Quite the ride, but we made it to (my) favorite time of the year.
First things first: the Santa Baby list. Santa being myself expect a nice ride of second-hand, support artists, local and meaningful businesses that give back to nature and the community.
I like great stuff,
Not a surprise here, but I have learned to avoid impulse buying, especially when prompted by influencers infused fast fashion crap. Not giving in “consumer culture” is liberating, it may seem an unbeatable task, hard to rewire your overstimulated brain, but worth all the efforts.
Start with asking questions (to yourself, to the brands, to friends) then proceed with listing your no nos. This year for example I have opted for no NEW clothes: my body has changed dramatically (well menopause here I come) so I only bought second hand and almost all the time I have tried to have previously sold something from my current wardrobe or donated it to the local women shelter. The idea is not to accumulate, but to let energy flow and pass on to someone who will enjoy what’s been sitting there.
If you want to know more juicy stuff on how to buy second hand, like always say NO to polyester, check HERE so I stay on topic.
No new CLOTHES, but accessories and jewelry YES.
Debbie in Maya blue
This is Debbie, a structured minimalist bucket bag made of PETA-approved vegan leather. We go by first name because …
Knowing is half of the journey.
NOIRANCA is a family owned production company with long experience in working, treating, manipulating traditional leather and opted for a less harmful, wasteful substitute that is also the most environmental friendly material. Not all vegan leathers are equal, most of the common synthetic leathers are a by-product of PVC and or PU, oil based … and we don’t want to go there! So what if you still have all the good attributes of leather tactile luxurious feel, softness, lightness but in responsibly produced vegan leather?
PSST: if your Santa buys it for you, 20% will be donated to a charity of your choice. A win win and I wouldn’t even mind if we were to wear and own the same bag.
Sparkle, I want all things sparkle, they are a joy to receive and make the joy of giving a real one. Now, Dear Santa, if those MIU MIU sling backs would happen to materialize and fit through the chimney … oh yeah!
The Francesca necklace by @happygalbella
This is called the Francesca necklace and I am officially obsessed.
HAPPY GAL by Bella is Bella’s brainchild, an 11-year old girl whom I am lucky to know personally. I am fascinated by and admire profoundly her creativity, vision, determination and the entrepreneurial skills she has cultivated this year and dedicated to the brand while attending school and the myriad of activities.
A Kelly sight in the wild is always a good idea
EXTRA BONUS
So here is when I do a little letting-go exercise:
visualize my wishes and dreams
send them through the tunnel
let the universe handle the details.
THREE MORE ACTIVITIES
Instructions: they need to go chronologically as the recipe of a cake.
1
If you have a physical agenda or dated notebook, go through it a reminisce of the small accomplishments of the year. It’s surprising how fast you forget about very important milestones that seemed an unsurmountable big deal at the time. It’s been a heck of a shitshow of a year, but the eternal optimist in me tends to always see the glass half full.
Avoiding stupidity is easier than seeking brilliance.
2
Mix all of the juicy stuff from above in a bowl and come up with a word, a verb, an adjective, a pronoun, that will inspire your new year. Like the vanilla extract or lemon zest. My past words of the year have been joyful, slow, power. My new word is SPARKLE, if you hadn’t suspected yet.
3
To complete my end-of-year tradition, get The Angel Reading Forecast by my friend Fabiana of Holistic Mind It’ll be like the whipped cream with the pumpkin pie.
By happy, joyful, mindful and present for those friend who don’t enjoy the holidays.