Finding calm moments of joy in December

How finding glimmers can help us find calm and enjoy the festive season with less overwhelm

The festive season is ‘meant’ to be full of joy. But often, for those who are ‘joymakers’ or for those who do not fit the societal expectations of what December, and Christmas should look like, joy can feel a long way away.

Or perhaps you’re just tired. 

And overwhelmed. 

And finding it hard to actually find your own joy while simultaneously creating everyone else’s.

So, my encouragement to you this week, as a way to access a calm presence is to find super simple joys. 

Things that help you feel connected, to yourself, to nature to others. 

Things that make you smile. 

Lean into them. 

I’ve been lighting a candle every morning when I come downstairs. Taking a moment to enjoy it. 

On my walk on Sunday when the sun was actually shining, I found treasure in the hedgerows and woodland - an unexpected iris blooming, a hedgerow clematis I know as old man’s beard but have since discovered is also called traveller’s joy, a hug with a tall redwood, the view from the top of a hill. 

Leaning in to small moments

I’ve been leaning into the moments of connection with the kids. Noticing their fun, their empathy, their care for each other (which is only an occasional glimpse between their arguing).

I’ve been celebrating the joy I see in the twinkling lights outside homes and in shops. 

Finding the magic outside of my ever increasing to-do list. 

Joy is connection. 

It doesn’t have to be bouncy and loud. 

And it can pass briefly. We can’t hold onto it.

So keep seeking glimmers even as life can feel a little overwhelming. 

Find success in the everyday accomplishments

And allow yourself to be succeeding, whatever is going on. 

Use the moments before you go to sleep not  to worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow, or the things left on the list, but instead to dwell on what’s gone well, on what you HAVE done, in addition to all the usual busy-busy of life.

Well done you.