Continuing the Slow Holidays theme, in today’s episode Brooke and Ben talk about valuing presence over presents as the year comes to an end. This chat follows on nicely from episode 210, which was all about clutter-free gifts, but goes a step further to really question why it is that we choose to show our love through the giving of stuff.

Brooke and Ben talk about the emotional connection we feel to giving things, and the fact that it can sometimes come down to feelings of guilt or obligation. If you haven’t been there for a loved one throughout the year, you might feel the pressure to give them a whizz-bang gift come Christmas time to show them you care.

But if you flip it and reverse it, and start with time, maybe there’s another way. For Brooke, slow living means more time for the people in her life, and investing in relationships. The reason we give gifts is to show love, but what other ways can you show love? Giving presence is giving time and energy and turning up for people throughout the entire year. Maybe consider setting up rituals with people that you love, like you’re gifting a year-long subscription to you.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us over on the blog, or Facebook or Instagram - we’d love to hear how you think you could incorporate this into your holiday season, and the rest of your year, and whether it’s shifted your perspective on gift-giving at all!

Head over to http://slowyourhome.com/214/ for all the links and resources mentioned, as well as the blog post.

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