🎁 Finding More Joy in the Holidays
As the Halloween candy wrappers get thrown away, I start to feel that familiar mix of excitement and stress that comes with the holidays. For many years, I carried that tension right into Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. I wanted to feel joy — and I did at times — but it always seemed buried under the to-do lists, the pressure, and the expectations.
A few years ago, I decided something needed to change. I wanted to actually enjoy the season again — to feel peace, to feel grounded, and to find joy in the middle of it all.
That’s what inspired me to create my 12 Tips for More Holiday Joy class.
Today, I’ll share three of those tips with you.
🌿 Keep Your Spiritual Routines (Even if You Simplify Them)
The holidays can sweep us up fast, so one of the best gifts you can give yourself is to stay connected to your spiritual routine.
Even a few minutes a day can make a huge difference.
Your “spiritual routine” might include things like prayer, meditation, grounding, shielding, writing, moving your body, or reading something uplifting. I call these my M-Powers — and you don’t have to do all of them every day!
Even one or two small moments of stillness can ripple peace through your whole day.
So maybe instead of skipping your morning grounding or meditation, just shorten it.
Do one minute instead of ten.
The goal is connection, not perfection.
💛 The Art of Saying No
This one was a game-changer for me. The holidays come with so many invitations — parties, service projects, recitals, cookie exchanges. All of them can be good things, but not all of them are your things.
So before you say yes, pause.
Ask yourself:
👉 “How much joy or meaning will this bring to me or my family?”
If it’s not at least an eight or nine on your joy scale, it’s okay to say no.
You don’t have to justify it. You’re protecting your peace.
And when you do say yes, do it with intention.
Before heading to that gathering, take a deep breath and choose how you want to feel — calm, connected, joyful, lighthearted.That little pause can shift everything.
🌟 Live with Intention
One of my favorite practices before the holidays is to make a short list of what truly matters to me this year.
Then I look at each activity and ask, “Does this align with our family’s needs right now?”
Sometimes that means scaling back.
Sometimes it means letting others help.
And sometimes it means choosing rest over rushing.
When you intentionally decide what you’re saying yes to — and why — the joy naturally expands.
✨ Wrapping It All Together
As you prepare for the season ahead, remember this:
Joy doesn’t come from a perfectly decorated house or a packed calendar.
It comes from those sacred little moments of stillness, connection, and gratitude that you choose to make space for.
So take a deep breath, simplify where you can, and let peace be the gift you unwrap first this year.
You can do this — one intentional moment at a time.
💫
If you’d like more tools like these, you can join my newsletter — I’m sharing a special coupon for half off my full 12 Tips for More Holiday Joy class AND a way to access the class for free. 🙂
