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Have a Better Holiday With These Spirituality & Health Resources
Events, Family, and Friends
“One of the antidotes to this cold and depressing time is gathering together, lighting candles or the Christmas tree, and sharing food. This year, the season of indoor parties is likely going to look pretty different ...”
Explore more ways of dealing with the winter blues.
Spotlight Article: 5 Ways to Create New Traditions
There’s a lot to be said for honoring traditions, especially during the holidays. But like a reindeer sweater, sometimes we start to outgrow them. I pulled out an old recipe this year for Thanksgiving, for example, and realized, “I really don’t want to eat Velveeta and butter; why am I making this?!” That was the end of that tradition—serving a particular side dish had to go. Other traditions are must-keeps, such as putting up the ornaments on the tree as a family and reminiscing where and when we got each one. And then there is the opportunity to create new traditions. No matter what stage of life you are in, for this week’s Healthy Habit, let’s celebrate the idea of forging new traditions. Here are five ideas for how to swing it.
- Change the scenery. We usually do Christmas with extended family and this year instead spent Hanukkah in the desert with friends. I had no expectations, which is rare. I didn’t know the desert could be so quiet, or that you can hunt for crystals there. Throwing the usual holiday script out the window made it possible to experience the same time of year in an open and joyful spirit.
- Bail. One family I know is dealing with a difficult transition. So, for a recent holiday, they went to an amusement park, instead of trying to pretend things were okay and forcing everyone around a table. They had such a great time, with very short lines, that this may even become a new, beloved tradition.
- Stop Hosting. For perpetual hosts and entertainers, this can be hard, but you don’t need to play caterer every year. For example, if you usually do a New Year’s brunch and are tired of hosting, maybe you can meet up with those same friends for snowshoeing and hot cocoa instead.
- Start Hosting. Conversely, being responsible for a major occasion can feel extremely liberating, especially if you have never pulled it off before. Maybe there’s an older family member looking to pass the torch?
- Adopt. If you admire a tradition, give it a go! Just because one didn’t grow up Swedish, doesn’t mean one can’t start making a kettle of Glögg each year. We roll fresh oranges through the open door of our home on Chinese New Year. Some families have Taco Tuesdays. Traditions are part of what make life feel like a celebration, so add, subtract and edit yours in ways that feel meaningful and encouraging.
15 Conversation Starters for Parties
The good news is that everyone else feels awkward, too. Power through, connect, and congratulate yourself when you’re home. These icebreakers can help.
Dealing with Toxic Family Conflict
If you know there’ll be at least one toxic relative to face this holiday season, here’s seven ways to protect yourself and navigate your way forward as sanely and serenely as possible.
Seasons Greetings
Do you say, ‘Merry Christmas’ and risk the possibility of insulting a Zoroastrian? Or do you say, ‘Happy Holidays’ and risk the possibility of insulting a Christian? See Rabbi Rami’s answer.
A Guide to Giving
Spotlight Article: Longings and Belongings: Gift Giving Reflections
Advertising and displays are telling me that it’s almost gift-giving season. But before I jump into a gift-buying dash, I want to think a little more deeply about what gift-giving is all about. Robin Wall Kimmerer devotes an entire chapter in her book Braiding Sweetgrass to a discussion about the gift of strawberries. She speaks lovingly of wild strawberries as unexpected gifts “all wrapped in red and green.” She notes how wild strawberries—like so many other gifts from the natural world—are truly gifts, not commodities.
Kimmerer wraps her discussion about gifts around the idea of connections. A true gift, she says, creates an ongoing relationship. Can I take this idea and make gift giving a little more meaningful this year? Kimmerer differentiates between a gift exchange and an exchange of commodities. She also talks about longings. Commodities are things that can be bought and sold. Once we buy a commodity, it becomes something we own. We add it to our collection of belongings. With Kimmerer’s help, I’m now thinking about a possible connection between longings and belongings. We buy something; it belongs to us—or we give it to someone as a gift, and they add it to their belongings. To what extent do longings and belongings match? This question has, I believe, a lot to do with meaningful gift-giving. Keep reading ...
3 Gifts Too Big to Wrap
“Do you grieve the holidays’ material sheen, this season’s increasing status as a time to exchange costly objects? Might we also, or instead, consider giving precious but unwrappable gifts-of-the-spirit to our loved ones or even strangers or ourselves?” Read more.
8 Mindful Gifts
Meaningful gifts that speak to the passion—and sometimes the pain—of the receiver are often gifts that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Show you deeply understand and appreciate your loved ones with these eight gift ideas for the different personalities on your list.
5 Zero-Waste Gifts
S&H Staff Writer Julie Peters says: “I am notoriously hard to shop for. That’s mostly because I hate ‘stuff’—random crap you have to find a space for in your house that you’ll never use.” Rather than focusing on buying more stuff, Julie offers five ideas to honor loved ones with ethical and eco-conscious gifts.
Food, Recipes, and More
Spotlight Article: Feel Nourished Instead of Stuffed
It’s that time of year again; social calendars are full, eating out happens more often than not, and everywhere you turn there are treats to taste and decadent delights to indulge in. If the holidays usually leave you feeling overly full and over-indulgent, start the season with a deeper intention.
There is a certain amount of stress that happens when the holidays roll around every year. It could be that signs of Christmas pop up before we’ve even had a chance to digest Halloween, but nevertheless, it’s there, staring us in the face. We’re encouraged to shop too much, eat too much, and do too much. We can make a different choice though, and change our approach to the season.
Andrea Lieberstein, an expert in the field of mindful eating and author of Well Nourished, wants to help you find a healthier relationship with food. She explains that the core of this healing comes from acknowledging and nourishing all aspects of ourselves. She describes them as our eight bodies, and they include not just our physical, emotional, and psychological bodies, but also our spiritual, social, intellectual, and creative bodies, as well as our feeling of being connected to the world as a whole. Some of us use food to fill in the areas that we are neglecting, and according to Lieberstein, “The first step is shining the light of your awareness on how your life is now. What areas in your life are most undernourished?” Keep reading ...
Recipe: 11 Delicious (and Healthy) Baked Goods
Some of the best memories during the holidays are sparked by the smells that fill the house from the oven. Try these 10 mouthwatering recipes for healthier baked goods to get you into the holiday spirit.
Holiday Cocktails: 4 Wellness Spirits to Try
This has been a banner year for so-called “wellness spirits.” From keto-friendly natural wines to spirits spiked with herbs and botanicals, here are four of the more interesting finds.
Stop Holiday Binge Eating and Drinking
Rather than just numbing the pain, here are eight tricks to help you avoid overeating and drinking too much this season.
Recipe: Roasted Carrot Soup
Last but not least, there’s always room for soup. This vegan-friendly, subtly spicy roasted carrot soup with hazelnut and star anise will warm you to the bone.
Mindful Eating
With all the pies, cakes, rolls, and mashed potatoes, it’s easy to overdo it. Rather than stuffing yourself, learn how to make more intentional food choices this holiday season. Excerpt below
Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
You didn’t think we’d get through this list without sharing a couple of recipes, did you? Not to fear. Check out these 11 tasty vegan Thanksgiving recipes.
3 Herbal Fixes for Holiday Overindulgence
Sometimes, meditation and affirmations aren’t enough and you need to bring in back-up. Here are three herbal cures to help you deal with anything Thanksgiving dishes up.
Mental Health, Affirmations, and More
Spotlight Article: 3 Ways to Find Light When the Holidays Feel Dark
The holiday season is punctuated by festivities: parties, tidings of good cheer, and the word ‘happy’ tossed around like a hot potato. Many people love the holiday season; it provides a lift and literal light in the dark cold of winter. For a good many others, the holidays are a painful time, a reminder of who they are missing.
The holidays are a time of gathering; a gathering together of friends and family, celebrating traditions and rituals. This gathering however can recall loss in a deep and profound way. If you have lost someone you love in the past year, it feels raw and fresh, and for those who have lost loved ones in years past, this time can dredge up grief in a way that can feel shocking in its intensity.
Grieving and loss is such a personal experience. Honoring grief, and getting guidance and support for how to live with your loss is such an important part of continuing on. You don’t have to pretend to be joyful, but you can consciously choose to create some meaningful anchors of light. Here are some suggestions for bringing light into this season ... Keep reading ...
12 Affirmations for When the Holidays Go Awry
When Christmas carols start giving you headaches and you burn the sugar cookies, here are a dozen affirmations for holidays gone awry. Excerpt below
Tidings of ... Anger and Joy?
Own your anger this holiday season as you go forth into 2021 prepared to transform those emotions into positive, practical solutions for the new year. Read more here.
Holiday Insomnia Fixes
An expert in cognitive behavioral therapies targeting better sleep, Dr. Nicole Moshfegh, author of The Book of Sleep, provides six strategies to help you ward off sleeplessness during the holidays.
4 Herbal Cures for Christmas Crises
These simple, easy-to-find herbal remedies will help treat overindulgence, anxiety, tension, and lowered immune systems, all in time for the holidays.
Stop Tech From Hijacking the Holidays
Here are six ways to break the cycle of addition to our devices and bring back intention and thoughtfulness into technology use during the holidays.
4 Ways to Heal Old Wounds
Old wounds, small and large, often arise during this time of year. Here are four ways to help you move past them and look toward the future. Excerpt below
Get Into the Holiday Spirit
Remember the joy and excitement we used to experience as children during the holidays? Let’s bring the magic back! Use these 20 affirmations to help you return to the heart of Thanksgiving.
Holiday Self-Care
Spotlight Article: 7 Self-Care Tips During the Holidays
To the tune of “12 Days of Christmas,” if you will, please: “On the first day of Christmas, my 2016 brought to me, one trip to Denver, two holiday pageants, three potluck dinners, four elementary school projects, five great big boxes...” Why does everything have to happen in December? I know I’m not alone feeling frazzled and overwhelmed this time of year. For this week’s Healthy Habits, let’s pull down the oxygen mask and look at some methods for self-preservation.
- Create spaciousness in your day. Look for a tiny pocket of slow motion. Maybe that means choosing a yoga class instead of an intense weights and cardio session. Or take a 10-minute nap instead of vacuuming. The dust will still be there in January.
- Connect with the Divine. At this harried time of year, 15 minutes alone with your Spirit Source is not optional—it’s essential. Prayer, meditation, a walk in the woods; however you plug in, plug in. Your universal energy is there, waiting to restore you.
- Declutter. As the onslaught of new objects come into your home, make sure things are going out, too. This applies to gifts received, new decorations purchased, winter clothing added to the wardrobe, etc. One in, one out.
- Take a Sabbath. Some Christian faiths don’t work on Sundays; for the Jewish faith, Shabbat is from sundown on Friday to the appearance of the first three stars on Saturday evening. In some Muslim countries, Friday is a nonwork day, and for some Muslims, Friday is day for prayer. If it’s not a regular practice for you, you may find it challenging to take such a Sabbath day, but try it once this month, for rest and spiritual enrichment. Turn off the digital devices, skip the mall, spend some time with your family reading and cuddling.
- Nap for fun. Cozy up with the softest blankets and pillows you can find and make like a caterpillar in its cocoon.
- Ditch the obligation. Oh Nancy Reagan, you do come in handy here. “Just say no.” To putting up decorations you no longer love. To events you don’t have time for. To bringing the lasagna.
- Check in. This is especially important for parents and other caretakers. Ask yourself daily, “Are my needs being met?” If your lunch was Pringles and you are going on four hours of sleep, it’s time to step in, on your own behalf. There’s only one you. Be nice to you.
7 Anxiety Busters
Even if you love spending time with your family, the holidays can get tense. Though that extra glass of wine can also help with stress relief, try these seven tools to help you keep your cool through the chaos of the holidays.
DIY Skincare
Do you have skincare junkies in your life? These DIY recipes for toner, serum, body scrub, and lip balm will help you give the gift of good skin this holiday season.
Stretch It Out
You know the feeling: You’ve been stuck in a car for hours. You finally stop for gas and you gently unfold yourself from the seat. Standing up on your tiptoes and reaching for the sky feels awful and great at the same time. Stretch better. Here are five great stretches for a long car ride.
Plane Yogi
We wouldn’t dare leave out holiday airplane travelers! Sitting for a long time on planes can be hard on our systems. Get that kink out of your neck, relax those shoulders, and get the blood flowing with these five stretches for a long plane ride.
Managing Holiday Overwhelm
If we struggle to deal with everyday pressures, do we even have a shot at managing anxiety during stress-inducing holidays? Help is here. Learn how to vanquish anxiety and actually enjoy the holidays with these four strategies.
Be Thankful
In the midst of all that traveling, cooking, and cleaning, don’t forget the reason for the season is to give thanks. Use these four meditations to express gratitude for the bounty in your life this Thanksgiving.
Check this page throughout the season for more tips, advice, recipes, meditations, and more.
