Unapologetically Marie

Writer, podcaster, mental health advocate

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5 Easy Projects to Rediscover Your Christmas Spirit

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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

gift basket

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!

5 Ways to Teach Kids Resiliency and Happiness

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Change is here to stay. In fact, the rate of change is only going to get exponentially faster, leaving the unprepared feeling burnt out and frazzled. We’re living in a Change Storm. That’s why it’s so important to teach our next generation about how to cope with the ever-evolving world we live in.

Think about it. We teach kids to read and write, we teach math, science and history, but nobody teaches kids how to deal with the complicated business of existence itself. Who is teaching kids the social and emotional skills needed to navigate life in a mentally and physically healthy way?

Sorry, I don’t have the answer for you, but I do have 5 great products that can help your kids develop the mental and emotional skills needed to become resilient, emotionally mature and happy adults.

Big Life Journal

The Big Life Journal

The Big Life Journal is a kids’ workbook that is designed to help kids develop a growth and resilient mindset so they can face life’s challenges with confidence. The activities in the book encourage better self-esteem and resilience, while infusing a love a learning and an openness to taking on new challenges. Find this on Amazon.

Awesome Ends In Me gratitude journal

Awesome ends in ME is a guided gratitude journal which teaches kids how to get the most out of practicing gratitude. The book also includes activities so kids aged 5-12 can learn to manage emotions, create a growth mindset, focus on their strengths, create meaningful connections, and maintain healthy habits to live a happy life. Available on Amazon or check out the AwesoME Inc website for some great adult products too.

Superhero Strengths: Card Game

This is a fun game for kids and teens aged 6-14, teaching skills in strength, coping, feelings, resilience and relationships. Kids play the role of superhero collectors while learning to identify their strengths, deal with feelings, build coping skills, and improve resilience. Available on Amazon.

The Tower of Self Esteem

This game helps kids learn to choose positivity and while boosting self-confidence and social skills with creativity, problem solving and teamwork. Kids work with family and friends to build a joint tower in additional to a personal tower using cards that instil positive thinking. For ages 6 and up, available on Amazon.

No Waries Social Emotional Game

This fast-paced game for kids and adults ages 5+ is based on the classic game called War. It helps kids learn new feeling and emotion words, gaining an understanding of a variety of emotions so they can acquire and apply social emotional skills. Visit Amazon to puchase.

UPDATE: New product!

Snakes and Ladders: Climb to Emotional Maturity

Since posting this article, I have also come across a great game by The School of Life which teaches kids about emotional life. They’ve reworked the old Snakes and Ladders game: the ladders represent all those moments when you learn how to be more of a grown-up, the snakes the times when you end up acting, against your better nature, like a tantrum-prone toddler. Visit The School of Life’s website to order the game.

Comment below! Do you have other recommendations for great products that can help children develop the skills to be happy and resilient adults? Tell us below in the comments.