Five December Luxuries to Incorporate Every Day This Month
By: Chelsea R.
Tags: Financial Planning, Budget, Luxury, Self Care, Happiness

Photo by Keenan Constance on Unsplash

It’s already December, beautiful December.

A layer of frost might cover your morning windshield or garden foliage. A visible, evanescent breath might escape your mouth when you laugh. A string of bulbs with shades of pinks, yellows, greens, and blues might warm up your street, home, and heart. It’s a beautiful December.

In December, you may bear financial challenges with the expectation of, and sincere joy in, gift giving. It’s okay to show your love in these gifts, but that might mean that this month, you have to cut back on your own spending. That’s okay, because wintertime brings with it luxuries that money can’t buy.

Here are my top five December luxuries to incorporate into every day this month. May they bring you tidings of comfort and joy.

Morning Adventures. It might just be me, but winter’s skies are inexplicably more beautiful than any other season’s. Walking in the winter is a heavenly combination of solitude, meditation, beauty, and calm. Grab a tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or hot water (feel free to add a little honey, sugar, herbs, or lemon) and embark on your own December morning adventures. They will not disappoint. Home Comforts. With the beginning of the cold, December is a perfect month to indulge in the comforts that you already have at home: your favorite sweatshirt, hoodie, or blanket; a long, hot shower or bath after adventuring out; a home-cooked meal that warms your body and soul; your own bed with its winter linens. Savor these comforts this December without yearning for what you don’t have. Evening Routines. Long, dark December nights call for earlier escapes into the sanctuary of your home. How are you spending your evenings these days? My routine has become one of comfort and self-care: home-cooking, tea-brewing, book-reading, body-stretching, mind-resting… Can you make your evening routine one that feels luxurious to you? Warm Atmospheres. Whether or not you are the holiday-type, December has the potential for an atmosphere of comfort, warmth, and happiness. While I am the holiday-type, my apartment is filled with cedar-scented candles, Christmas jazz music from YouTube, and strings of colorful lights and garland. Swap in your favorite candles and music and dim the lights to curate a new atmosphere at home. Treat yourself to a cozy haven that makes you feel warm and safe. Self-Reflection & Gratitude. The last month of the year, December is a critical time to reflect on, and be grateful for, the time that has passed. This year was particularly hard on everyone, but that fact that you are here and breathing is a wonderful, wonderful thing. There is luxury in reminding yourself of all that life offered you this year and being grateful for what went well while coming to terms with what didn’t. Reflect daily on your gratitude to build your optimism, appreciation, and resilience for the coming year.

I love December and hope that you might love it, too. While we’re spending our money on gifts bought and given with love and care, give yourself the same love and care in the everyday without having to spend anything.

Wishing you a beautiful December.