A FB post about the beauty and impact of practicing hospitality.
Ta Da – 12 Drummers Drumming!!
Bet you thought I forgot didn’t you? Nope, I’m just marching to the beat of my own drummer. One of the objectives of this challenge has been to encourage myself, my son, and you to look at the holiday season from a different perspective. In our fast-paced world it’s so easy to fall victim to an all-or-nothing mindset, and for those of us with a tendency to think rigidly the joy of the season can be almost non-existent. However, learning to create our own definition of what the holiday season looks like sets us free. Freedom from the pressure to comply with others’ timelines, protocols, or etiquette. In fact, as of January 7th I still have my Christmas tree decorated, I’m watching holiday shows, listening to holiday music, and I’m working on my goals and plans for 2020 at my own pace. Just because it’s the end of the first week of January and I don’t have my goals/resolutions clearly defined, or my vision board complete, doesn’t mean I’ve failed. I’m just taking my time to enjoy the beauty of this season, give myself some grace, and ignore what everyone else is doing and live my unique life. I encourage you to grab a cup (or pot) of your favorite tea while you reflect on what you’ve learned from this challenge, and consider your goals for 2020. Cheers!
Eleven Pipers Piping
One of the things I love about the holiday season is listening to music – classic Christmas songs, jazz, Celtic, even rock, or R&B. Music is a powerful tool for improving your mood and level of energy. I don’t see anything wrong with listening to Christmas music throughout the year! Any music that cheers you up or prompts you to sing along is good for your soul. Make a soothing cup of tea to sip while you enjoy this little playlist of festive music through Amazon Prime. Cheers!
Christmas Music 365 – Go For It
If for some reason the link doesn’t work, here’s a screenshot of the playlist so you can recreate it through your preferred music player.
10 Lords a Leaping
OMlord, it’s the 10th Day of Christmas, how are you doing? It would be wonderful to hear how some of the challenges have gone for you, please comment below 🙂
In reviewing my list of what Christmas means to me from the first two days (12 Days of Christmas Challenge, 2nd Day of Christmas – Challenge Accepted?), one of the things I love to do is give thoughtful gifts. When I discovered this beautiful hand warmer mug* my heart leapt! This would be a perfect gift for my mom. She loves tea/coffee and struggles with Raynaud’s syndrome, her fingers could slip inside the pocket to help keep them warm. (Plus there are several other colors available.) Valentine’s Day is another perfect holiday to show someone and yourself (not just your sweetheart) some love. I challenge you to always be looking for a way to express that you care about others AND yourself. It could be a simple note/text/message, the more personally you link the sentiment or gift to the recipient the more impact it’ll make.
Cheers!
* Note: this is an Amazon affiliate link – which means if you purchase I will receive a small commission. Using the link will not affect your price, it’s the same regardless. Thank you for your support! I love doing research and sharing with others so getting a little something in return is like icing on the cake. 🙂
9 Ladies Dancing
We all feel better when we get our bodies moving, what’s your favorite way to get exercise? Mine is dancing! On this 9th Day of Christmas I’m challenging you to not only get some physical activity today, but every day. Even if it’s just 20 minutes, exercise does wonders for our mental well-being.
Two of my favorite things, tea and dancing! ❤
On the 8th Day of Christmas – Happy New Year!
2020 has arrived; I encourage you to milk it for all its’ worth 🙂
A good place to start is by sipping your favorite tea while answering the following questions:
- What 3 places would you like to visit in 2020?
- What are 2 ways that you can help others?
- What is 1 thing you’d like to get better at this new year?
- What are 2 things you’d like to try in 2020?
- What are 3 things you want to try this year?
7th Day of Christmas, Can You Say Ambivalence?
The 31st of December always feels awkward; should we be sad, excited, regretful, hopeful – the day is full of contradictions. How nice would it be to gracefully glide like a swan (or 7) into the new year. Maybe our journey won’t be smooth, easy, or ideal but the good news is… we can adjust our expectations. So often we get stuck in rigid, black-and-white thinking, anticipating that things must go this way or that way for the year to end or start off well. Guess what? The quality of our life isn’t defined by what happens to us, it is defined by how we view it. We’ve all met people who have significant challenges in their lives but somehow see the glass as half full, instead of half empty, right? So can we, it is just a matter of choosing to focus on the good in life, instead of the negative.
So as the swan song for 2019 is sung I challenge you to ask yourself the following questions:
What were my 2 favorite memories of 2019?
What are 3 things I’m grateful for?
What was 1 hard lesson learned in 2019?
What is 1 thing I did in 2019 that I’m proud of?
Cheers!
Day 6 of Christmastide
Is your spirit animal the goose; are you wanting to take flight and escape to a more hospitable climate? Maybe you have the opportunity to do that but most of us don’t. What can you do instead to help you feel excited and adventurous during this time of year, or anytime? Here are a few simple ideas:
- Be a tourist in your town – plan an outing to a place you’ve never visited, or haven’t in a long time
- Invite a friend, family member, or neighbor for a cup of tea & use the special cups! (I’m even including a printable invitation for you in this post.)
- Take a hike/walk/bike ride in a beautiful setting
- Read something just for pleasure
- Write down three things for which you’re grateful
- Paint your nails a color you wouldn’t usually wear
- Stretch your muscles (there are tons of videos on YouTube if you need help)
What other suggestions do you have?
Cheers!
5th Day of Christmas – Grace is Golden
Thank you for being here, I appreciate you!
I’m behind schedule on my blogging efforts, which is tough to face as I, like many people, struggle with perfectionism. My son also has this trait. It’s painful to watch someone you love tear themselves apart when what you see in them is so inspiring. It’s taken me a LONG time to accept that grace is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. On this 5th Day of Christmas I challenge you to give yourself grace… It’s ok if you haven’t done all the things you planned/hoped/wanted to do, it really is!!
4th Day of Christmas – Calling Birds
Today let’s take action on one of the examples from yesterday – call someone. Not text or email but actually have a voice conversation – over the phone, Skype, in person doesn’t matter – just connect! It needn’t be a long discussion, but something of substance. Ask them how they’re doing and share with them what’s going on in your life, talk about your plans for 2020. I challenge you to make some notes on how you felt before AND after the chat; I’d bet that despite your personality type (introvert/extrovert) you feel a little better after connecting. Cheers to you today on this 4th Day of Christmas 🙂
Read 'em and Steep™ 