Irina's Blog

10 Ways to spoil yourself this holiday season and capture the holiday magic…Plus some gift ideas for you and your loved ones

December 11, 2011

Christmas Holidays I can’t believe winter holidays are here already! Here comes the busiest time of the year – gift shopping, organizing and going to parties, taking kids to holiday events and on top of all this trying to look and feel festive. Very often I find that the holiday season is so busy that there is absolutely no time left to devote to yourself – make a trip to the salon, update your wardrobe and buy a nice gift for yourself. There is no time to take a deep breath and savour the holiday experience instead of rushing through all the chores and “to do” lists. As a mother of two and a full-time career woman, I have certainly experienced this feeling.

We’re so busy creating a beautiful holiday season for others that we forget about ourselves. And I know that holidays are about sharing and caring but I challenge you this holiday season to remember to make a little time for yourself too and treat yourself to some special holiday memories. Here are my top 10 ways to indulge yourself, create beautiful holiday memories with family and friends and capture the holiday magic:

1. Make a wish list. Make a trip to a local coffee shop, have a cup of your favourite latte or hot chocolate, think of what you want to accomplish this holiday season and make a list, don’t forget to include your special “me time” and “treats for yourself”. Don’t forget to capture the special moment of sipping your latte while looking at the snowflakes drifting by the window. Of course, you can make this list at home but you may get easily distracted with numerous family chores. So, don’t risk creating the perfect wish list and dream big (it doesn’t hurt but creates a positive experience).

2. Get outdoors. Take some time for yourself to enjoy and savour the holiday feeling – take a walk in the beautiful winter evening to admire all the beautiful holiday lights and decorations. Go to the shopping district and window shop, make your selections first and then decide on what you want to buy, instead of buying something on an impulse and then spending time on another trip to the store and looking for something else. Finally, go skating on an outdoor skating rink or do some cross-country skiing – breath the frosty winter air and smell the holidays.

3. Look beautiful and stylish. Invest extra time in looking beautiful during the holidays as this is the most social time when you’ll be going to parties and seeing all the friends and family. Make a trip to the spa – do your hair, nails, a facial and indulge in a relaxing body massage. You’ll definitely need that extra boost of relaxation to get you through the holidays. Remember to also invest in some dressy clothing and beautiful jewellery you can wear to the numerous holiday parties. And think of all the compliments you can receive on your beautiful hairstyle, nails, healthy skin glow and sense of style.

4. Create a memorable holiday experience or a family tradition. Do you have a family holiday tradition that you always enjoy? If yes, that’s great but you can keep adding to that list of special holiday experiences. For example, we always go together to the tree farm to pick a tree and then go indoors to have a hot chocolate and marshmallows and that feels like so much fun and a true holiday experience. Another great one is we have a little family concert on New Year’s Eve where kids and adults demonstrate their performing talents such as doing a puppet show, singing, dancing, reciting poems and playing the piano. Start a special holiday tradition and/or keep adding to your list of special holiday experiences.

5. Try a new recipe or start a new hobby. Try making eggnog from scratch or learn making cake pops instead of buying them from the store. Better yet, try a new craft hobby – such as making a holiday ornament or scrapbooking. Find an activity that both you and your family can enjoy doing together. For example, make a beautiful photo collage of your holiday activities – parties, Christmas tree decorating, Christmas cookie-baking etc. Scrapbooking is fun and creates beautiful memories that you can treasure for years.

6. Have some girly fun. Use the holidays to catch up with your girlfriends and female family members. Have some girly fun together – such as a visit to the spa, have a chat and coffee or go gift shopping together. Visit a local gift fair to pick up some one-of-a-kind creations for you and your loved ones. Finally, catch up on some cultural activities together such as a trip to the theatre, cinema or museum.

7. Gift for me. Buy yourself a beautiful gift, something you’ve wanted for a long time – why not? You’re the only one that really knows what you want this holiday season. Treat yourself to some nice jewellery, clothes or spa treatments. Something that will make you feel extra special. There is no better time to buy yourself a gift than during the holidays.

8. I like…Let your friends and family know what you like so that they can get you the gifts you really want instead of having them guess what you might like and getting it wrong. Save yourself a return trip to the store or ending up with a gift you’ll never use.

9. Get away. Sometimes, all it takes is getting away from the holiday routine. Try a different way of spending the holidays by going away from all the hustle and bustle to relax and unwind. The easiest way is getting away to the country and spending holidays the old-fashioned way where you can enjoy some winter sports and relax by the bonfire. A more exotic way to spend the holidays can be going away to a warm place and celebrating in the sun under a palm tree. Finally, you can explore a different culture and go to Europe to celebrate winter holidays with different cultural traditions. For example, you can spend Christmas or New Year’s in Vienna or Paris and immerse yourself in local holiday traditions. Pourquois-pas?

10. Capture the special moment. Try to capture the holiday magic by catching the special moment in memory that you can treasure. For example, wrapping holiday gifts and listening to some Christmas music. Or decorating a Christmas tree and looking out the window at the beautiful snowflakes drifting by. Or looking at your child’s happy face as he/she unwraps the Christmas presents on a Christmas morning. You’ll need to find out what that special moment is for you, make sure you’ll find one and hold on to it. This is the moment where you’ll say to yourself “Life is great and I’m having an amazing time.”

Some gift ideas from Irina Designs…

Finally, I’d like to share with you my picks from Irina Designs collection of the holiday jewellery and jewellery boxes that would make a great holiday gift for yourself or your loved ones this holiday season. These pieces just scream “Happy Holidays!” and will make great gifts. I’ve divided my Gift List by themes or similar colours as my jewellery pieces and jewellery boxes have common themes/colours and will work great together as a gift package. If you’re interested in getting a gift package, you can take advantage of our Special Holiday Promotion – you can buy 2 necklaces and get a third one free. Alternatively, you can buy a necklace and a jewellery box and get a 2nd necklace free.

Blue and White Gift