Gifts To Give Yourself This Christmas
Amidst the Christmas rush, find time to pause and ask yourself what you truly need and deserve
Christmas time has always been a busy time for everyone.
For many, the Christmas shopping rush takes over, where we try to cram our long shopping list into the limited days we have off from work. For small business owners and entrepreneurs, this is high-peak season, where products and services are flying out the door because of high demand. For big families and friendly folks, it’s a time where your schedule is so packed with holiday get-togethers, catch-ups, and Christmas parties.
But amidst the rush and bustle of the holiday season, do we ever really find the time to just pause and reflect on what Christmas is really about?
Christmas is a time of thanksgiving, reflection, and peace. And more than physical gifts—which are still amazing gifts themselves—the true gifts that you can give yourself is the time to be grateful, an opportunity to reflect, and the gift of peace of mind.
Here are some nice gifts that you truly deserve to give yourself this Christmas.
Gift Guide for Yourself
Gift Guide for Yourself
Time to discover what you like
Did you know that a team of researchers from universities in Kansas, Pittsburgh, and Texas found that people who had hobbies had better physical health, had lower overall stress, and became more creative problem-solvers at work? So if you have a hobby, great! Make time this Christmas to pursue that hobby. But if you’re not yet sure what you’d like to make time for, you can start by finding out what you truly want to do with your spare time and energy. A good way to discover a hobby is by actively pursue that thing you’ve always thought about doing. You can look at your childhood, see what you mindlessly scroll through on social media, take a trial class or lesson, or go with friends who have a hobby! Maybe this Christmas, try to visit the newly opened roller rink at Fishermall Malabon to see if roller skating is for you. Maybe you can try yoga through Rianna Yoga’s “pay what you can” Fridays. Of if you want to try pottery, Tahanan Pottery has single-session pottery workshops. The world is full of possibilities—you just have to actively pursue something to find out if it’s really for you.
Photo Credit: Jacqueline Munguía/Unsplash
Peace of mind
Peace of mind sounds like an amazingly massive concept, but what we can actually strive for are little pockets of peaceful moments in our busy and noisy lives. Set aside a few minutes each day to meditate and really give yourself time to find and experience peace. If your mind is too noisy and you need some guidance, try the Calm App for free for guided meditation. If you like it enough, you can get the Calm Premium at a 40% off.
Photo Credit: Calm Premium
A warm cup of tea
They say tea has calming and relaxing properties—and we can’t agree more! A hot cup of freshly steeped tea can calm the nerves, soothe an upset stomach, or even give you enough energy to jumpstart your day. Whether you’re a tea aficionado or a tea novice, you’ll love this box of four Signature Loose-leaf Tea from Jacob’s Well: Matcha, Masala Chai, Jasmine Green Tea, and Pineapple Oolong. Just steep and serve. They also have authentic teaware to help turn you into a certified Tea-to or Tea-ta.
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A soothing bath
Make bath time a time for relaxation and turn your bathroom into a luxe spa experience with Lush Cosmetics' Snow Fairy gift set. This comes with their four most popular Snow Fairy products: shower gel, bath bomb, roll bubble bar, and body conditioner. Lush makes sure that pampering yourself doesn’t come with guilt, since all their boxes and ribbons for packaging are made from 100% recycled board and polyester, and all their products are vegan, cruelty-free, and ethically produced. In fact, if there’s a company who understands what peace of mind should be like, it’s Lush. As of November 21, Lush has pulled out of all social media platforms in an effort to support safe spaces, saying, “We wish to only use platforms and services that do their very best to protect users from harassment, harm, and manipulation.”
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A good night’s sleep
Sleep is such an understated luxury nowadays as most of us find ourselves compromising with as little sleep as possible to make time for the everyday grind. In reality, having a good amount of quality sleep will make all the difference for you physical, mental, and emotional health. It boosts the immune system, helps you stay at a healthy weight, puts you in a better mood, and lowers your risk for serious health problems. To make your sleep time so much better, upgrade your sleep situation with a luxurious silk pillow case from Lily and Adora. Silk pillowcases are gentler on the skin and is milder for your hair for optimum self-care.
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A good night’s sleep
Another way to improve your sleep is to make sleeping time the most comfortable, luxurious experience for you. Maybe not everyday, but at least during these most stressful and busy times. Invest in a nice silk night gown or a pair of pajamas from Private Storey to experience your best sleep yet.
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Invest in your health
A most important gift that you can give yourself as well is the gift of health. And while we all have different susceptibilities to illnesses and health problems, subscribing to a well-balanced diet and making time for regular exercise are sure-fire ways to keep your body and mind in top shape. To start you off, try Rebel’s free fitness app to start creating that sustainable exercise habit and find healthy recipes that will keep you full and energized throughout the day.
Photo Credit: Rebel
Light a candle
Don’t you love the mood and scent that envelops your room when you light a luxury candle? This Christmas, get yourself a delicious jar of roasted chestnuts and mulled wine for that perfect cozy night in. Soyphisticated Collection offers hand-poured soy candles to help you create that relaxing evening and atmosphere.
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Learn to say "no"
With all of the Christmas parties and invites rushing in, do you sometimes wish you can just take a step back and say no? Well, grant your own personal wish and just learn to draw that boundary. If you need some help on how to psych yourself into saying no or how to find ways to say no without hurting other people’s feelings, check out this podcast on “The Raw Power of Saying No” by Modern Mastery on Spotify.
Photo Credit: Modern Mastery With Dan Koe
Practice gratitude
Sometimes, it’s so hard to convince ourselves that we’re happy and satisfied when our lives are constantly filled with challenges, frustrations, and difficult people. So when we’re tired, stressed, or unhappy, we usually turn outwards and seek for things and people to make us happy. We look for comfort food, we want to book a vacation, we want to buy something that we think will make us happy. But ironically, running after the concept of happiness itself can actually make you less happy because when you do this, you focus on what you don’t have. Instead of doing this, when you cultivate gratitude and practice being grateful on a constant basis, you are reminded of what you already have—and should give you that feeling of joy. This Christmas, start the habit of writing in a gratitude journal. Love & Light Co.’s newest Joy of Pursuit Planner will let you cultivate a stronger discipline of gratitude and intentional joy, so you can be reminded everyday of what matters the most.
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Get a massage
If you’re still unsure about going out because of the threat of the Omicron variant, let the relaxation come to you instead! Did you know that muscle tension is almost a reflex reaction to stress? So if your Christmas time is highly stressful, this is the time to let go of all that tension built up in your body. Book a home massage and let your worries, stresses, and body pains be swept away by Massage MNL’s capable massage experts.
Photo Credit: Massage MNL
Spread compassion
Since Christmas time is really about sharing and thanksgiving, have you made time to share your blessings with those who are less fortunate? Caritas Philippines is the humanitarian, development, and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, and recently launched their Alay Kapwa legacy programs to continue providing aid, food security, and education to the vulnerable members of the society. You can pledge your monetary donations and help send children to school, feed the hungry, and heal the suffering through their online donation portals.
Photo Credit: Caritas Philippines
Learn to forgive and let go
Since it’s the end of the year, it’s possible that you will find yourself overwhelmed with feelings of guilt about how little you did this year or feelings of frustration towards people who got in the way of your happiness or success. Instead of dwelling on these negative feelings, the best gift you can give yourself is the freedom to let go. Help yourself find peace, health, and lightness of spirit through Meredith Hooke’s self-help book, “Get Let Forgiveness Set You Free: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Letting Go of the Pain & Finding Peace,” which comes with journal prompts and self-assessment exercises to help you truly find the key to forgiveness and freedom.
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