshop in e-book format with daily journaling prompts (can be done even without journaling, if you prefer), to guide you on a journey of self-love and radical self care during the month of December.

What if we put ourselves and our deep needs and desires first?

Several years ago already, I've changed my heart regarding Christmas and the Holidays. I was deeply dissatisfied with all the noise, mess, and clutter,  and my heart longed for peace. Living in the English  countryside in a secluded cottage tucked in the woods, has definitely allowed me to experiment and find my way. I'm not saying this is the perfect Christmas for everyone, or for you- but definitely it is perfect for me. 

The moment I decided to give myself permission to ditch all the needs, habits and expectations that society has conditioned us to carry on, I was finally free of a huge burden on my shoulders, and I could start really pleasuring myself and doing what nurtured me deeply.

"When  a woman finally learns

that pleasing the world is impossible,

she becomes free

to learn how to please herself."

⎯Glennon Doyle 

My Christmas and Holiday season are not certainly shiny, complicated and sophisticated- but slow, simple, and most importantly- easy. I used to end up stressed, exhausted and drained during the Holiday season, for stretching myself too thin- and now I live in peace and JOY. My Christmas is magical- even more magical than it was before!

I speak a lot of creating atmosphere and the feeling of peace in "Quiet Christmas", and in the course there are several pages about creating the right atmosphere for you- so in this post I'll limit myself to share some of the activities that fill my days during the Holiday Season, that give me a sense of peace and wonder and create the right atmosphere for me.

1. I love going for a walk in the woods to collect pine branches and natural elements for my Christmas decor. I usually go for multiple walks in order to collect all the material that I need to create, and these trips are always magical, and filled with anticipation! Why going to the mall when Nature is so rich in Beauty and wonder, and provides everything I need to be happy?

2. Bird feeding & watching. I love feeding the birds during the colder months, I've learned a lot in England, where it is such a popular activity! If you cannot feed the birds for whatever reason, you can always watch and sketch them in your sketchbook! It's another one of the activities that I love so much at this time of year! 

3. Creating natural arrangements for my home. I've always loved natural decor, and incorporated it in my home since I can remember. But it was just a few years ago that I decided that, from that moment on, natural decor would have been my one and only decor. I donated boxes and boxes full of decorations of all types, and started using what Nature provides to decorate for Christmas. What a liberation!! :) In the photo above, I just used my Grandmother's pewter soup toureen, and filled it with Christmas crackers, pinecones and a few twigs of fresh pine collected in the woods. Super simple, and exactly the type of decorations I want in my home!

And you, how do you nurture yourself at Christmastime? Do you really do what your heart needs and desires, or allow others to dictate what you should or shouldn't do? Explore these prompts in your journal.

See you soon,

Monica xoxo