It's a Sign

Sweet sign seen at Wanderlust

Love Yourself

Whether you do yoga or not you use your body every day. Even if you're a paraplegic - your body is working to support you all the time. Our bodies do so much for us nonstop. Our feet support us, our hips tolerate the torture of chairs, our stomachs turn food into usable bits, and our hearts work nonstop since shortly after conception. That is amazing. When is the last time you showed your body some appreciation?

We ask so much of our bodies - take some time today to give something back. Especially if you've been taking out some particularly harsh self-thoughts on it. Maybe indulge in something tasty, get a massage, take a long bath, go barefoot, do a restorative practice, take a nap, or just give yourself a hug.

You deserve it.

An Offering to the Animals

It's only 2 days 'til Christmas and I wanted to share a little something I've done the last couple years. I originally read this idea in Yoga Journal, but it seemed perfect for me so I adopted it for myself. Someone wrote about hanging dried fruit, popcorn garlands, etc... on the trees outside of their home on Christmas for the local wildlife to enjoy. I liked this idea because I'm all about being kind to the locals. Last year I did this once a week for the entire month of December - this year I shortened it a bit.

What I do:
Buy a couple apples and oranges - slice them thin and dry them in the oven. Let them sit overnight. The next day, pop a little hole in them and hang them on strings. Maybe 3 slices per string 'cause I don't want to use a TON of string. Hang them all over the trees, bushes and clothesline outside. Watch the birds and squirrels be merry for the next few days until the squirrels hoarde them all.

Get the most plain rice cakes possible that don't have anything creepy like high fructose corn syrup in them. Pop a nice hole in them - Throw some string in it, so I can hang it later. Coat both sides of it in a thin-ish layer of peanut butter - coat THAT in a mixture of bird seed and oats. Hang all over the trees, bushes, and clothesline. Watch to see if it makes it through a single day before the squirrels cart them away. (I swear they have squirrel wheel barrows they fill with my treats).

I then sprinkle a little birdseed throughout the yard and leave little piles in a couple spots.This year I also added pots of raw peanuts (in shell) and raisins. I do all these things until I'm out of ingredients. Mostly the rice cakes and birdseed - because I certainly don't eat them.

Once the holiday is over and I take down my tree - I put the popcorn garland on the outside tree. It looks adorably festive. (Occasionally throughout this whole thing - go retrieve the strings because really - it's trash).

Christmas Spirit

Maybe you're thinking all this focus on gift giving is getting to be too much. There are certainly many ways to celebrate Christmas and/or winter without focusing on material things. I get really into Christmas. My landlord came by recently and commented on how "someone was ready for Christmas". I love Christmas and I find ways to squeeze my holiday spirit into every nook and cranny of the day. Here are a few ways you can enjoy the season without risking life and limb in a Black Friday stampede.

Drink Hot Chocolate -
Go ahead, add some marshmallows. Drinking hot chocolate certainly doesn't celebrate spring or summer. It's definitely a wintery activity. I don't know anyone other than me that will drink hot chocolate in July when it's 90 degrees.

Play Christmas Music -
There are Christmas songs by almost every single musician out there. I have a collection of music that includes Frank Sinatra, Tenacious D, South Park, and Cheech & Chong to name a few. Music creates a mood, so just play it in the background all day. I have a rule in my house that if I'm doing something Christmassy - Christmas music must be playing.

Sing Along -
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." - Buddy the Elf

Make paper snowflakes -
You don't have to be "good" at it. They're fun and easy to make if you don't mind the disapproval of trees. I hang them from the ceiling, tape them to the windows, and add some of them to my gift wrapping. I've been reusing the same snowflakes for at least 5 years because they store well and can just keep being re-hung. Here's a Martha Stewart How-To if you don't remember how to make them.

Watch Christmas Movies -
My favorites are Elf, Love Actually, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated one), The Polar Express, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and right now I'm kinda into Bad Santa. It doesn't have to be all sweet to count - Gremlins is technically a Christmas movie.

Host/Attend a Potluck -
If you've been in the yoga community very long - then you know yogis love a potluck. They're the epitome of gathering and sharing - what's more yogic or Christmas embodied than that?

Bake a Sweet Treat -

Whether for giving away or gobbling immediately - baking is a fun family-friendly way to celebrate. Bonus - it adds even more heat to your home on frosty days. I love to bake, but I usually send my creations to work with my husband for everyone to enjoy.

Practice Kindness -
dandee has been on a journey of 30 Days of Kindness - focusing on one specific act of kindness each day. It's so simple, yet how often do we bother to follow through with small acts that can make someone else smile?

Did I leave out one of your favorite activities? Tell me in the comments!

Photo Source: All of them came from Dos Family - a Swedish blog that I adore year round.

5 Steps to Great Gifts

My mom is a Jehovah's Witness - she doesn't celebrate things like birthdays, Christmas, or well - anything. I have built from that - an abnormal focus on celebrating things and giving gifts. Gift Giving is like a mission to me. I seem to take it upon myself to make sure no one feels like someone doesn't give a damn.  All that being said - I'd rather get No Gift, than a Bad Gift. Bad gifts make me uncomfortable. You? If it's "the thought that counts" - a truly bad gift shows that no real thought was put into it.

If you want to be a famously good gift-giver - When shopping for gifts try to remember these tips:

Experiences are remembered far longer than "things" -
Do you remember how you felt when you received that meaningless item on your shelf? Do you even know where it came from? Is it even yours? Experience gifts - a yoga class, a trip, a massage, going to the theatre, cuddling by the fire with hot cocoa... all things that will be remembered and much appreciated.


If it's edible, you can't go wrong -
People love gifts they can eat. It won't go to waste. Someone will eat it and love it. It shows effort and appreciation to bake someone a gift. You can taste the love in each bite. Unless of course they have a lot of food allergies - then steer clear of the food thing.

The gift is not for you -
When looking for gifts, think about what that person's interests are. Think back to conversations you've had, things they wear, things just like what they buy but more "fancy", and things they would get if they were more selfish.  The best gifts are the ones that make someone feel listened to - like someone really KNOWS you. You don't have to like it. Definitely avoid buying a gift because YOU like it - regardless of the fact that they've never shown any interest in such a thing. Once, someone bought me a gift I HATED. HATED IT. Ranted to my friend about how much I hated it. Later - she was seriously considering getting me The Exact Same Thing. Um why?

Expensive does not equal Good -
I don't care if your baby seal skin rug cost a million dollars - I still won't like it. It will probably make me cry. On the other hand if you got a free scarf, but knew I wanted it - I'd still love it.

It's okay to ask -
If all else fails - ask them to provide you with a list. Santa gets a list - why not you? Nothing is worse than getting a gift that immediately makes you think - "How long do I have to keep this before I can give it away?" Especially if the terrible gift was expensive. Avoid being the bad gifter and get a list.