It’s that time of the year… Festively decorated houses, gridlock mall parking lots, free 2-day shipping (for us Amazon Prime Members), receiving packages, etc. In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, it is so easy to forget what Christmas should really be all about. 
So, using the “Holiday To-Do List” that I saw on-line (I recreated the photo on the left), I decided to personalize each point:
1. Buy Presents Be Present
My love language is Receiving Gifts. This doesn’t mean that you can buy my friendship. It just means a lot to me when a family member or a friend gets me something (it could be a box of Altoids) because it reminded them of me. It shows that they were thinking about me. But because receiving gifts is my love language, I tend to default to giving gifts to show my appreciation and love (that’s probably one of the reasons why I do a monthly giveaway to my newsletter subscribers who have purchased a copy of my book). I want to work on being more present in these last few days we have left in 2019.
2. Wrap Gifts Wrap Someone in a Hug
This one sounded a little cheesy to me at first, but I started thinking about how you just don’t know what kind of day someone is having. Some time this year, my husband Shawn saw a homeless man near his office as he was walking to his car. The homeless man asked for help, and Shawn gave him all the cash he had in his wallet (we generally don’t carry cash, so the fact that he had some was unusual); but what impacted the man more than the money was the fact that Shawn spent a few minutes talking to him afterwards, and he gave the man a hug before he got in his car and drove home. I want to work on making people feel special with a hug the way Shawn made that homeless man feel that day.
3. Send Gifts Give Love
Because we live on the opposite coast as our extended families, we send a lot of gifts during this time of the year. But how much love am I giving during this holiday season? Am I taking the time to make sure I’m loving people the way they feel loved (not everybody’s love language is going to be Receiving Gifts). I want to make sure I take the time to figure out what my friends and family’s love languages are so that I can give love the way they will feel loved.
4. Shop for Food Donate Food
I must admit, I have not done a great job at donating food. I mean, I feed all of my daughter’s friends when they come over (it’s amazing how much food teenagers can consume), so sometimes I feel like I’m donating food to them! But seriously speaking, I know there are people in my community who may need extra help with food during the holidays. In fact (as I’m writing this), I just remembered a friend who can probably use assistance with food this season. I will reach out to her today to make sure she and her family have food to enjoy this week.
5. Make Cookies Make Time for Others
I tend to like being alone. I like going to bookstores alone, and I even enjoy having a meal at a fancy restaurant alone. Not that I’m anti-social; I just enjoy “ME TIME” because that’s how I recharge (yes, spoken like a true introvert). But this holiday season, I’ve been making plans with friends that have been wanting to spend time with me (and vice versa). As I get older, I desire memories more than material things.
6. See the Lights Be the Light
This is a big one. In order to be the light, I need to be shining. And in order to shine, I need to be intentional about walking in my authenticity. I find myself wanting to get lazy and hibernate as the weather gets colder and life gets more hectic. I need to make sure I go back to my Why’s.
I hope that this has inspired you to make your own Holiday To-Do List that goes beyond the hustle and bustle of Christmas!
With Gratitude,
Jheni Solis Wellness 