Ooh, I do love a good book! I was gifted this book for Christmas last year, and have finally read it. I 'save' gardening books for the winter, when I spend less time gardening. They act as a replacement for the 'doing' of gardening. I am already thinking of who else would enjoy reading this, and who to gift it to.
Christmas this year will not be ‘as usual’ for many of us. In the UK, over 90% of us are living in Tier 2 and Tier 3 Restrictions because of Covid-19. Some of us are embracing the relaxations over Christmas, but many of us are choosing to stay home, stay safe, and follow the guidelines of Professor Chris Whitty and the World Health Organisation instead. So, how can we ‘do’ Christmas when Christmas will be so different?
I would suggest that we think about what the Heart Of Christmas is for us individually or as a household. Then, we can think about how we can celebrate this. For me, the heart of Christmas is love. Christmas is my opportunity to celebrate God’s love for the world, and my love for my nearest and dearest. We tend to do this by gift-giving, shared meals, and spending time together. Of these, the latter is the most important, and the one we will not be doing.
What we can do is think about how we express our love, and what that looks like for a Covid Christmas. One thing we will still do in our household, is have a shared meal. If we think about the 5 love languages, this ticks all the boxes! Let me share how:
The love language of the Yorkshire Pudding:
Acts of Service: I have made you a Yorkshire Pudding
Gifts: It’s for you
Physical Touch: Please take it
Quality Time: Let’s eat it together
Words of Affirmation: I love sharing Yorkshire Puddings with you
Thinking about what our love language is, and how we can express this in Lockdown is one way for us to reframe Christmas.
Finally, I want to encourage you with two things.
Firstly, research shows that gifting benefits the giver's wellbeing and mood, more than it does the recipient.
My second encouragement is that 'thank you' letters are more positively impactful on the receiver, than the sender thinks.
My suggestion, tying these two things together, is to send a 'thank you' as a gift this Christmas. My top tips are:
Be specific: "Thank you that..."
Give examples: "When you..."
Say why it impacted you: "Because..."
Be comfortable with the process:
If you are a wordsmith, a letter may be a good approach.
If you prefer to say how you feel, maybe recording a video would work for you.
If you prefer to express yourself creatively, image-making via drawing, collage or a mood board may suit you.
Speak from the heart, with authenticity.
Have you given or received a 'thank you' gift? I'd love to hear about it! Comment below 👇.
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