Introducing a Seasonal Enjoyment Calendar for Yourself as part of Preparing for Your Own Peace

As the last leaves of fall are blowing away and the days grow shorter and shorter, we enter the darkest season. This may be a cozy, busy, bright, fun-filled time for you, exciting and creative, or perhaps it is a lonely, dark time. Maybe it is fraught with mixed family dynamics, the crush of overspending and overindulgence. Likely most of us will experience some mixture of all of that. I have an idea to share with you that can help you prepare for your own peace during this season of holidays, lights, traditions, darkness, cold, endings and beginnings.

The really neat thing about this tradition is it has the effect of slowing down the season so you can savor and enjoy.

I encourage you to adapt this to whatever way it pleases you. There is no wrong way to do it! Our family uses what we call a holiday advent calendar even though it is not strictly related to Advent. I’m re-branding it here as a Seasonal Enjoyment Calendar. My mom made them for my children several years ago. The original idea came from her friend who gives these to her grown children so they feel connected to her all month long as they live far away. I also do something I learned from a mom-friend, not just filling it with small gifts but adding seasonal activities to the mix.

The calendars we have are hand quilted with little pockets. This is cute, but does not have to be handmade or even have pockets. You could just write it out on pretty paper or set a digital notification. I’m a textures person, and like paper and fabric. Each pocket holds a small tag made from cardstock which has the day’s activity on it or instructions to open a certain small gift. The pocket may also just contain a small gift like a chocolate truffle, gum, money or chapsticks. I keep the tags and the written calendar planning pages year-to-year so that I do not have to reinvent it each year. It changes some every year as our children grow, but overall the concept and many of the traditions stay the same. Every November, I ask my family members what their favorite activities are so that I can tailor it to each year. This all started with my youngest daughter who is a real planner. She likes to have something to look forward to, and this became a way I could keep up with her energy level and desire for full daily celebration. We actually do this same thing for the entire month of October/Halloween. Yes, it is truly 31 days of Halloween in our house!

This year, I am going to add something new. I am going to add in things that are important to me specifically, not just family traditions. Instead of hoping I can squeeze things in or that I remember the stuff that catches my eye, I am going to intentionally prepare for my own peace by putting them in the calendar as well. There are so many ideas out there about crafts and cooking, health, self-care, trips, and experiences but I can’t do all of it. I don't want to feel rushed or disappointed. I don't want to be overrun by other family members’ agendas. I want to feel like I did the things I really care about, and let the rest go.

I want to really drive home the point that I don’t think you have to be celebrating any certain tradition, or have a family to do this. This is meant to be for your own enjoyment, if for no other reason, to help see you through the darkest time of the year. You could do one for any month, all months, make it whatever you need to support your own peace.

Materials needed:

• Blank Calendar Planning Page — write in this year’s December dates.

• Colorful cardstock

• Sharpie of your choice

• Scissors

• Store-bought or handmade calendar with pockets

• Your list of items and activities you want to do

Steps:

1. Gather your list of activities and items you’d like to have in your seasonal enjoyment calendar for yourself and/or your family.

2. Have your regular calendar available — a big part of preparing for your own Peace is to match the activity or gift to a day that you will have the time and energy to enjoy.

3. Use the blank planning page to plan out what goes on which day. USE PENCIL so you can erase and adjust.

4. Cut the cardstock into small tag sizes and write the activity on each. You could also use actual gift tags for this purpose. The beauty of this is you can move them around if your plans need to be flexible. Sometimes I realize what I had originally planned will not work with other things in the week, so I move them around and adjust. The point is to not feel stressed and also feel satisfied with yourself.

5. Make some plans for getting any tickets, craft supplies, ingredients needed in November so you have them when the day comes.

Examples of gifts we frequently put in the calendar:

Chocolate Truffles

Gum

Money (small amounts)

ChapsticksPerfume/cologne

Yoto player cards

Earrings

Cozy socks

Matching family Christmas jammies and read The Night Before Christmas (Christmas Eve)

Hair ties, barrettes etc.,

Love notes — admittedly the kids are not as excited about receiving these…

Examples of seasonal activities:

Make Pumpkin pancakes

Get donuts

Hot chocolate mornings

Hot spiced cider and Eggnog

See a musical or theatre production

Chili night

Drive or walk to see Christmas Lights

Several movie nights, favorites include Polar Express, Christmas Curious George, The Holiday Calendar (Netflix), Christmas Vacation, Red One, Elf

2 December Birthdays to celebrate

Solstice morning fire

Getting our tree

Decorating the house

Listen to Christmas music on way to school

Family Game Night

Holiday Festivals

*several of these items will be in there more than once

Here are the new additions I am making for my own intentional enjoyment.

Everything I have here is something I don’t want to forget to do because it will help me feel festive, peaceful and satisfied. So if I put it in on a particular day, I think I will be more likely to take the time to do it, and be prepared with the materials needed.

• Felt Chain Garland - Craftmas Day 1 (Instagram handle is @perkinsonparkway) 

• Small selection of Holiday pictures ordered to frame or hang up

• Have several balsam, fir, bayberry, and beeswax candles to burn through the season, especially in the evening. I will put in my advent “Burn some candles today”

• Plant amaryllis and paperwhites bulbs

• Junk/art journaling - I already have the things for this

• Wear a Fair Isle sweater (I need to find one first)

• Make Bag charms - Craftmas Day 2 perkinsonparkway

**all arts and crafts will be the same thing my daughter will have on her calendar because she will want to take part as well, the materials needed can even be a gift we open. 

• Hot bath with epsom salts and candles (probably have a few of these sprinkled throughout) 

There are some things I’d sort of like to do but decided I am going to leave them out, like holiday cards because when I thought about adding them to the list, my body felt tired. That means “No”. The point is to savor and enjoy, not overschedule, feel stressed or like I failed.

This year I also will fill one calendar and send it back to college with my son after the Thanksgiving Holiday. He won’t be back home again until December 20th, so I want him to feel loved and included in the season. My daughter has helped plan the whole thing in past years so some of the tags you see in the pictures are in her handwriting, but she decided she would prefer to be surprised this year.

Also having this tradition has gotten us out of the Elf on the Shelf tradition, whew!

Let us know if this sparks your interest! What would you put in your calendar pockets?

Join Us!

We are hosting a deep dive into this month’s topic, Preparing for Your Own Peace on Thursday November 20th, 11am–12:15pm, free for Partnered Healing Members. Details on the Events page on our website. Space is limited, RSVP asap! Each participant will be workshopping your own seasonal enjoyment calendar.

Written by Jessica Cochran BSN RN

Partnered Healing Integrative Life Coach