With the count down on to December 25^th, the next 28 days Awake in the World will focus on ways to make the holiday season less commercial and more spiritual.  Whether you celebrate the day as  Christmas, Kwanza or based on any of the other traditions, the aim is to move away from the consumer model of the season which has been co-opted by businesses for financial gain and move into a deeper awareness of this holiday season and what it means on a spiritual level.

Shifting our perspective to one where December 25^th is more about people, peace and patience rather than frantic buying sprees and obsessions with gifts and gift giving can improve our world. Nature will thank us for cutting back on the unnecessary consumption and our families will eventually come to appreciate our aims.

To begin the countdown, today take a quiet moment to gain perspective and determine how you aim to spend this season. Are there things that seem frivolous and go against your sense of what seems reasonable and right? Is there some way of celebrating that you’ve always yearned to try but hesitated for fear of what other family members might say? For many years, I’ve turned the season into a time to celebrate closeness with family and friends. We limit gift-giving to one, small gift. The focus turns from expectations, wishes and hopes for things, to a time to cultivate more meaningful relationships with family through good conversation and joyful sharing. These times when we can all unite are precious and rare, so paying extra attention to family and really listening to them is worth making efforts to do. Time is so fleeting that we never know when or if we’ll have opportunities to see them again.

Consider your Christmas aims. Are there any rituals you would like to start? Is there something special you would like to do to mark the season? Give yourself a moment to reflect and begin to set the tone and weave in your personal ways of making the season meaningful. If your decisions affect others, you may want to let them know as well.

Bio: Debra Moffitt is author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life. A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind/body/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at http://www.awakeintheworld.com.