The Mindful Christmas Challenge: 7 Days to a More Fun and Mindful Christmas!
Welcome to The Mindful Christmas Challenge!
I’m so excited about this challenge because Christmas can be such a fun and meaningful time, but by consciously going about it more mindfully, we can add more intention, slowness and presence to it!
By creating this challenge, I also wanted to make a space for people doing mindful Christmas activities together (albeit virtually!), so if you’re feeling a little lonely or sad at this time of year, I hope it will be a nice thing you can enjoy doing with us.
Day One (18th Dec): Make a Christmas card and write a kind note inside
You can have fun getting a little creative with this activity, but it can also be a really simple thing to do! Try doing simple drawings, using tape or coloured paper, re-purposing old Christmas wrappings or tags, or make a paper snowflake to stick on the card.
Notice all the different colours and textures of the materials and let go of any judgement about your creation. It can be easy to compare, but just try to enjoy the process and the intention; to show someone you care.
When your card is finished, write a meaningful note on the inside. Try focusing on fun memories you’ve had with the person you’re writing to, why they are important to you, things you’re looking forward to with them and the qualities they have that you appreciate.
Day Two (19th Dec): Do a random act of kindness and notice how it feels
Christmas is a great opportunity to do random acts of kindness and to help make a difference for others.
You could donate to a charity (or ask someone to donate for you in lieu of a Christmas gift), give away items you don’t need anymore, bake Christmas treats for your friends, send a thoughtful letter to a loved one, volunteer your time to help others, or leave a surprise gift for someone.
Day Three (20th Dec): Wrap a gift mindfully
There are so many wonderful ways to wrap gifts and it can be a really fun (and mindful!) thing to do.
You could look for wrapping inspiration online, select the materials you’ll be using to wrap, colour-coordinate your wrapping paper and set aside some time (perhaps with a nice drink, music playing and a helping hand).
Pay attention to the actual process of wrapping; placing the gift in the right place, folding the edges of the paper, sticking them down, tying the ribbon… You can immerse yourself in all these little steps for a simple mindfulness practice!
Day Four (21st Dec): Make a delicious Christmas treat
Today’s challenge is to make a delicious Christmas treat! Even if it’s just a hot chocolate with a few marshmallows, try creating something mindfully by exploring the smells, looks and textures of the different ingredients.
Here are some exciting Christmas treats you could try:
White chocolate dipped Christmas cookies
Frosted holiday Mint MnM Brownie
Another option is to buy undecorated Christmas treats (like cookies, muffins, or Gingerbread people) and decorate them yourself!
Day Five (22nd Dec): Go on a Christmas lights adventure
Take a walk around your neighbourhood, go for a drive, head down to a shopping centre, or even just sit and enjoy the lights on your own Christmas tree for an exciting, mindful adventure!
Enjoy all the different colours, characters, lights, music and patterns. While I’m not a huge Christmas decorator myself, I love appreciating the amazing light displays other people create and seeing all the wonderful ideas and creativity brought to life.
Day Six (23rd Dec): Take a Christmas photo
Taking photos is a wonderful way to bring yourself into the moment. For this activity, you could set up a family photo of yourself and your loved ones, create a Christmas flat-lay, or take photos of your loved ones getting ready for Christmas (cooking, wrapping, or spending time together).
Day Seven (24th Dec): Spend time with the people (or animals!) you love
This might be the simplest of all the mindful challenges, but it has to be my favourite! Christmas can sometimes be a busy and overwhelming time, but at the end of the day, it’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time with people we care about.
Make a conscious effort to let go of preparing and organising and just allow sometimes to just be with your friends and family on Christmas Eve.
You could listen to music, eat food together, talk about your favourite times of the past year or what you’re grateful for, do a random act of kindness together, or do some fun Christmas activities.
I hope you enjoy taking part in this mindful Christmas challenge and I’d just like to wish you a safe, happy and fun holiday!
Also, be sure to check out episode 108 of The Mindful Kind podcast and episode 5 of The Mindful Kind Video Blog for some of my personal experiences with this challenge when I first ran it in 2017.
