Collaborative post
Gratitude and warm emotion from every territory all add to a most magical time of the year. Using the old and the new allows everyone in the family to feel thought about and included during the season. Christmas festivities take on a deeper meaning when we put the focus on authenticity and sincerity, on quality, well-being, and good company.
Lay A Soft Foundation For The Holidays
During December, it helps to lay a soft foundation that underlies other aspects of life. Perhaps the ritual of a daily opening of a calendar helps everyone centre and focus. The Venchi’s chocolate Advent calendars are a delightful example of how to unite around something small and thoughtful. The quality experience no doubt becomes a collective ritual. As adults and children embrace the surprise of another day’s chocolate, everyone joins in the countdown. Gathering around the fun tradition helps introduce ideas around craftsmanship, taste, and the experience of eating and drinking one beautifully prepared item.
Ambience with a hint of music and a candle can all help create the gentle hum that helps move everyone through the days and nights. Some classic Christmas carols piped over a speaker, paired with a bit of warm illumination from a lamp like the Lion Lamp. Beeswax candles and an orange with cloves stuck into it, set on a side table, can also help establish a glow to help everyone quiet down a bit without having to say a word. Allowing for light and gentle transitions will help us all find our way to Christmas by slow and sure moves.
Establish Places That Invite Connection
Look for spots around the house that invite everyone to come together in a more thoughtful way. A corner can be established for those who love to see what everyone else is doing. The gentle nook can encourage a sense of calm for varying ages. A place with a few pillows, a cosy, warm lamp and a stack of books is the place everyone can put their feet. Many pared-down Christmas-themed tales can be read at the same time every day. From the beginning of the month, everyone gets to remind themselves of what happens in the story.
Similarly, the holiday’s decorative touches should also call to us in playful, easy ways. They help children discover forms, textures, and shapes while calling us back to our own memories. Hang a few handmade ornaments. Set up the crib. Bring out wooden toys and figures. Canary English or Parisian beeswax, adding a nice fragrance, can also bewitch one person with the real scents of the holiday. Add some natural items like citrus or pine cones.
Celebrate Actively
Oftentimes, the oldest traditions are best. A day where people bake and make and turn out wonderful things makes for an indelible memory. Another group that hikes around the village just as night falls helps to move older generations and the little ones at the same pace. Another that sings at the end of tea time and before everyone goes to bed helps again. Altogether for a few minutes, it guarantees to help everyone else rest easy.
Celebrate The Idea Of Coming Together
Build the feeling of festivity for the whole family, not only for the youngest. Everything adults and children eat and everyone sees, from an Advent calendar to a cosy corner with a few good books and some dough, will linger in the background. The celebration is one that helps the family come together and remember that this time of year is all about taking time to linger and consider what we’d like to do more of at home to help celebrate and remember the season. It’s really all about being present with that person and the idea that we’d like to keep creating memories that are thoughtful as well.