Consumerism Killed Christmas: Reclaiming The True Rhythms of the Season

In this episode of the Higher Paradigm Podcast, host Laura discusses the impact of consumerism and gluttony during the holiday season. She invites listeners to pause, reflect, and connect with what truly matters. Laura shares her personal journey towards sobriety, setting boundaries, and realigning holiday celebrations with authentic values. The episode explores themes of inward reflection, appreciating life's simple blessings, and making changes to honor one's true intentions. Laura also offers practical reflection exercises and previews upcoming episodes on the history of Christmas and setting intentions for the new year. Subscribe for more meaningful conversations and join a like-minded community seeking deeper truths.

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00:00 Introduction: The Call to Reflect and Pause

00:57 Embracing the Season: Disconnecting from Consumerism

03:32 The Power of Reflection: Lessons from Nature

08:33 Finding Balance: Quality Time Over Materialism

11:39 Personal Journey: Redefining Holiday Traditions

15:24 Spiritual Growth: Deepening Connections

19:00 Practical Tips: Reflecting on the Past Year

27:52 Conclusion: Looking Forward to New Beginnings

Much Love and Many Blessings to you.

Transcript

0:01

We live in a society of consumerism and gluttony, and it has pulled us so far out of alignment with how we're intended to operate this time of year, but all year long. And the beautiful thing about this season this holiday season, is that it's an invitation. To go inward, to connect with what has happened and what you anticipate or what you're moving towards, what action steps you're taking. But it's also an opportunity to pause. And as a society, we do not honor the pause at all, and we are just. Over consuming overindulging, and that is not at all in alignment with. Our soul's purpose on this planet, and in this episode, we are going to dive in to the themes of this season, how we are intended to operate, how we might feel called to operate if the hustle and go and attending every single party. And drinking and eating to oblivion does not feel good in your body, in your mind and your spirit. This episode is for you because I have felt the call over these last six years to disconnect and set. Boundaries about how I operate this time of year, especially after getting sober and my values and my. Habits changing that alongside going into my healing journey and aligning myself with what feels true and authentic and loving and joyful to me, I have found my way into coming back to the root of. This season but before we jump in welcome to the Higher Paradigm. I am your host, Laura, I invite you if you haven't done so already. To subscribe to this YouTube channel to follow this podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast to share this episode and this podcast with anyone you believe would resonate with it I am on a mission to grow in like-minded community. Where we have depthful and meaningful conversations question the status quo, question, societal norms as we're doing in this episode today, this. Podcast is for those of us who are black sheep, outliers going against the grain, find ourselves wanting to deviate from the path that everyone else is taking. This is for those of us who are on a healing journey, who are on a spiritual journey, who are awakening to deeper, more meaningful life and truths and. Seeing the world and perceiving our experience in a much different way that maybe the lens you've perceived it for much of your life. I'm so glad that you're here let's jump right in. So I'm really excited about this episode and the next two episodes, it's sort of gonna be like a series and a guide on how to pull away a little bit from the way society operates this time of year, because it's so focused on. Consumerism and gluttony and stress and external celebration, if we look at nature, we're actually being called to do the opposite which is to slow down, to go inward, to appreciate. The simple blessings in your everyday life to sit by your cozy fire, spend quality time with your immediate family or those closest to you and to appreciate I. Life and to appreciate endings and new beginnings, death and rebirth. So if we look at nature, we can see this very clearly where we're at right now, where I live right now outside of Buffalo, New York. All the trees are bare of their leaves. There's snow on the ground. The sky is dark a lot of the time, and this is because nature is going inward. It's taking its time to replenish what has died, regrow, rebirth, and it doesn't happen overnight. We don't jump from fall to spring for a reason, and it is because this is an opportunity to regenerate to hibernate, to go into our own chrysalis but also reflection. On the year that we just went through all the things that we've endured, experienced lessons, we've learned things we've overcome, challenges we've faced, joys, adventures we had. This is really the best time to reminisce and reflect and bask in all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon you this year. Even in those moments that felt really challenging and in the moment you might not have recognized the lesson or the blessing, but now you can see maybe you don't see the blessing or the lesson yet, but maybe you recognize that there is something there and it's just really a great time to appreciate. Where you are, who you are and how you're showing up in the world. So I love to spend between Thanksgiving and about the first to second week almost of December, in reflection, reviewing all that's unfolded in this last year, and it's a beautiful time to look through. Your journals, if you journal like me and read from January, to the moment, or the time after Thanksgiving, but between the time after Thanksgiving and like the first or second week of. December and recognize how life unfolded for you and what happened, and what things really stand out, what challenges did you face, and all the things this practice of reflection and reverence really. Guides us into a deeper level of presence for what is and where we are in this exact moment. Because everything that we have experienced in this year, thus far has led us to where we are today. And maybe you are still learning lessons and maybe there are still challenges that you're facing, but by reflecting and. Recognizing the blessings within what you've experienced thus far. It can also show you that you have overcome, you have risen above, you have learned, you have healed, and you will do it again. So I just find this time of year so magical. And so deeply spiritual, of course, because of everything that we already know, but even more so because of this invitation to recognize our blessings in our everyday life, in the big moments of the year, but also the day to day and how we have co-created this reality with the presence of divine guidance. So there is a balance that you can find one that works for you in terms of. Spending and external celebration, you know, family gatherings, work gatherings, friend gatherings, all the things, and also making room for this time with and for yourself, with spirit, with God, and in reflection. It doesn't mean that you have to get rid of all the things that are labeled as normal, quote unquote for the holiday season. It means this is an invitation. To recognize what is working, what feels good, what feels like a yes for you versus what are you doing Because either you feel like you have to or you're operating from a people pleasing wound. And it's not actually in alignment with how you truly want to show up. Overspending and going into debt because of Christmas is normal in your world, or it's something that you have experienced a lot of and. You know, the more you spend and the, and the more gifts that your children get, the better their Christmas. And yet in your heart, you feel like this is not actually, I, this is not actually true for me. This does not feel good. This, I feel like I'm missing out on something. I feel like I'm missing out on the true magic of this season. It's not in the gifts, it's not in the spending. It's not in the. Constant gathering. It's not in the overeating it's actually something that I want more of, which is quality time with my family and simplicity and. It's more about the gift of love and life versus any material thing that we can give or receive. And so if that is you, maybe it's time to start asking and getting very clear on how you actually want your holiday season to look and feel for you and your family, because it's not about how you were raised. It's not about. What your parents think you should do, or what your friends or your coworkers or anybody else thinks you should do. This is about what your heart tells you. This is about what feels good and nourishing and loving for you and your family. Over the last few years, we have really made some significant changes to how we celebrate this time of year as a family. But it happens slowly over time. You know, you make changes year after year that feel more in alignment with how you desire to celebrate the holidays with your. Family. For me, it was more about spending quality time, celebrating and honoring the season and the change of the season, and talking about with the kids what this time of year calls us to reflect upon, and also how we can take steps. And set intentions for. What we want the next year to look like. And celebrating the winter solstice and this big change that's happening on planet Earth and connecting with the earth in that way, and being home together and. Making yummy, nourishing food and making it together and just really relishing and reveling in the time. That we have with one another instead of focusing more on spending money and going in, doing things like seeing Santa Claus and things that just do not feel necessarily in alignment with. Our values as a family the values that my husband and I are instilling into our kids, of course, and you know, a lot of past years have been very, low vibrational. Celebrations in the sense that there was a lot of alcohol and consumption a lot of noise, and a lot of partying. And when I started to journey on this path of not only spirituality but sobriety, that way of doing things no longer felt in alignment with how I wanted. Not only for myself to experience this time of year, but also for my kids, like I really just did not want my children to have to witness this crazy and uncomfortable behavior, quite honestly, because my. Oldest daughter did tell me how uncomfortable it did make her to be watching everybody taking shots and drinking heavily. So I took it seriously and I recognized that, you know, even my child is craving more quality, quiet. Warm cozy time with her family. And that's not to say that we've cut out gift giving and you know, spending time with our extended family altogether and indulging in food it's just we have found. We continue to find a balance that works for us and feels really good for us as a family. But again, it takes time, and it takes. Really sitting and asking yourself, what is it that I want this time of year to look and feel like for me and my family, or just for me? How do I want it to feel and look for me, and. One of the things that has been very consistently important to me the last few years also is growing more spiritually and in relationship with God and with the spiritual supports that show up in these winter moments and yeah, that was something that felt very. Sacred and important to me and continues to, and it continues to grow and evolve. And as we learn more about the history of Christmas and. The origins of it, which is super fascinating by the way, and will be discussed more at length in the next episode, which I'm really excited to share. But once we learn more, the easier it is to just recognize what works and what doesn't work and, and what we're doing that's actually in alignment for us but also just looking around at the way that everyone is operating this time of year and super stressed out, aggravated. You go to stores and you're around other people and they're miserable and it's not and necessarily uplifting and joyful time to be out shopping around other people. And that's not the vibe for me. So I had to accept and be okay with the fact that I'd rather just. Online shop than go into stores and interact with other people because it's not bringing me joy and it doesn't feel necessary for me. Also recognizing how overindulgence not only applies to food or drink in. My experience and my awareness when we overindulge in one area of our lives, we have a tendency to then overindulge in other areas of our lives, or it trickles into other areas of our lives in a negative way. What I mean by this is one overindulgence or over drinking or overeating makes the excuse to do it in other areas of your life. And this is something that I've just acknowledged and recognized within myself that when I over overeat, then I start to overspend, then I start to. Break my own boundaries with spending. But I also then make excuses not to follow through on the things that really feel good for me with like working out or being in spiritual practice or doing my energy hygiene practices, all of which are very, very important to me. But it's like as though, and of course this could be related to my addictive personality, but so many of us in this world are. Addicted to something. So I really feel like this applies to so many people and in so many ways that the overindulgence doesn't start and end in a lot of cases with just one meal or one thing. It takes on a life of its own. It has the potential to at least. So just wanted to mention that because we are again in this culture where this gluttony seems like it just gets worse and worse and worse. Like the more you spend, the more you eat, the more you drink the the better your life. But is that actually true? You know, and this is something you can ask yourself. So a practice that I have done for the last couple years, and again, this is over the span of a couple weeks. I start this right after Thanksgiving and I just intuitively allow myself to be guided into how to, implement this. And, but it usually takes about. A week and a half, two weeks. And firstly, as I mentioned, reflection and you know, just speaking out loud to God, the universe, your spirit team, your intuition, your higher self, whoever is listening, I am setting the intention that I want to reflect on this last year and just being an open channel to let the memories flood in and the purpose of this is to find gratitude in everything that you've experienced, overcome, faced, addressed challenges that you rose up and faced and all those things. So. Being an open channel for reflection and having a journal with you or available, or you can voice note. I love voice note journaling. It's been more prevalent for me this year than any other year. I just find myself going into a flow when I do voice recorded journaling. But of course, whatever feels. Write and is available to you. Voice noting, writing it down, taking notes in your phone. It might happen in moments where you can't give it the attention that it needs, these reflections and stuff, but the purpose of taking notes in your phone or voice noting is so that you can take it with you into your sacred space so that you can spend quality time reflecting and even speaking. Of these experiences that you had in this past year out loud, and then embracing them and finding the gratitude and celebrating yourself. Going through your journal entries, going on your social media account and looking back between January and now and seeing what you've posted and recognizing the shifts and the changes that have taken place and how much you've grown and what you've. If you're sharing content, that this speaks to. If just sitting and reflecting or, calling out that you want to reflect on this past year feels challenging for you. That's okay. I have three different things that you can. Journal to get into this mindset and to guide you. The first one is recognizing the year's themes. So this whole year from January to now, what were the themes that kept showing up in your life? What things did you need to face, what lessons did you learn? Were there specific things that you were doing healing work around or diving deeper into spiritually? As an example, for me, one of my themes this year was working through the wound of self-rejection, and this had been a theme that I was working through. From January until probably August, and it kept showing up consistently, like in various ways. Because of course if you are aware, your soul is aware that this is something that you're ready to work through, it's gonna keep showing up for you to help you integrate that work and to. Basically like recalibrate or uplevel in some way. So that was one theme that kept showing up for me. A couple other examples my focus last year was on deepening intimate spiritual relationships with God ancestors, the humans in my life. Another theme being more consistent in every area of my life. My self-care rituals, my spiritual rituals, my workouts, my eating habits, all the things like consistency in how I show up in the world was really important. Working towards my physical health goals. Another one that came up for me this year was releasing control, where I was meeting challenges and experiencing challenges that were inviting me to recognize. How I still need to let go of control over things that are so out of my control. And at what point do you say, okay, I've said all that. I've had to say, I've done that. All that I can do now it's up to this person. Or you know, to just surrender and trust the process. So that was a big one for me too. So. What are your themes from this year? The second thing is, what are five truths that you know about yourself? And this is important because from year to year, if you're on a growth or a healing or a spiritual journey, you are going through evolution. After evolution, you're peeling back layer after layer. So it is inevitable that how you. Experience and know yourself is going to grow and evolve over time. So what I've written from last year, yes, it's relevant to who I am today, but there's even more depth and more truth that I know about me and my soul and my journey and my purpose on this planet that I can speak to, that I can proudly proclaim. So go into this with wanting to really be honest with yourself from that self-loving place. This is five truths about the amazing human that you are, the amazing soul that you are, and recognizing the. Divine, sacred, beautiful qualities that you hold and how you show up in the world in a positive way. So we're focusing on the good. We're focusing on celebrating ourselves, and we're focusing on self-love. So that's the second thing that I do. The last thing that I do is I ask, what lessons have I learned this year about myself, my family, friends, and the world. And this can go very deep and with this question, I would definitely encourage you to carve out time and space to be meditating on the year and what you've learned about yourself and the world and your friends and family and what. How it's guiding you into deeper service, purpose, truth, honesty, and sovereignty. How is this? Helping you and guiding you to operate from your highest self and in alignment with your heart. So this can be a very, very depthful response. Last year's response to this, because I haven't done this year's yet, is about 11 pages in my journal long. It's just to show you that if you really take the time and connect in with the divine and your intuition and reflect, you can really get a lot of beautiful feedback and a lot of beautiful, um. Remembrances, I guess. So those are the three things that I do. And I am now offering to you as a guide and a tool to really be in this beautiful portal of reflection over the next week or two. Allow it to guide you into deeper gratitude and recognize how blessed your life is and this will invite you to a. Deeper presence within yourself and your experience and also what work maybe is to come and what you might want to. Focus your attention on in the year to come, but we'll get there. So the next episode is going to be about the history of Christmas, is so much deeper and there's so much more to it than just what we know right now and this reality and this world we live in. And I really look forward to sharing what I've learned in this last couple years about the origins of Christmas and the in-between where things are ending and new beginnings are on the horizon, but they're not quite here yet, and then the third episode of this series is gonna fall around the solstice, which is perfect because I will be sharing about a practice that I have implemented and it is so fun and magical and beautiful and intuitive and I really look forward to sharing that with you along with, yeah, the intention setting that comes with entering into a new year. I'm so excited to share all of this and I really look forward to continuing on. Thank you so much for being here. Don't forget to like, subscribe, follow, and share this episode and the Higher Paradigm Podcast with those who believe would resonate with it and support the growth of this community. Much love and many blessings to you.