Holidays are coming… 5 ways to navigate the festive season clear-ly

Two days after Halloween I noticed it. 

There it was… aisles and aisles of Christmas decorations, gift ideas and well… just stuff. The big retailers have started to air their adverts to begin to spark us into action, and schools are already beginning rehearsals for Christmas plays. 

We are still in November aren’t we? 

Christmas is the time we get to gather together and spend time with family, friends and shower each other with gifts to show each other we care.

 I’d love to offer some good ol’ fashioned yorkshire wisdom to share other ways we can navigate silly season in a way that feels clear and chaos free.

First of all, our homes are like energetic sponges, they hold onto memories, happenings and past trauma just like us. Why do you think that there are the phenomena of haunted homes? Now that I am not saying your home is haunted, but what I do believe is energy in the home can be cleansed and cleared so the occupant becomes more open to receiving guests (and goodness) in their life. 

My CLEAR Method can be used all year round in fact, and I’d love to share some quick tips that work wonders, which you’ll also find in my new book “The CLEAR Method” that is available now.

1. Cleanse, Clear and Declutter 

Whether you are opening your house up to host guests, or getting ready for the onslaught of new gifts needing homes, now is a great time to declutter anything that is no longer serving you or your family. 

I am a fan of little and often so taking 5 minutes a day to sort out each of your spaces, especially the kids bedrooms (get them to help!) and will likely unearth a treasure trove of unwanted gifts and toys, clothes that could be recycled or sold. 

My rule of thumb, if you haven’t used it for 3-6 months, it should probably be moved on. Once you’ve bagged up your goodies… give those spaces a good clean with a microfibre cloth and water.  

One thing I am passionate about is regifting. Just check through your items you have just decluttered to see if there is anything you can re-gift. If you haven’t had it out the packaging then you can absolutely re-gift those slippers, socks or board games and jigsaws! 

2. Let go 

Once you have decluttered the physical spaces, the hardest thing when it comes to rebalancing the energy is in letting go. 

This could be letting go (or moving things to your loft if you really can’t face it) of physical things, like old toys, furniture you no longer love or photographs or mementos from many years ago. I have a saying, you can visit the past but don’t get stuck there. 

I talk about letting go of physical things, but I also believe letting go of old traditions and customs is another difficult one, but often essential, for this time of year – especially if loved ones are no longer present or money isn’t flowing to you right now. 

I would recommend that you perhaps take some time to journal on old ideas and customs that could be let go of, which will also help to take the pressure off. 

Whether that’s spending less money on each other, or asking for support in hosting the day – guests could bring dishes or snacks. A new custom could be that everyone brings a dish (instead of leaving all the cooking to one household) or deciding to only buy gifts for the children.  

Whatever that could be, it is a great time to let go of the old ideas to welcome in the new. 

3. Energise 

There are lots of ways to energise your feelings around the festive season, once you have cleared out the clutter and made space. 

Love and appreciate your home. Open your windows to let the light in, imagine all the heavy energy flowing out and clear crisp light energy coming in. 

Place rock salt or Obsidian Crystals in the corners of the rooms, to add a layer of protection and keep negative energy out. 

Use cinnamon, orange or frankincense essential oils to bring the smell of the season to life and to keep the energy clear. 

If you are hosting, perhaps create a playlist of songs that everyone can contribute to, and can bring positive, happy vibes to your home by singing, clapping and dancing around (yes, really!) 

Most importantly take time out for you to enjoy the clear space.  

Whether that’s enjoying a cup of tea next to your twinkling tree, watching the Christmas Chronicles under a cosy blanket or taking yourself off for a walk. Take time to re-energise yourself as well as your spaces!

4. Action 

Staying on top of the clutter is important, and it enables your space to be open and receptive; and you will find the more you let go of stuff, the clearer you will feel. 

One thing I love to do to protect the energy of the home when visitors come is – Burn essential oils, sage or incense – Whilst doing this I repeat these words…  “this house is clean and clear, leave your worries outside of here”. 

Then when they leave open windows and say ‘anything that is not mine please move on” which helps to remove any residual energy that may be lingering. 

I am also a massive fan of not buying people stuff for the hell of it. 

I support people to declutter their lives emotionally and physically, and gift giving can become more about the person giving the gift than the person you are buying it for. So when it comes to buying gifts, ask yourself before you pop it in the trolley, who is this really for? Is it for me, or am I buying this for my mum, sister, auntie? And will they use it?

Take the guesswork out of gift giving by simply asking your family what they would like to receive; is there something they’d really love but it’s significant – would it make sense to club together with other family members to buy a joint present? Something else I have done with my family is create a list on Amazon – or have them flick through catalogues and circle things – it used to work in the 80’s! 

Upcycling and creating gifts, this used to be limited to a certain generation, but it’s now fashionable to create gifts for loved ones. A pot of home made jam, a knitted hat, home made cards and framed pictures – all ways to minimise waste and also show you care!

Finally give the gift of  your time. This doesn’t cost anything… and is often exactly what some of the members of your family need. Could you offer a busy sibling’s children an IOU for a playdate in the future for example?

5. Receive

Once your space is clean, clear and energy is flowing it is time to sit back, relax and receive. 

Time to give yourself space to enjoy the fresh new energy of the season with minimal stress and all the clarity. 

Written By Clairvoyant Clearer, Carolyn Creel; founder of the CLEAR Method.  

For more tips follow @carolynspiritual or to book in for a CLEAR Method Session check out www.carolyncreel.com