1. Give yourself the gift of time

Don’t get me wrong, I love getting things done and creating self-imposed deadlines to maximise productivity, but there is a time and a place.

– Finishing a book to ensure you can have a good discussion at Book Club? A suitable ‘must get done’ activity.
– Buying your in-laws a gift for their 60th wedding anniversary on the weekend? It’s reasonable to give yourself a deadline.
– Alphabetically organising your children’s books by Friday when there’s no real need? Not such a worthwhile deadline.

After all, it has been a big year, and we’ve all missed out on a lot. Give yourself time and just do what makes you happy. Leave out anything that is not truly urgent this holiday so you can buy back some time in your days. Those non-urgent tasks can wait.

2. Unplug

Make technology work for you, not the other way around. I read this in a minimalist blog once and it has stuck with me ever since. Technology is wonderful, and it has been a saviour this year, but it can also be a burden. Constant pings and vibrations notifying you of this and that likely impacts your ability to switch on your parasympathetic nervous system – rest and digest – i.e. the opposite of the stress response – fight or flight.

If you can take a social media break, delete a few apps, silence notifications or – better still – put the phone in a drawer, do it. Don’t be a slave to your devices this holiday season – make technology work for you.

Observe your surroundings as you move through your holiday activities

3. Be okay with doing nothing

For many of us, doing nothing is a foreign concept, and can even sometimes provoke a feeling of guilt. If you are a serial ‘get things done’ person, or worse, someone who is always telling yourself to do more and still not getting things done, try saying no and giving yourself permission to do nothing. You never know, you might just find doing nothing gives your batteries the reboot they need to hit the ground running in 2021.

4. Be present

Two little words that sound oh so simple – be present. We all know, however, that being present is easier said than done. It takes meditators years to master the mind and silence the thinking brain. Yet you do not need to be a meditation master to reap the rewards of mindfulness these holidays.

Simply remind yourself to engage properly in conversation, actively listen to your family, observe your surroundings and notice the sensations on your skin as you move through your holiday activities.

If mindfulness is something you are trying to cultivate, read our blog 5 Ways You Can Bring Mindfulness Into Your Home.

5. Prioritise rest.

When was the last time you scheduled a nap into your day, that wasn’t for your three year old? Rather than prioritising activities and tasks, can you prioritise rest instead? Schedule a sleep-in, take an afternoon to read or nap in your sleep-sanctuary, maybe even cancel dinner plans to go to bed early. Rest is vital for a healthy body and mind.

So there you have it! Hopefully even just reading this made you feel a little bit more relaxed. Whether you’ve still got a few more work days left in the year, or you’ve already set your Out of Office and are slipping into holiday mode, keep these tips front of mind and do yourself a favour – put that to-do list away in a drawer until you’ve properly re-charged your batteries. 

For more relaxing holiday ideas visit our blog, Three Quick Tips For Stress-Free Holiday Planning with BONUS TRAVEL CHECKLIST.

The perfect sustainable and nutritious Christmas gift.

Healthy Christmas Muesli Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower and sesame work well)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
• ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp good quality salt (ie Himalayan salt)
• 2 cup rolled oats (ideally organic as they are extra soft and creamy)
• ½ cup coconut flakes
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup goji berries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees
2. Mix well your seeds, nuts, cinnamon, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt in a bowl so that all ingredients are coated evenly and well.
3. Spread the mixture evenly onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and put in the oven. Take a look after around 15 minutes, giving it a little shake, pop it back in the oven and keep an eye on it. When it is golden brown, crunchy and yummy, take it out and let it cool.
4. When the mix has cooled, add your rolled oats, coconut flakes, chia seeds, cranberries and goji berries. Mix it up in a bowl and divide into your jars or bags.

By Johanna Clark

The finishing touch!!

Once cool, pour muesli into sterilised glass jars and decorate with a festive ribbon or fabric topper. (Jars, ribbon and toppers are also a great way to  repurposed decluttered fabric & jars)⁠

If saying no to gifts, or reducing the excess “stuff” is on your mind this year check out our latest blog “How to Politely Say No To Christmas Gifts”.

I am no expert in turning down a christmas gift, I still receive the occasional holiday present and feel pressured to buy gifts for friends and family but I am getting better at speaking my truth.

Here are a few ideas I have used and will keep on using to reduce my consumption over the holidays.

1. Be honest about not wanting gifts.

“Oh we don’t need anything for Christmas” can easily come off as a nicety that is meant to be ignored. If you really would prefer no gifts try explaining your feelings. Something along the lines of;

 “We have made a conscious effort to keep our home decluttered and calm this year, hence there is no need to buy us physical gifts. It would mean a lot to me if we could skip the presents this year.” 

2. Back it up with logical reasoning.

During your honest conversation, written or verbal, try to share some logical reasons why no gifts is your true preference this year, i.e.:

I (we) have worked hard to reduce the clutter in our home to make it simpler to live in so I want to keep it that way

We want to help our kids learn the true meaning of Christmas and family time by taking the focus off the presents

I have a sustainable footprint goal and less gifts will really help me reach it

I don’t want to feel the pressure to reciprocate

3. Offer alternatives for gift-givers.

Telling a gift-giver not to hand over a present during the holidays might be the wrong thing to do, especially if it is their way of expressing love.

A great way to help gift-givers feel as though they can still show their love and appreciation is to offer an alternative. Suggest locking in a lunch or evening togther, a homemade meal or a restaurant booking; giving the opportunity to create memory-gifts.

Suggest an evening together.

If they still want something to wrap, suggest a homemade gift, edible or otherwise. Ask for a card, a handwritten letter of a memory or sentiment. You could even request a photo that can be added to a fridge for young children to remember and learn family members through faces not gifts.

Suggest a homemade gift, edible or otherwise.

5. Have the conversation early.

Many people like to get their Christmas shopping “out of the way”. Many gift-givers will have started thinking of present ideas already. To avoid the awkward “I’ve already got you something” response it is important to have the conversation with those people early.

And if none of that works at least you have given it your best shot and maybe next year they will be more responsive.

Learn how to make your office Secret Santa Sustainable this year.

For decluttering tips, visit our blog on Get Your Home Organised For The Holidays.

1. Fewer gifts can actually equal more

Think quality gifts rather than cheap stocking fillers. Consider pooling funds with others to buy a bigger item you just know someone will love. Avoid plastic toys if you can – there are some gorgeous alternatives that little people will love (and they’ll probably last longer).

2. Don’t give presents!

Yep, we said it! Shock horror, but it really can be done. If you’d prefer a gentler version of this, take inspiration from our recent post on Sustainable Secret Santa and do Thriftmas, with the rule that all gifts are to be second-hand, repurposed, or handmade.

3. Don’t wrap

Or, if you don’t quite want to give your gifts completely naked, use brown paper, recycled paper or reused paper from last year. Don’t forget to keep any wrapping paper your receive to reuse next year, and that goes for cards too – these can be cut in half and used for gift tags.

4. Get into the kitchen

There are so many lovely possibilities for edible gifts, whether it’s cookies, jam, rocky road (we love Easy Homemade Christmas Muesli which is a breeze to make) or something as simple as homemade vanilla sugar. Short on time? Support small businesses by sourcing some locally made treats.

5. Reduce your food waste

Australians throw away a whopping  4,000,000 tons of food each year. You wouldn’t want to contribute to this at any time of the year, so why do so at Christmas? Plan your festive catering carefully, and eat mindfully, cooking only for the number of people you know you have to dine. Still ended up making too much? Luckily, Christmas leftovers are the best kind of leftovers.

Want more holiday ideas?

Learn how to  Get Your Home Organised For The Holidays. Or check out out interview with Broadsheet on How To Spring Clean Your House.