An Open Christmas Letter For My Fellow Wayward Souls

Your new holiday mantra.

This is an open letter and a permission slip to all my fellow wayward souls this winter season...

If there’s anything you don’t want to do, any amount you don’t want to spend, any tradition you are done carrying forward, anything that makes you feel restricted during the holidays rather than uplifted- 

This is your permission slip and reminder…Your inner peace is more important.

 

If you are fighting against the current of change this year, let it be different. It's OK if your holidays look different. Change = Experience, Growth, Newness. 

 

For the past few years I have been witnessing people become stressed, sad, disappointed, overwhelmed, and tired during the holiday season. 

We wait all year to take time off.
To spend time with family.
To celebrate in a big way.
So we try to cram all that celebrating and expectation into a few weeks at the end of the year, when naturally this is a time to slow down, conserve energy, release, and go quiet. 

 

But we do the complete opposite, and I see so many people feeling awful for it. 

 

The problem with tradition is that we find ourselves trying to recreate our parent's,(and their parent's) Christmas magic, year after year. We are trying to get it just right.

Remember- too much of something and we are crossing into shadow land. If there is a lack of balance, if we aren't feeling good or being intentional about every move we make- well...there's some shadow in there somewhere. 
Anytime we are going through change, we are growing, and expanding.

What are traditions anyway?
Do they still feel good?
Are we intentional with them, or are we just doing them because...#tradition? 
Have times changed?
What if you did something different every year?
(I can hear the collective gasp of our relatives from here).  
Are we trying to recreate the same Christmas year after year because of expectation? Because we are afraid to make changes? 

Traditions are ok...if you find them to be expansive.
If you are growing from them, if you are in your joy when you are carrying them out. 
But if you are tired, stretched too thin, it's causing unnecessary stress, you've long ago out grown them, your intuition is telling you to do something else- well then...We need to stop and take inventory of our intentions. 

A magical lifestyle means an intuitive and intentional lifestyle. 

It means no longer doing things because we feel we have to. 
That's not being in your full empowerment, now is it? 
It means we let ourselves embrace change and growth. 
We listen to what our soul is asking for (or body when we are exhausted). 

 

I see so many people get sick this time of year. Is it sick season? Sure. But there's another reason I see behind some of it. 

Those that have sought to be in their soul alignment all year, but then forgot that alignment during the holidays, are getting some hard stopping points.
Those that are running themselves ragged, trying to recreate a Christmas that may have felt magical once upon a time, but not longer does, are experiencing something that slows them down. 

Following the natural cycles of life, we ideally will be slowing down around this time of year; conserving energy, getting rest, reviewing, setting intentions for the next season. 

 

Year after year we fight against this natural life cycle. 

 

We find ourselves trying to repeat the same thing every year. 

 

Now, I am certainly not knocking all traditions. If you love your traditions, and everything you do for the season, and it really does bring you joy and expansion- then this letter is not for you. If you are happy, I am happy. 

But for those that are not happy, take some medicine here. 

I have lived the last year doing what I wanted. I was not plugged into the fear from the pandemic. I did not get triggered by politics. A celebrity did not piss me off. I didn't argue with family about any of these topics. I stayed in my own world- and it has worked out beautifully for me! 

I took time out to celebrate things all year long.
I took time to myself when I wanted it.
I spent time with family when I felt called to.
I engaged in tradition, only when it did not reach my bar of resentment. 

 

Don't wait for Christmas to come in order to celebrate.
Don't just wait for the end of the year to take your time off.
Don't try to cram all your family visits into one week when you are already exhausted. 

That magic you are trying to recreate for Christmas?
Why don't you bring that magic into the rest of your year?
Do more celebrating. Do more resting. Eat more good foods.
Spend more time throughout the year with those you love to be around. 

 

Then maybe perhaps we won't feel so much pressure for Christmas to be perfect. Or feel the impact of Christmas being lonely. 
Or tiring. 
Or disappointing. 

 

Here is your permission slip. 
Go into the next year supporting your soul more. 
Doing more of what you love. 
Letting go of more of what you don't love. 

 

I love you all so much. And I need you to know: 
You CAN create a life you are in love with. 
You CAN do things on your terms. 
You CAN try new things. 
You CAN have magic all year long. 
You CAN manifest all the things your heart desires.
And you CAN have a restful Christmas season if you choose to. 

I know this because I have done so. 

I am a reformed Christmas over-doer. 
I used to have a tree for every season and holiday of the year, for crying out loud!
I had over 13 bins of Christmas décor.
It took me days to decorate, and it looked like my house threw up glitter by the time I was done.
I over-shopped, over-spent, and over-worried. 
For YEARS. 

When you finally decide to have an intentional Christmas and you stop over-doing, some of your family may not understand.
And that's OK.
If they want to carry on the traditions, invite them to step up and do so.
When you are in your highest alignment- that is when your family gets to experience the best of you. 

We can have magic without overdoing. In fact, you will find MUCH magic in that alone. 

So if you are feeling sad and lonely- this is your permission slip to keep yourself company this year. Love your own company so much that you are OK if you can't see family this holiday. Embrace change so much that you know it's OK to see them at a more aligned time. 
 
If you are stressed and exhausted, this is your permission slip to just stop. Go cross five things off your to-do list. 

If you are worried about money- cut back on the gifts. You need not explain yourself to anyone about that. 

If you are doing the same thing year after year and you dread it- make this the last time. Dare to step into your alignment - and dare to stay there all year long. Including during the holidays. 

Doing your shadow work and staying in soul alignment means we do that all the time. Not just when things are quiet and easy.
Otherwise, when we start doing things because "we have to", or because of anyone else's expectation,  then we head right back to Shadow Town. 

Let this year be your last time doing Christmas in Shadow. 


Sending you all so much love, rejuvenation, and magic to you all, 
Jenn 
A fellow wayward soul. 

https://www.waywardwitchco.com/