This holiday season, consider being more mindful about your gifts. Christmas gift exchanges and traditions can range from being burdensome and anxiety-filled to exciting and joyful. Whether you are travelling for the holidays or are spending it here, your emotions and stress level towards gift giving are intertwined with your current finances, your mental health and the feelings you truly harbor on the topic, deep inside.
Your perception surrounding holiday gift-giving is largely influenced by your past experiences, which in turn determines whether someone finds the practice meaningful and authentic or superficial and unauthentic. Many may even have conflicting sentiments about it too. In some cases, people feel obligated to participate even if they are not entirely sure about it and others put themselves into a stressful state by self-inflicted holiday gifting unreasonable targets. In both cases, the fear of being judged guilts the person into it.
So, this holiday season, I invite you to ask yourself these questions and it will, hopefully, help you identify and redefine your relationship with holiday gift-giving, making it more aligned with how you truly feel.
Ask yourself…What are my core values when it comes to gift-giving? What are my past experiences with gift-giving? How does gift-giving make me feel? What is the true meaning of the holidays for me? Can I find alternative ways to express my love and appreciation for others?
You can finish this exercise by compiling a list of people you joyfully, genuinely and wholeheartedly wish to gift and one for those that feel obligatory. In either case, be mindful of your gift-giving. You are already spending your energy, time and resources on it. You might as well make it meaningful while you are at it.
Chances are, you already know a lot about the person you are about to give to. A little thought goes a long way. Also, consider supporting our local entrepreneurs and artists with unique and handmade gifts. Big box stores have an abundance of generic, mass-produced trinkets for the holidays. For something different check out local markets and art shops. This not only helps promote the local economy but also gives you access to products not found online or at the mall.
If you are pressed for time and are looking for some recommendations, I suggest checking out Pez Pirata. Co-founder Karen, from Oaxaca, started a company with Hannah, who she met in La Paz. They create accessories designed for people who share their passion for water sports. These include ponchos that make it easy to change quickly on a boat and keep warm after a dive, neoprene straps for masks, sun- and wind-protective hats and more. They take pride in combining thoughtful design with practicality, creating items that are not only functional but also unique to their vision. To connect with them, reach out on Whatsapp at: +52 155 4957 3081
For more of my work, visit: www.naailahauladin.com
