By Nourishing Minds Nutrition’s Kate Clark

Let’s think about the holidays for a moment… When we strip away the in-law anxiety, gifts, and the screaming-with-excitement-children, we are left with that ooey-gooey feeling of quiet and connection.

We’re left with meaningful conversations and cozy time with friends, family, and fur babies.

Now, in order to fully absorb these lovely moments, we have to be present. We have to clear the forefront of our minds from other anxieties. When you’re completely caught up in “do, do, do” and “go, go, go” you are not here.

I know, this is super tough, but I promise you can do it.

Try this: look at that anxiety-provoking thought and say “I hear you, but I am choosing to not listen because you are not serving me in this moment” then you set that thought in the corner and walk back to your life.

We start here because a stressed-out mind is not sustainable!! You cannot go through these next months like this and make it out unharmed.

Close your eyes, count 2 breaths, and return to the present moment.

Now, onto the easy stuff: How to make your holiday more sustainable

USE UP WHAT YOU HAVE

· Old wrapping paper

· Used amazon boxes

· Decorations

· Or use what your friends/neighbors have: a little holiday swap session!

WRAPPING PAPER

· Brown paper bags

· Reusable tote bag

· Newspaper, craft paper, and pieces of fabric can also be used in replace of tissue paper

· Use old wrapping paper or ask your friends to donate their rolls from last year

TREE DECORATIONS

· Dried fruit (You can easily make these in the oven!)

· Stars made out of hot glued tree twigs

· Banners made from fabric

· Small antique jewelry, silverware, pins (come on, it’s cute)

· Tinsel made from scrap material (tee shirts, your mother’s patterned table cloths, craft paper)

SUSTAINABLE GIFT SOURCING

· Do your homework

Look for companies who practice sustainable production, responsible disposal, fair labor, and fair trade. B-Corps are easy to spot for this but there are tons of places out there honoring sustainable production, you just need to do your homework.

· BOGO

Look for “buy one give one” companies that will donate to something every time you purchase a product or membership of theirs (Etsy, TOMS, Everlane… CLICK here for more!)

Eco-friendly products that anyone would love:

o Reusable mesh produce bags

o Dryer balls

o Essential oils

o Stasher Bags (B-corp and women owned, say what?!)

o Hemp sponges

o Dryer balls

o Insulated grocery tote bag

o NED CBD products (Use code NOURISHINGWOMEN for 10% off and free shipping!)

o Primally Pure (NOURISHVM25 for 25% your order, and you have free shipping through December 7th)

o Branch Basics Cleaning Products

If we were all unable to buy one more tree decoration, roll of wrapping paper, or holiday cards… we would all make it work. We would simply use what we have! Think about all the wrapping paper from last year (and the year before). Or all the decorations you have in those storage bins that have been forgotten about.

Not into your old taste? Thanks to Pinterest, DIY decorations are absolutely endless. I love brown paper bags for gift wrapping because you can paint, draw, write, and color on them for a more customized theme! They are also sturdy and free at your nearest Grocery.

The importance of sourcing gifts from local shops and small companies are crucial this year! COVID-19 has thousands of businesses headed toward closure and we can help! A quick way to do this is searching different hashtags on Instagram like “#smallbusinessNC” or hop on Facebook and look for shops in your (or their) local area.

Think about purposeful gifts that will have a lasting impact and create the least amount of waste. Quality > quantity.

But babe, if cutting out your normal holiday haul of Lowes decorations and Amazon products overwhelms you, then just pick one or two of these suggestions this year. It will still impact your community in a very positive way!

Transitioning to a more sustainable holiday should never stress you out. (We just had the best conversation with The Healthy Maven on this exact topic last month on the #nourishingwomenpodcast!) The second you begin to resent sustainability practices is the same second you need to back off of them.

Treat sustainability as you treat food: all brands, stores (& foods) fit! Remember, #wellnesswithoutobsession in ALL areas of life.

Lastly, don’t forget about yourself.

The best gift you can give yourself is a vibrator- wait, no, I meant to say time-oops! The easiest way to give yourself time is to stop giving it away to people and things that do not deserve it.

Your time is precious and your self-care is important. Fill your cup of hot cocoa, first.

If you’re still stuck on the beginning of this post, where we talked about letting go of your holiday anxieties, then you need our Holiday Survival Guide E-Book in your life!! It’s absolutely free and will help clear your mind from food rules, protect yourself from diet talk, and allow you to truly be present in your holiday. Click here to grab yours now!

Kate (the author of this blog post) is our BTS extraordinaire who helps out with all things NMN! She’s also a HAES RD-2B. You can find her at The Rooted Place where she talks about all things holistic wellness, Ayurveda, and intuitive living.