How to authentically (not) gift for Christmas
The forecast value of Christmas retail sales is estimated to be around 82 billion British pounds – and this alone in the UK. Due to the energy crisis, it will be around 2 billion less than last year.
So, looking at this number I can image how busy the run up towards Christmas is for so many among us. Is one of your main worries these days to not yet have all family members covered with gifts? Do you feel not only time pressure but also the pressure to get the right gift? Are you worried about aunty Jane gifting everyone incredibly thoughtful presents again while your creativity on ‘what to get’ is stuck on the idea level of bath bombs and socks?
If any of those statements resonates with you then let me invite you to take a deep breath.
(I mean it, take a deep breath)
You’ve been working so hard to finish the last quarter of the year while activating your internal ‘elf department’ all at once. That sounds stressful. I want to take you aside, sit with you and ask you:
“How you are doing?”
You sigh “I am stressed”, you respond and smile.
“I can see that. I can really see how important Christmas is to you.”
You shake your head and laugh.
“No, no, no. Actually, it’s not important to me at all.”
I look at you with curiosity.
“Fascinating. I wonder… if you manage to feel stressed to get gifts for everyone, then there is a part of me that assumes that Christmas (in some form or another) means something to you. So, I am curious what aspects of are of meaning to you. I can see that the kind of Christmas you are gearing up for at the moment is not resonating with you, so I wonder what would resonate more?
There is something quite special about a tradition, isn’t it? It can feel so unshakable, beyond our control and immune to personal input or current zeitgeist. Yet, simply because it seems untouchable doesn’t mean it is. So, why not trying to poke it a little?
...AND WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE?
What is it that you would like to shake a little to invite something new? Would you like to invite the thought of authentically not gift anything; the desire to embrace solitude, watch 2-3 movies alone at home instead of gathering with the wider family; the wish to focus less on the receiving and more on the giving; or to focus less on the giving and more on the receiving; or do you wish to simply enjoy companionship? Or maybe what you truly desire is to not participate in any of these festive activities at all?
Wonderful! Whatever it is that actually feels authentic and true to you is welcomed. I encourage you, do yourself the favour and claim back the power over these last weeks of the year. Ask yourself how you want to feel, what you want to invest your energies into, what serves you and what you need. Why not giving it a shot and attending to this truthful calling within a little bit more this year even if it means that this year you authentically do not gift.
