When Less Becomes the Most Festive Thing You Do

I grew up with a mom who loved to decorate for every holiday. I'm talking full-blown seasonal transformations—our house was a rotating celebration of whatever was coming next. And honestly? I loved it. My kids love it too.

But the older I get, the more connected I am to my intuition. To what actually nourishes me. And to what sets my nervous system on fire.

And here's what I've noticed: the holidays are overloading our five senses everywhere we turn.

The malls selling Christmas in mid-November—which happens to be my birthday month, by the way, so it feels especially weird and invasive. The BUY BUY BUY messaging blaring from every screen. The emails landing in my inbox in October trying to sell me Christmas décor.

And what are we being sold, exactly? Plastic toys that break by January. Fast fashion that falls apart after one wear. Foods and booze that leave us feeling like crap—hungover, bloated, five pounds heavier, and making New Year's promises to ourselves that never last.

It's all too much, too early, too loud.

Then there's the stuff itself: The synthetic pine smell from candles that give me a headache within minutes. The visual noise of every surface covered in glittery, shiny things. The constant hum of inflatable decorations in yards. The sticky residue on my hands from cheap garland.

And I realized: I'm not creating a festive atmosphere. I'm participating in a sensory assault.

My body knows the difference. And yours does too.

Your Environment Is Quietly Shaping Your Health

Here's something most of us weren't taught, but the ancients knew well: overstimulating the senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—is one of the primary causes of disease.

In Ayurveda, this time of year is Vata season. Vata is the energy of air and ether—it's cold, dry, mobile, and erratic. It's already working overtime in our nervous systems. Then we layer on the holidays: the rushing, the spending, the doing, the buying more, the trying to make it all look perfect.

We're asking our bodies to handle commercial chaos during a season that's naturally meant to be about slowing down, going inward, and resting.

And our environment? It's either supporting that natural rhythm—or fighting against it.

Your nervous system doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's constantly reading your surroundings. The colors you see. The scents you breathe. The textures you touch. The sounds filling your space. When those inputs are synthetic, overwhelming, or constantly stimulating, your body stays in a low-grade stress response.

You might not consciously notice it, but your body does.

Use pine branches, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and pinecones to create centerpieces or garlands. These smell incredible naturally—no synthetic fragrance needed.

The Hidden Cost of "Festive"

Holiday décor is beautiful—I'm not here to shame anyone's joy. But most of it is made with plastics, glues, synthetic dyes, and fragrances that release chemicals into your home. Artificial trees, vinyl garlands, and heavily scented candles all contribute to indoor air pollution.

Paraffin candles release soot and toxins when they burn. Synthetic fragrances can trigger headaches, hormone disruption, and respiratory issues. Glittery plastics shed microparticles. And all of it? It's asking your liver, your lungs, and your nervous system to work harder.

In a season when you might already feel a little (or a lotta) depleted.

This isn't about perfection. It's about awareness. You get to ask: Is this adding to my stress or relieving it?

Curating Your Home for Calm (Not Just for Instagram)

Thankfully, there are natural alternatives that look just as festive—and actually help regulate your nervous system instead of destabilizing it.

When you decorate with materials that come directly from nature, you're inviting the grounding, calming energy of the earth into your space. You're also reducing your toxic load.

Try this:

• Use pine branches, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and pinecones to create centerpieces or garlands. These smell incredible naturally—no synthetic fragrance needed.

• Choose beeswax or soy candles with cotton wicks instead of paraffin ones. Beeswax actually purifies the air as it burns.

• Opt for fabric ribbons, wooden ornaments, and handmade crafts rather than shiny coated plastics. Let your kids paint wooden ornaments. Use linen napkins. Tie bundles of cinnamon sticks with twine.

• Reuse what you already have. Vintage ornaments, old jars filled with cranberries or evergreen clippings, simple white string lights—these add charm without adding waste or overwhelm.

My husband has always refused to use store-bought wrapping paper, and honestly, I’m glad he did—it showed the kids there’s an alternative. I still love pretty paper, but I’ve been shifting toward more natural, creative options. I love the whole process because it encourages you to slow down, be intentional with each gift, and avoid those massive mounds of non-recyclable wrapping paper in the trash on Christmas morning.

The goal isn't to do more. It's to do less, but better. To create an environment that feels like a soft place to land instead of another thing demanding your attention.

Keep Gatherings Grounded (You're on the List Too)

If you're hosting this season, let me remind you of something: You don't owe anyone a performance.

Holiday hosting can be beautiful, but it often pushes our systems into overdrive. We try to impress. We overspend. We over-prepare. We exhaust ourselves trying to make everything look a certain way.

And then we're too depleted to actually enjoy the people in front of us.

What if, instead, you focused on creating an atmosphere that supports relaxation—for everyone, including you?

Here's how:

• Choose whole, real foods that are easy to prepare. A clean eating holiday graze table with seasonal produce, cheeses, nuts, and meats becomes both nourishment and a centerpiece. You're not stuck in the kitchen. You're present.

• Keep music low and warm-toned. Think acoustic, instrumental, soft. Not the blaring Christmas station with commercials every five minutes.

• Light candles that flicker softly instead of pumping artificial scents into the air. Beeswax, unscented, or lightly scented with essential oils.

• Encourage slower pacing. Invite guests to linger. To breathe. To sit. To actually talk instead of rushing through.

A calm host sets the tone for the entire space. When you're grounded, everyone else can exhale too.

And here's the real truth: It's not about impressing anyone. It's about cultivating connection.

Connection to the people you love. Connection to the season's natural rhythm. Connection to your own body's needs.

You're Allowed to Put Yourself on the List

Midlife has a way of waking us up. Our bodies start speaking louder. We notice what we've been tolerating. We get tired of performing.

And maybe, just maybe, this is the year you give yourself permission to simplify.

To create a holiday that respects your nervous system instead of hijacking it.

To honor Vata season by grounding, warming, and slowing down—not by doing more, buying more, or decorating more.

To remember that your environment is medicine. And you get to choose what you're surrounding yourself with.

The holidays will come and go. The to-do lists will never end. But your health? Your nervous system? Your capacity to feel calm and present in your own home?

That’s what matters most.