monday meditation – give thanks, love and happiness

You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Bonjour! Happy Monday! Especially happy because it’s the beginning of a short 3 day work week for me. Thanksgiving is coming up and of course the day after is black Friday when everybody with be out shopping the sales. Except for moi – I never get caught up in all the craziness. I enjoy my Friday at home with the gift of my little family. But since its time to think about Christmas giving I thought I’d post a mini-guide, CLB style. Welcome to my monday meditation – give thanks, love and happiness.

art of giving

“The great art of giving consists in this the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted, so that it may be the more highly appreciated.” 

Baltasar Gracian

I could go on and on about how commercialized Christmas is and how silly it’s become with the focus being on the quantity of gifts given and received instead of the quality. But I’m sure you’ve already noticed. I’ve always thought the Europeans have the right idea, bien sûr, where they give small meaningful gifts to close family and friends at Christmastime.

It’s become a fun but meaningful tradition for me to give donation certificates each year. My sister gets Henry and a donation to The Donkey Sanctuary. Mom gets a donation to Happy Trails Farm Sanctuary. One friend gets a Xerces Society donation, one gets One of a Kind Pets. It’s a thoughtful gift and you simply match the charity to the receiver.

I love to buy gifts from companies who give back. Farmhouse Fresh has all kinds of beautiful gifts that help with their rescues. I’m totally in love with their One Fine Day Face Polish, so is my mom. Uncommon Goods supports independent makers, and they have something for everyone. Last year I gifted sister (and myself) this beautiful, unique Repurposed Cotton Sari Robe. Bombas socks for husband ✔. Grounds and Hounds coffee too.

a good book

A book is a gift you can open again and again.     

Garrison Keillor

Speaking of a meaningful gift, in Iceland the tradition is to exchange books on Christmas Eve and then spend the evening reading reading them, preferably with some hot cocoa. Isn’t that just lovely? A book is the perfect gift indeed, you can search for the perfect one to match your recipient.

I think a cookbook is always a good idea, mais oui. Maybe matched with a gift certificate to a specialty cookware store or grocery? I’ve already mentioned a few – Wild Recipes and Ottolenghi or Flavor. So many recipes, so many cookbooks, so little time – le sigh.

In this era of covid a journal would be a very helpful gift. Create Your Own Calm: A Journal for Quieting Anxiety looks very calming indeed. Or just give some fiction to totally get lost in. Midnight Library, The Wonderling, The Friend, The Enchanted April… the list goes on and on. The fun is in matching the book to the recipient. Be sure to support your local bookstore. In fact, how about supporting Shakespeare and Company for a special Parisian touch! If you must purchase through Amazon, make sure and use Amazon Smile where some of the proceeds go to your selected charity.

feel the healthy

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you.    

Joyce Meyer

We need to focus on our health, especially during the holidays, especially in 2020. I’m thinking this Ultrean Air Fryer looks like an awesome gift. I love the retro look it has. How about some healthy homemade treats – one for you, one for me 😋. Holiday Chai Cake paired with a box of Chai tea? Charming. Raspberry Orange Chia Jam? Festive! Raspberry Energy Balls? Oui! And this Mixed Bean Soup Mix looks festive, and customizable to your recipient too. Below is a Fennel Granola that can be used in a variety of ways, it’s so good. Just gift in a pretty decorated jar or container.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Fennel Granola

The jam on it's own or even as a garnish for salads, yogurt etc.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Keyword: garnish

Ingredients

• 5½ cups oats
• 3½ oz grapeseed or coconut oil
• 3 oz water
• ¾ cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
• ⅓ cup sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup flax seeds
• millet or quinoa
• 8 oz honey
• fennel
• salt, red pepper

Instructions

• In a saucepan mix the honey, oil, water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. In a bowl, combine the oats, almonds and the 3 seeds. Add hot honey and mix until liquid is absorbed. Spread the granola on a sheet covered with parchment paper. Cook 1 hour at 280 F, stirring at half-cooking time. Allow to cool and store in a festive container with lid.

wish

Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.     

Richard Bach

I found another candle from Otherland, the Gilded Collection SILK PAJAMAS. Wouldn’t it be sweet paired with some cute pajamas? Perfect gift for a good friend or family member. Candles are always a fun gift anyway I think, if you pick out a good quality, special one to match the recipient. Anthropolgie always has the nicest candles. Or maybe some fun slippers paired with a MistleToes Foot Kit?

I enjoy seeing some of the sweet gift sets that come out for the holidays. This Merry Multi-Masking Kit would be fun to give, with the little bear smiling at you in the shower. I think a cute puzzle would be perfect too. Anthro has so many nice puzzles too. I’m so loving my The Girl Who Reads to Birds Puzzle. Perfect for a cozy Sunday afternoon.

It’s become my tradition to gift my nearest and dearest with a little Goop for holidays and special occasions, because Goop always means happy. Goop Glow would also be in the feel the healthy category. And I love the dry brush with Goop printed on the handle. They’ve got a sale going on now too.

So there it is – my monday meditation – give thanks, love and happiness! Just a short little mini-guide for some Monday inspiration. I am so thankful for you dear reader – I hope you have a wonderful, blessed week and a lovely Thanksgiving! À bientôt!