When you grow up in a Latin American country and have a critique inner self, you can feel that the whole idea of Christmas is fake, from the trees to the snow made out of styrofoam. It is just so imported. Eventually, you grow up, adapt and find out you can’t really run away from Christmas, it is just part of your culture and perhaps you learned how to like it. What I tried to do was creating a deeper meaning for this festive date and I found the powerful cliche of love. Nowadays, I approach to the season with generosity and love, remixing a little bit of my Buddhist beliefs with my Catholic background. Meaning, I wish I can treat people I like, giving them gifts with all of my hearts. Not because I am obliged to, but because I am grateful enough to share love inside beautiful wraps.
Here is a quick list of creative gift ideas I have been thinking about giving to my family and friends this Christmas. I always think that I need to give them something healthy to the body, mind and soul because that is what I would like to receive. I hope you enjoy and also share the love:
Make Your Own Scented Beeswax Candles
Making candles is so easy and they are such a lovely gift! The only ingredients you will need are bee wax, an essential oil that you like (clove and orange are a great combination), wick and a container that can support heat. You can find several tutorials on the web on how to make your candles, but basically, you will need to melt the bee wax in bain marie and pour it in the containers with the wicks. Within 2 hours I am sure you will have made dozens of unique gifts (the bee wax is much healthier than candles made out of paraffin!)
Organic Lipsticks
Not many are aware that the lipsticks that they use actually can be harmful to their health, most of them containing lead. Lipsticks are quite a problem because we basically ingest them while we are wearing them. Try to find an organic lipstick in which ingredients are not harmful, you can search the ingredients, brand or product on EGW (when opening the EWG website, type what you are looking for in the search bar. EWG has a score from 1 to 10 to help you understand the hazards of cosmetics ingredients). You can be the one spreading the message about how make-up can be dangerous for health, explaining why the lipstick you are giving the person you love is so important for the body and the environment – and, remember, lip balms are perfect for the winter!
Natural Fabric Eye Masks
If you know someone that loves to sleep with eye masks, usually the ones you find in popular stores are made from synthetic material which is not great for the skin. Try to find a really good eye mask with a good fabric material, such as cotton or silk. These will make the skin look healthier during the night because they are absorbent and breathable.
Dried Flowers Bouquet
What I love about dried flowers is that they last for months, sometimes years, and you can make your own bouquet for the person you love. Choose the flowers that the person reminds you about – maybe because of the colours, maybe because of the scent! Remember that eucalyptus has the most amazing natural perfume.
Natural and Handmade Soaps
Soaps can look bothering, I know, but there are soaps and soaps. Try to find a brand that uses only natural ingredients on the composition and soaps can become a totally new experience. The best ones are handmade but always check the list of ingredients to see if there is Parfum there – usually Parfum or Fragrance are evidence for toxic formulas. The best scents are the ones made with pure essential oils. You can always attach to the gift a note explaining why this soap is better than the others, and why what you put in your skin matters.
Astrology Birth Chart Reading
What if your friend, mum or lover love the mystic way of life? Contact your favourite astrologer and buy an astro brith chart reading for them. The birth chart is like a snapshot of the sky when someone was born and can reveal insights about ones inner self. Many astrologers run online sessions, making it pretty easy to book a moment to deep into a self-knowledge experience.
Make Your Own Cooking Jar
Choose your favourite biscuit, brownie or cookie recipe. Put the dried ingredients that make the recipe (flour, dried fruits, nuts, sugar, chocolate drops) in a glass jar and attach to it the whole recipe, instructing the receiver on how to do it – the only thing they will have to do is adding the wet ingredients (eggs, oil, water or milk). Give the person you love the possibility to cook your favourite recipe!
Júlia Albertoni 
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