F*CK THE HOLIDAYS – 10 WAYS TO DEFY THE FRILL AND FOCUS ON REAL MAGIC

by Charlotte Eléa

The nights are long, the days growing shorter and colder.

You’ve communed with your shadows in October, let go of your baggage during Samhain, and now you’re ready to cozy up at home and have some deep me-time.

That is until your mom badgers you about taking days off to come home, your aunt emails you asking you if you’ll still eat her Thanksgiving stuffing if it has bacon in it, your work decides to launch three last minute holiday sales, you can’t open an app without seeing countless ads…

Ahh! Make it stop!

Let’s do that. This year, let’s fuck the holidays.

Make the next couple weeks your own.

It’s time to reclaim this wonderful season of rebirth and regeneration that’s been taken over by bigoted power grabbers, consumer panic and frantic cheeriness.

There is much work to do in the coming year. We are being called to rise up and bring our authentic badass feminist witch selves to the table like never before, so we may fight hate and bigotry with love, authenticity and courage.

But we must first take these final weeks of the year to prepare.

Here’s how:

1. Fuck the Pilgrims.

We all know the history of Thanksgiving is atrocious and embarrassing.

I don’t want to commemorate the day that began the enslavement of entire cultures of indigenous people, do you? Fuck no.

But gratitude is a magical gift to oneself and others, and any day I can show more gratitude towards the people and causes I care about, I want to get on board somehow.

So turn this day on its head by expressing your gratitude towards the change makers, the ruckus creators, the ones on the front line pushing back against acts of hatred, environmental and cultural degradation, violence and inequality.

Create a blessing, send a gift, and pay that gratitude forward.

 2. Fuck the Turkey.

The best Thanksgiving I spent was visiting an animal sanctuary, where I communed with rescued pigs, goats, cows, chickens, and yes, turkeys.

Who says you have to sit at a table that fills you with loathing and regret? How can you create a meal that connects to your spirit and nourishes your body and soul?

Like herbs, fruit and greens from your garden or farmer’s market, magical concoctions from your witchy kitchen, enticing creations from your favorite culinary friends.

Eat with intention and you’ll be delighted by how you feel the next day.

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3. Fuck Mandatory Family Participation.

Nothing raises the stress barometer more quickly than spending time with relatives during the holidays.

Some family time may be awesome for you, for others it may be awful. So before you say, “yes” to that joint family trip to Mexico or big family meal, feel into your gut.

What does your intuition say? Be honest about what you need and desire from the experience and check in with your expectations.

Create a healthy boundary for yourself, and choose folks from your tribe to spend intentional time with this season: those people who love you for you, who you can get real together, and who honor your growth, struggles, and spirit.

4. Fuck Black Friday.

Don’t even think about getting in your car the day after thanksgiving unless you want to be trapped in a traffic maze of crazed shoppers.

Other blogs will recommend you patronize independent sellers on Plaid Saturday—that’s one great idea. But here’s another: Stay home all weekend and turn the “biggest shopping days of the year” into a non-consuming creation fest.

Take these days as an opportunity to journey inward: dream, draw, write, paint, craft, vision board.

Create from the soul with no purpose other than to commit to the process. You’ll be amazed at the inspiration and beauty that surfaces.

 5. Fuck Wrapping Paper.

The only good thing about wrapping paper is watching the cats go crazy in the mess. Is that really a reason to keep using it?

Forests losing their trees aside, wrapping paper creates an illusion of mystery, and ups the ante. This would be fine if what was hiding inside really was a magical surprise.

But most often it is a prepackaged, pre-ordered item from a familiar retail outlet. Don’t mask the insecurity of your gifts in glittery paper.

Create hand-crafted gifts that speak for themselves. And who says gifts even need to take physical form?

Give experiences that nurture connection: a Tarot reading, healing session, weekend retreat, or potion-making lesson.

6.  Fuck the Tree.

I love Christmas trees as much as the next person, and I have boxes full of ornaments to prove it.

I’m not recommending you forgo the tree all together, but make it your own and add your witchy pagan goodness. Create a ritual out of decorating your tree and make sure each ornament is meaningful to you and contains energy you would like to carry forward into the New Year.

Don’t be afraid of letting go of ornaments that represent the old you or aspects of your life you would like to release.

Create new ornaments that carry affirmations and intentions for what you would like to manifest for yourself and the world.

Instead of presents under the tree, create an altar (sans candles!) with items you hold sacred and representations of those that guide you.

Or skip the tree altogether and build a Yule log altar.

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7. Fuck Air Travel.

Nothing stresses the immune system more than flying in an airplane. This is not the time to lose sleep waiting for hours in airports—this is a time for you to rest and nest.

The turning of the season is calling you to come home and travel through your dreams, not in a plane.

So instead of creating adventure in the big outdoors, create it in your imagination. This is an excellent time to begin a dream journal.

When you go to bed, ask your soul to gift you with messages about your higher purpose, desires, healing abilities and power.

Then track your nighttime flights, create stories and possibilities by what you discover, and allow new insights to surface.

8. Fuck Christmas Morning.

If you’ve got kids and you’ve got a tree, this may be a bit hard to avoid. But for us adults, there is no reason why the entire holiday season needs to build to this one particular morning.

Why do all the gifts have to be exchanged in one two-hour window? What about the Winter Solstice? What about Chanukah and all the other holidays celebrated all over the world?

Instead, discover more ways to commemorate the season throughout the month.

Gather your friends on the 22^nd to celebrate the birth of new light.

My sweetie and I plan to get tattoos together, and then use Christmas morning to sleep in, savor the extra time and honor the abundance we have manifested this year.

9. Fuck Resolutions.

New Year’s resolutions are doomed to fail because they focus on superficial desires and never address the deeper issues at hand.

Instead of creating a resolution, create a New Year’s Intention.

An intention is an agreement you make between you, your highest self and your guides that will slowly unfold and work its magic throughout the year.

So, what would you like to change about your life and this world? How do you want to grow, improve yourself and be in service to others? Now’s the time to make an energetic commitment.

10. Fuck the Ball Drop.

Bo-ring! I never understood the appeal of watching thousands of freezing New Yorkers corralled behind crowd control barriers wait for a ball to drop.

But let’s also reconsider other typical festivities that involve coming together in loud, crowded spaces and counting down the seconds to the New Year. Is it really a moment to remember?

Create a real memorable moment by hosting a ritual with just yourself or a few friends, where you light candles and call in the four directions and your guides.

This is the moment where you create and sanctify your intentions for the New Year, and ask your guides to help you keep them.

As the doorway to the New Year opens, you’ll step through with them by your side and your highest self called forward in love, courage and clarity.

 

IN CONCLUSION

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About the Author:

Charlotte Eléa is an Intuitive Counselor and Tarot Coach. She guides her clients toward discovering their hidden strengths and connecting to their inner wisdom. She does this through sacred group circles and individual intuitive coaching, working from a foundation in feminist psychology, alchemy, counseling principles, Jungian archetypes and elemental spirituality. She has been reading Tarot and analyzing dreams for herself and others for over sixteen years. She can be found at www.dreamintuition.com, and posts daily readings on Instagram.

 

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