The Christmas season often draws our attention to giving gifts wrapped in paper, tied with colorful ribbons, and placed beneath a tree. Yet perhaps this time of year invites a quieter reflection: what might we choose to give up, for the benefit of ourselves and those around us?
I recall a moment that stayed with me deeply. A niece of mine, once asked her young daughter what she wanted for Christmas. Shyly, almost hesitantly, the child replied, “I want mommy to stop getting angry and crying.”
Those words went straight to her heart. She held her daughter close and gently promised that she would try. In that instant, the child’s face brightened and she said, with certainty, “Then I already have the best present for Christmas.”
Life presents each of us with different challenges. Some meet them with grace and calm, others, worn down by their own struggles, respond with resistance and intensity. None of us are spared of these circumstances. What we often forget, however, is that we are not the sole witnesses to our inner storms.
We live and move among others – children, partners, friends, colleagues – who are quietly shaped by how we respond to life. Our words, moods, and reactions ripple outward, forming memories and influencing wellbeing, for better or for worse. Mindfulness of this impact is not about perfection, but awareness.
Perhaps this season, the greatest gift is not something wrapped, but something released – anger softened, impatience surrendered, harshness replaced with understanding. It is also a great time for the gentle act of forgiveness – of our own shortcomings, and of others who may have caused us discomfort, knowingly or not. When we choose gentleness within, we create a calmer, safer space for those around us.
Most importantly, is remembering to give to ourselves. A Christmas gift to self like time – unstructured and unmeasured. It may be rest without guilt, stillness without thoughts, and staying in a safe space to simply be.
This kind of self-care which does not require devices, schedules, or effort. That all it asks for, is to live in the moment. To listen to the body, honor the mind needs – allow your whole being to recalibrate. In a culture that celebrates constant doing, choosing to pause becomes an act of wellness.
When rest is neglected, stress accumulates quietly, often expressing itself later as emotional or physical or mental strain and exhaustion. When it is tended and honored, balance and harmony is restored – within ourselves and the relationships we touch.
For however you move in life, however boldly or gently you glide, you leave an imprint. Each word, each gesture, each intention, each day – you impact the world in ways both seen and unseen. Namaste.
