It has occurred to me that I have skipped my annual
Christmas ritual of diving excitedly for the over stuffed Christmas Box as soon
as the first of December came around. The box sits, with all its glistening
promise neatly in tact, up in the loft with the house martins. With Christmas just
around the corner, cities across the globe are proudly flaunting christmas lights,
giant sized baulbles grace the plazas, and shop window displays twinkle their
seasonal temptations to passers-by. As consumers, we´re stocking up with
delicious treats, buying stocking fillers and sexy Santa costumes (well, maybe
some of us are!) and generally getting into the spirit of things.
Yet here in our mountain village, the only sign of Christmas
is grey smoke billowing softly from the chimneys and a dusting of snow on the
Pyrenees. Surrounded by Mother Nature, in all her fine and under-stated glory,
I am steadily arriving at the happy conclusion that everything I could possibly
want is right here. That actually a quiet Christmas (with box of delights
neatly stowed away with the house martins), will potentially be as enriching as
one with all the trimmings. So far, this attitude has proven to be rather
liberating. I´m starting to experience the reality of the words of Socrates
when he says that,
“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
This year, exchanging spending frenzies and the rooting out of Christmas tinsel – which carries its own magical delight, for billowing chimney smoke and snow on the mountains has brought me as close to happiness as ever before. Yet I have to say, if the 25th arrives and that box of sparkling delights starts burning a hole in the loft floor, I won´t think twice about clambering up the loft ladder to liberate it.
However you´re celebrating this year, I hope you get
to do what liberates you most and brings you and those around you to an experience
of true happiness.
Millie
Brereton is a certified yoga teacher, nutritional advisor and general lover of
life. She is the director of The Kula Centre of Learning and Personal
Development and co-founder of Project Huerta. She delights in Tantric
philosophy and seeing the best in everyone who crosses her path. She can often
be found in her kitchen blending juices and cooking up tasty treats from her
organic farm, or bounding ecstatically through the mountains with her two dogs,
Bonnie and Kin. You can connect with her by visiting her webpage,
www.thekulacentre.com, or connect with her on facebook.
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