The Mindful Mother’s Bucket List for this Festive Season

Now that Halloween is over, I think it’s totally acceptable to talk about Christmas. The festive season is a time to celebrate with family and friends, but it can also be stressful. Here’s your bucket list for this festive period to help you make the most of this special time!

Set Aside 5 Minutes Each Morning

Take 5 minutes each morning to sip your coffee (preferably a festive blend), breathe deeply, and prepare for the day ahead. This is a chance to ground yourself in the present moment and let go of any stress or anxiety that has been weighing you down among all of the chaos that comes with the festive season.

Buy a Few Extra Items and Donate to a Local Food Bank

If you are doing your grocery shopping, a way to give back is to buy a few extra items for donation. You can purchase them while you do your weekly shopping, or maybe even take the family for a trip to the supermarket to specifically get items to donate.

Times are tough and lots of people will sadly struggle over this coming Christmas. You could contact your local food bank to see if they need anything specific and go from there!

Commit to Shopping Small and Local

It’s well-known that small businesses are struggling to compete with big box retailers, but you can make quite a big impact by supporting them.

Small businesses are a huge part of the local economy and they need your support. Shopping small means you can support your local community, spread some festive cheer to local business owners and you’ll often find some unique gifts!

Write Some Heartfelt Festive Notes

Festive greetings have now moved online and even receiving the traditional Christmas card is now so few and far between. We love delegating and making life easier – we have enough on our plate as it is. But there’s just something about writing heartfelt festive notes that is a real joy.

You could even encourage your child to write a note to their teacher or maybe ask them to make some cards for their grandparents. Receiving a handwritten note can really help uplift someone’s spirits.

Get Your Kids Their Own Tree to Decorate

If your kids are old enough to help decorate, it’s always a good idea to give them their own tree. It doesn’t need to be expensive or fancy – they can be very inexpensive. They can spread out the decorations in their rooms, or hang them on the door frames of their bedroom doors. It will give them amazing memories and independence that they’ll remember for years! It’s a great way for kids to feel special during Christmas time.

Switch to Sustainable Options

Switching to sustainable options for your Christmas wrapping is a great way to minimise excess waste. Use reusable cloth gift bags, cloth ribbon and jute twine instead of plastic wrapping paper.

This year, take the time to make your cards from scratch and get the kids involved!

So often during Christmas, we end up buying plastic versions of nature (holly/foliage/mistletoe/table centres). The next time you’re out walking, take time to notice. You could utilise nature you’re out walking around in nature looking at the beautiful wintery foliage, collect some sprigs and leaves.

Make sure you check the foraging laws where you live!

Thank Your Delivery Drivers During the Festive Period

Thank your delivery drivers. We rely on them so much during the festive season. Show a little appreciation and go further than the usual quick ‘thank you’.

You could leave a small gesture by the door. Some baked goods or maybe a bottled drink could go a long way and keep them going. You could also give them a Christmas card to say thank you or if you’re feeling generous, a bottle of bubbly!

Make the Effort to Dress Up

When you’re a mum, it can be easy to get into the habit of throwing on a pair of leggings and baggy loungewear.

But so many of us miss the fun and the buzz of getting dressed up. This is a great time of year to get out there, put on your favourite party dress and have some fun! You can feel like a million dollars for an evening and it’s the perfect way to get in the mood for Christmas!

Whether you choose to dress up for an event or just put on some fancy clothes for the evening (or even just wear something nice at daycare pickup), take the time to make yourself feel good as often as possible this Christmas season – you deserve it mama!

Get the Kids Involved

Give them simple tasks to complete. Let’s be honest: any task assigned to your kids will take much longer than if you were to do it yourself.

I promise you’ll have lots of fun watching them make things happen and they’ll feel happy and proud of whatever responsibilities they are given

Start a Weekly Festive Ritual (without the kids)

There are so many ways to make Christmas fun, but finding time for just you and your partner is hard when you’re raising little ones.

The first step is to put aside some time where no one else is involved for a change!

You can start by setting aside one evening a week (or whatever you can manage). You could try taking turns cooking dinner together. It doesn’t matter how small it is as long as it’s just for the two of you.

Then think about what kind of Christmas traditions would be nice to start with just the two of you. You could make hot chocolate and watch festive films or bake together. The options are endless – whatever you do, put the phones away and focus on one another.

We hope you’re looking forward to the Christmas season with excitement and anticipation. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, there are lots of ways to manage your stress levels. Try taking some time out for yourself, even if it’s just five minutes each morning with a cup of tea or doing something relaxing like yoga or meditation. You could also try making a list of things that make you feel chilled out and do one thing from that list every day during December.