In the Spirit of Gratitude: Thankfulness and Holiday Gift Giving
by Cy Nr
PurityandVerve.com
As someone who doesn’t partake in the fanfare around solstice via Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Diwali or Saturnalia, I still sometimes find the holidays overwhelming. Whether out of habit or history, I practice tree lighting, gift giving and honoring the opportunity to be reflective and thankful throughout the season. I enjoy bringing twinkling light into the darkness and taking the time to be festive, make crafts, seasonal decorations, foods, and enjoy time with family and friends. I love the descent from autumn, with its whirlwind of magical colors into the darkening closure of the year. The endspace of the solar twelvemonth seems to take on an ethereal mood and otherworldly glow. There is a spellbinding aura to late autumn and the first days of winter. Beyond the reliably warm rays of summer, I wouldn’t trade it for any other time of year.
As a parent, the holidays bring additional excitement and complexity from planning activities and organizing gifts to enlivening the home and enjoying time filled with late autumn/early winter delights. Some things I consistently avoid during the holiday season are the crowds, the hunt for the latest toy, the Black Friday stampedes and the last minute rush. These take the fun and energy out of it for me. I have learned to observe simplicity and to recognize that what makes this season so special is the opportunity for togetherness it brings.
In the spirit of giving and gratitude, here are a few practices I have developed over the years that have helped me to keep things simple, enjoyable and stress-free (3).
Gift What You Already Would Have: Kids sneakers run out of traction? Gift wrap a pair. Loved ones out of books to read? Get some new or used booktitles, and tie a bow around them. The ones you care about will appreciate everyday objects even more once they have been promoted to holiday gift status.
Opportunities to Say Thanks: Take the time, at mealtime, in a gratitude jar or through some other creative format to express what you and those around you are grateful for. This brings fullness of heart to the one giving thanks as well as to the one receiving it.
Hand-Crafted Decor: Homemade holiday crafts are a delight to children and grownups alike. They save on the expense of store-bought decorations and add a personal touch. Instead of (or in addition to) buying decorations for your tree, take on any number or ornament-making projects or other holiday and winter crafts, available for all ages in varying degrees of complexity. Visit my Simple Holiday Crafts and Decorations Pinterest Board for Ideas.
Community Involvement: Another way to express gratitude is to help others in need. This can be as simple as assisting a neighbor with an errand or chore, giving warm winter goods to a coat drive or donating to charity. A charitable contribution in honor of a loved one makes a great holiday gift.
Used Gifts: There are so many second-hand items that make wonderful gifts! Tchotchkes from thrift stores, vintage clothing, antique children’s toys, a game from your childhood, a hand-me-down bicycle, back issues of a magazine, vintage children’s clothing catalogs, out-of-print books, furnishings and decor from another era bring history to life in a way that is completely distinct from new buys.
Enjoy the Great Outdoors: Winter welcomes a whole new palette into our natural environment. Bundle up, embrace the plummeting temperatures and be reverent of the dramatic changes and subtle beauty of the incoming season. Go for a brisk and refreshing hike or take a stroll and check out the holiday decorations in your neighborhood. Bring the beauty of winter inside by collecting and displaying nature in the form of pine branches, witch hazel blooms, acorns, pine cones and fallen leaves in an assortment of colors.
Homemade Gifts: A tic tac toe game can be made from some small rocks and a fabric gift bag with a little paint. String a piece of jewelry or write and illustrate a story as a gift. Children and loved ones will appreciate the time it took for you to put something together for them. Draw, write a letter or make a holiday card, crochet or knit an appliqué or stuffed toy, sew a piece of clothing, or make a beautiful piece of origami. The possibilities are limitless! (1).
Embracing Light: Irrespective of religious affiliation or lack thereof, find ways to welcome light into and around your home. This can be through decorative lighting, simple candles placed around the home, carefully curated paint colors or by exploring the sources of inner light that you possess and can draw from during the darkest days of the year.
Open-Ended Toys: Give gifts that allow your child the best opportunities for authentic play and imagination. Rather than doing the work for the child, open-ended toys facilitate a range of options for play. Some of the most loved items we have gifted in the past are silk scarves (these can be bought or made), dollhouses, dolls with neutral facial expressions, crayons and art supplies, yarn, stationary for writing letters to friends, fruit and vegetable baskets with play produce and musical instruments. Visit my Pinterest board Holiday Gifts for Inspiration.
Quiet Reflection: Whether through prayer, meditation or quiet contemplation, take the time to quiet the mind and experience the season for what it means to you. Holidays can bring up a broad range of memories and feelings. It is okay to cultivate your own understanding and way around the holiday season. There are no rights or wrongs about it.
Gifts from Nature: Any number of found objects given as-is or reconfigured into a collection, craft or other creative display will bring wonder and beauty to the holidays. Family and friends will appreciate the time you took to select something especially for them. A further benefit is that “natural materials teach children correctly about the world around them” (2). Crystals, sticks (magic wands), special stones, dried or fresh flowers, seeds, herbs, leftover beehives and more make one-of-a-kind presents.
Consider Vegan Holidays: Embrace veganism in your holiday celebration and gift-giving traditions. Prepare a celebratory vegan meal and invite loved ones to enjoy it with you. Avoid meat, dairy, eggs, leather and other animal products in your gift-giving practices.
Fruit and Plant Life: Seasonal fruit, flowers and plants are traditional holiday gifts in various cultures around the world. Pears, citrus, apples, persimmons, pomegranates and dried fruits are readily available. The solstice concludes the bountiful season of autumn. It’s as if people are given one last chance to indulge in the generosity the harvest has brought forth before the more barebones winter season. Gifting fruit is a great opportunity to bring a healthy and wonderful tradition into your family culture. Seasonal flowers like Christmas cactuses, poinsettias, paperwhites, azaleas and mistletoe bring winter delight into the home.
Gift Wrap: The goal of simplicity can extend into the kinds of gift wrap we use around the holidays. Sometimes I use gift wrap. Other times I focus on natural and/or available materials in my home to add the final touch to the gifts I will give. Some of my favorites include fabric, wood in the form of wooden stars, wooden blocks, and beautiful sticks and twigs, twine, reusable shopping bags, children’s art, burlap, newspapers, comics and flowers.
Enjoy a gentle, restful holiday season! Wishing you joy, togetherness, gratitude and everything your heart desires this season and beyond!
References
(1) Banyan Botanicals. 20 Mostly Free Gift Ideas (December 20, 2020) https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/blog-the-banyan-insight/details/mostly-free-gift-ideas/
(2) Foley, Eileen. “The Gift of a Simple Holiday This Year” (November 4, 2020) Little Acorn Learning. https://littleacornlearning.com/little-acorn-learning-blog/the-gift-of-a-simple-holiday-this-year/
(3) https://blog.waldorfmoraine.org/2019/12/a-waldorf-guide-for-the-holidays/