Hidden Holiday Treasures

Lately I’ve been clearing out closets and going through boxes overhead in the garage in an effort to tidy up for family visiting over the holidays. Among the boxes, I found supplies for making mosaics on flowerpots, for crafting candles and soaps and for tie-dying T-shirts. You see, my family has a holiday tradition of making our Christmas gifts. This has saved money as well as the time and stress of shopping (in stores or online), and most importantly, it has been time that we spent together, talking and laughing, while creating unique, thoughtful gifts for the people we cared about.

Sadly, many of us spend the holiday season looking for “Christmas joy” in a material world, in virtual connections and in the nostalgia of simpler times. We find ourselves getting sucked in to unrealistic expectations of the “perfect” gift, the best decorations and the ideal holiday feast. We’re so busy that we skip our daily walk, eat take-out and sugary treats, drink coffee to get us going and take sleep aids to calm us back down. No wonder we end up feeling anxious and exhausted! No wonder we catch a winter cold or strain our backs putting up the Christmas lights!

Your health is a treasure. This holiday season why not spend your time and your resources on the things that nurture your body, mind and spirit? Connect with family and friends. Give hugs. You know how to be COVID safe. After the past two years we need this more than ever! Share good food. Schedule a little quiet time. Go for a walk in nature. All of these things… Community, Touch, Healthy plant-based Food, Quiet, Movement, Nature… are Medicine, honored since ancient times but too often forgotten in our busy data-driven lives.

So go ahead and sing out loud to the holiday music! Do what brings you joy. And spread a little while you’re at it.