I enjoyed a Peaceful Christmas.
The School of Peace “Holiday Medicine” strategies I recommended two weeks ago for coping with the approaching Holiday Season must have worked!
I did a few things differently that really paid dividends:
- I arranged a girlfriend retreat over the Solstice (just prior to Christmas.) Perfect for putting me in a relaxed and present state of mind. I’ve known these wonderful women for going on 30 years. In our time together we always enjoy wonderful playful rituals along with deep conversation. This time: Goddess Cards and Spirit Stones helping us reflect and divine direction, collages to give form and color to our intentions. One among us is a master at creating “traveling altars,” and she brought solstice finery with her. All together it connected and grounded me, preparing me to be fully present for a peaceful Christmas.
- We said “yes” to an invitation to join friends as they celebrated their extended family Christmas Eve (including turkey feast and gift opening). I enjoyed the lights, the food, the hubbub, watching others open gifts… all things I have rejected in my own Christmas celebrations over the past twenty years. This was delightful ritual without personal emotional cargo. It wasn’t my family—it was easy to see all the good and none of the bad!
- Enjoyed an exceptionally Peaceful Christmas:Before driving home from our 2-day hotel stay in Seattle, we wandered the (closed) University Village (an outdoor shopping mall). We had the window displays, the sidewalks, and the parking lots all to ourselves!We took a walk in the University of Washington Botanical Gardens—essentially wetlands preserve, filled with birdlife (also boasts beavers and coyotes, neither of which we saw). It’s within view of the 520 Bridge—a toll highway crossing over Lake Washington from Seattle to Bellevue. 520 is usually jammed.
How unique and peaceful to be in Seattle on a day when the roads were so very empty! Like going back in time 30 years!
I finished the day feeling peaceful and refreshed.
Very different from what had become my typical post-holiday state: feeling disappointed, deflated, and isolated.
In an effort to avoid the old Christmas holiday emotional traps, I had been making a new emotional trap.
I’m sure you’ve never done anything like that! (grin!) If you know how to help yourself feel peaceful at Christmas, you’ve got a good thing going!
Coach’s Challenge:
Leave me a comment below, and tell me about your Christmas. Was it a Peaceful Christmas? What did you do (or think, or feel) that made it work for you?