Tag Archives: christmas time

sustainable lifestyle

How to stay calm during the holiday season

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This holiday season I have managed to avoid creating Christmas stress. I have breath in the slow mood and accept the fact that Christmas time goes as it does. I am not going to force it to be perfect, and I don’t want to poison my mind with stress.

How to do this? Well, firstly I am not going to stress about buying Christmas presents. This year again we won’t buy presents for adults. We got a couple of books and games for our daughter. Recently, when I asked her, what she wanted, she told me an orange present. I realized by asking this question that I am about to teach her a manner that in Christmas time Santa is going to bring lots of gifts. I said to myself: stop. What she really needs is that we spent time with her and that we do things together, like baking gingerbreads or making snowmen. The biggest gift is the time and our presence, not the number of gifts. And lets face it: the more kids have presents at the same time, the less they concentrate on playing any of them.

Also, in these past few weeks I have consciously started to slow down. I have stopped to notice the Christmas magic around us. I have pay attention how the city is full of beautiful Christmas lights, how the snow falls down, how the Christmas trees look in the market. I have eaten in a mindful way a piece of chocolate and smell how the warm glögi brings the Christmas spirit to our home. I have woken up early to do my meditation and yoga practice. I lit the candles and then wake up my daughter with lots of hugs and kisses. Together we look at the Christmas decorations and that little elf that is looking at us. In the morning we play Christmas songs that she loves to sing and dance. We share the magic that she experiences when she opens her Advent calendar.

The joy of Christmas is in these little moments, don’t let them go by.

Read more:

This Christmas

You Christmas nut!

My favorite list for December

Have a lovely Christmas time my dear reader!

Lifestyle

It is that time of year

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Recently, I organized a Christmas party at my place. I had been so busy that I couldn’t give it much thought until the day arrived. I started to panic: What to serve? What to drink? What to wear?

My Frenchman answered calmly: Let’s buy some cheese from the fromagerie, fresh bread form the boulangerie and some sparkling wine.

I was nodding my head, but still, as the host I wanted to serve something homemade, isn’t it kind of every woman’s duty? Instead of looking at difficult recipes, I decided to trust something that always works: I made veggie pizza. Simple, easy to make and a “snack” that everyone actually wants to eat.

If the year with a baby has taught me something, it is this: stop thinking too difficult. Sometimes it is just better to choose the easiest path. (Yes, I am playing the baby card, when I say, I didn’t have time to prepare anything else.)

So in addition to recycling the old recipe, I recycled the playlist, too. I just added a couple of Christmas songs to our wedding playlist, and that was it. As recycling turned out to be the team, I put trust in my old sparkling silk dress, which I have worn for every Christmas party in the past three years.

Result: Successful and easygoing party, no stress. I have good memories of it. I think I am organizing a Christmas party next year, too.

 

 

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You Christmas nut!

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Myönnetään: olen jouluihminen, joka myös elää jouluihmisen kanssa. Tämä tarkoittaa, että joulukoristeet kaivetaan esille ajoissa, joulukonvehteja napsitaan heti, kun ne ovat ilmaantuneet kauppojen hyllylle. Kynttilöitä poltetaan joka ilta, ja kuusi, sekin koristeltiin marraskuun puolella. Tarkalleen ottaen kuusenkoristeet kaivettiin esille eilen. Jouluihmisenä rakastan ranskalaista tapaa hankkia kuusi jo joulukuun alussa, niin että siitä saa nauttia pitkälti yli kuukauden. Kuusihan on kaunis sisustusyksityiskohta; se luo tilaan aivan erityistä tunnelmaa. Kun iltaisin taustalla välkkyvät kuusenvalot, jaksaa töitä paiskia keskiyölle asti.

Siinä missä Pariisin auringonpaisteessa ja syysmaisemassa tuntuu hullunkuriselta ripustaa joulukoristeita, on kaikessa tässä koristeellisuudessa ja valaistuksessa jotain lohdullista, lempeää energiaa, joka pakottaa hidastamaan – tunnelmointia kun ei voi suorittaa! Pariisilaisravintolat puolestaan houkuttelevat lempeänpunaisella valaistuksellaan poikkeamaan juomaan lasin kuumaa viiniä. Ihanaa joutilaisuutta.

Sen sijaan, että aloittaisin joulukuun lahjastressillä ja ostohysterialla, keitän toisen kupin kahvia, nappaan konvehtirasiasta vielä yhden suklaapalan ja tuijotan hetken tuota upeaa joulukuusta. Lahjomisen sijaan tänä jouluna keskitytään hyvän mielen välittämiseen ja tunnelmointiin.

Ei suoriteta tätä joulua, eihän?

Eläköön valon juhla!

I am a Christmas person, I can easily admit that. Also, I am living with a Christmas person, too. As my husband is a Christmas nut like me, we start the Christmas preparations early. That means that we buy a Christmas tree as soon as they get to the florist, we start buying chocolate boxes as soon as they hit to the supermarket, and we also light candles for every occasion we can.

Now when it is officially December we can be open about our Christmas mania. And technically we got our Christmas tree yesterday, so it is not that bad? I love this French style when you get the Christmas tree inearly December, not on a Christmas Eve. This way you get to enjoy the tree longer. And let’s face it: it is a beautiful decoration detail in our living room. And I think our little one likes it, too. At least she hasn’t stopped staring it and it makes her kick her feet (a good sign).

I think in all these lights and in the middle of Christmas decorations there is something comforting and some silent energy. Also, I have to admit that Parisian restaurants with their cosy red lights have something to do with me wanting to stop and take a break more than ever. But then again: can the Christmas spirit be performed?

So this is a thought for December: forget stressing about Christmas gifts! Instead, concentrate on transmitting good energy onto others, be kinder to yourself, light a candle and just let it be.

Let’s not try to perform this Christmas!

Light on!