5 Easy Projects to Rediscover Your Christmas Spirit

Life’s busy, and it gets even more busy toward the end of the year. As the calendar switches to December, the demands on our time seem to double overnight. From the catch-ups with old colleagues and office Christmas parties, to trying to get something personal and meaningful (and appropriately priced) for everyone on your list, to trying to tie up everything at work while planning travel arrangements for the family, while juggling the usual life to-do list. Quite simply, it can all just be a bit much, and what should be a happy time of year with friends and family can turn into a burden to ‘get through’ as quickly as possible so life can return to normal.

It’s a shame though. Consumerism aside, there are so many good things about the Christmas holidays, regardless of your faith. It teaches gratefulness and giving, and it strengthens social connection, which are all scientifically proven to increase your happiness and mental wellbeing.

Christmas is also the perfect time to dust off those craft supplies, or buy some new ones, and immerse yourself in an activity for a few hours while creating something for others.

The good news is that it doesn’t take much to re-centre yourself and start feeling those Christmas happy vibes. In positive psychology, the state of flow, coined by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1975, is when a person is fully immersed in performing an activity that gives them a feeling of energized focus, full involvement and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

So, find your flow! Here are five easy and cheap homemade gift ideas to help you find your Christmas mojo and rediscover your appreciation of the festive season.

Self-Care Box

If you have friends who are going through a tough time, or who might have to spend Christmas alone, what better way to show you care than making them a self-care box. Charleigh at Charleighwrites recently posted a few ideas you could try.

Mason Jars Succulent Box

Why not build a box filled with a selection of budding plants. This versatile gift will brighten up someone special’s place or it’s also a relatively safe gift for someone you don’t know well. LifeStorageBlog has a great tutorial for making these, and it’s a great way to reuse old glass jars.

Flavoured Vodka

Throughout the year, keep all your empty glass bottles and jars so you can make some flavoured vodka gifts bottles. These are great as economical thank you gifts during the festive season for all those parties you’ll be going to! Make sure you also create your own bespoke label for your new vodka inventions, so people know what’s in there. Check out this GoodFood article for tips.

Scented Candles

Candles are another easy and cheap project you can tackle to create a personalised present for someone these holidays. Just pop into your local craft or hobby store or go online to buy the ingredients and supplies. All you need is a few leftover crayons from the kids to colour the wax, or about 10 to 15 drops of essential oil per pound of solid wax for fragrance. Watch this great video from Jami Ray Vintage with some insider tips to help first-timers.

Christmas Cookies

Nothing says homemade Christmas present like a plate of Christmas cookies. This is a great activity that you can also do with family and the kids, with everyone getting to express their creative side while decorating the cookies. Check out I Am Baker’s list of the 40 best Christmas Cookies for inspiration.

Do you have other ideas for activities to get into the Christmas spirit? Let us know below!