slow christmas

After slow food and slow fashion, could slow Christmas be the next big trend?

For the fast-paced ones 

The most wonderful time of the year, or the most stressful?

It depends on your perspective, but there’s arguably a lot of pressure to put on the perfect Christmas. Simplicity becomes harder to grasp during this season. We are bombarded with so much advertising beginning before Black Friday. Shopping with the deadline for the best price brings stress to “buy more, more, more, right now”. Next to our busy social lives and finishing up work before the end of the year, we become hyper busy and worn out.

It's easy to get swept up in the busyness and the overall feeling that Christmas should be perfect. And even though we love receiving (lots of) gifts and enjoy dinners with too much champagne, oysters and even foie gras. We cant' seem to fight that little demon that shows up every once a while whispering 'isn't this all too much?' So how can we have best of both worlds? How can we have a slower Christmas without compromising on comfort or traditions? 

Don't get carried away by what others think is right or wrong. The truth lies with you and the choices you feel comfortable with. Every step is a step in the right direction. 

For a slower, environmentally conscious and more meaningful Christmas, read our five tips below.

How to have a slower Christmas

1. The World Can Wait

We are so sucked up in life sometimes, that taking a step back can feel strange. The holiday season is a busy time of the year, and a slow Christmas might be the perfect antidote to the hectic and fast world we live in. Take time to recharge and celebrate togetherness at home, creating a cozy nest and curling up comfortably, enjoy time with family and friends, share stories and good meals. Be present. That e-mail or phone call can wait. The world can wait. 

2. Gifts With An Impact

Giving (and receiving) presents, don’t we all love it? Is it sustainable to gift something someone doesn’t really need? Probably not. But it's surely an exciting feeling that someone picked out a present especially for you 😉. As Emma Watson says "As consumers we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy." 

Looking for gift inspiration with an impact?

3. Think About The Packaging

Ripping open wrapping paper is without a doubt one of the most exciting things children and also adults look forward to. It adds sparkle to your gifts and spreads the Christmas cheer. We don't want to be a bad news show, but those pretty, shiny wrapping papers and sticky tapes? They can't be recycled and are bound for landfill.

(On another note, we're spending money on wrapping paper, that is ripped open and tossed away after 60 seconds. Pretty strange tradition.)

This is truly an easy switch:

    • Choose simple kraft paper to wrap up your gifts 
    • Use old newspaper or magazine cutouts, and make wrapping an event
    • Tie up items in a tea towel or scarf, making the cloth a part of the present

4. Support Slow Food Producers

Christmas is a great time to eat seasonally and support slow food. This means looking to local producers for some of your Christmas dinner recipes. Not sure where to start? Here's some local Belgian inspiration: Start with a ready to serve mocktail The Mocktail Club or cocktail Midi Aperitifs, with some plant-based dumplings from Davai Dumplings. Use Think Tomato sauce for your master piece. And of course end with some chocolate from Maison Macolat 

5. Take A Slow Day

We squeeze a lot into the first three weeks of December. Office parties, meet-ups with friends, shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking and festive days out are just the beginning. If we’re too focused on our to-do list, we miss the magic of winter. Slow down for a day, or at least an afternoon, to put the to-do list aside. Watch a terrible Christmas film in PJs, make those Christmas cookies, take a walk in the forest, or light a few candles and have a relaxing bath.

 

We hope you enjoyed our five tips. Feel free to share with like-minded people and join our mailinglist. And remember, there is no black or white when trying to make more conscious decisions. Every step is a step in the right direction. 

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