The holidays can easily be a chaotic and stressful time of year.  When you think about it there really is a simple reason.  Between placing Christmas decorations inside and outside of your home, colorfully wrapped presents, holiday baking  added to the stress of extra shopping your normal energy flow (chi) is greatly disrupted.  I believe this is quite similar to spring cleaning.  It is not unusual to feel exhausted or to develop a cold or sinus infection following spring cleaning.  The common thought is this happens because of the dust but I beg to differ.  I believe it is more likely being influenced by the drastic change in the flow of chi.

Here are a few Feng Shui tips to keep your holidays calm and more enjoyable.

1.  Consider using less red wrapping paper.  Red is symbolic of fire.  Fire represents excitement and movement.  Instead, I would suggest using more blues and yellows (gold) to wrap your gifts.  This brings in more water and earth elements which helps to tone down fire (excitement) and bring in a bit more earth to calm things down.  The color green represents the wood element.  Wood is what fuels a fire so I hesitate to add a lot of extra greens.

2.  We tend to wear more red during the Christmas holidays.  Once again, red is symbolic of the fire element which represents excitement.  I don’t discourage wearing red but do suggest giving yourself a break at the end of the day by wrapping yourself in a cozy dark brown blanket or robe.  Brown is symbolic of Earth.  By surrounding yourself with the Earth element you slow the chi down which helps you to calm and feel more grounded.

3.  One thing you can say about the holidays is they can be quite noisy.  People are buzzing all around, the energy is unusually frantic and holiday music is everywhere.  Noise can be considered sha-chi in Feng Shui.  Sha chi is ‘bad’ energy.  I look at it more as energy you need a break from or should avoid whenever possible.  Other examples of sha chi are busy highways, sharp corners, long hallways, constant noise etc.  It is important to recognize you can be especially bombarded with sha chi from all the holiday hustle and bustle and to give yourself a break.  I recommend meditation, reading an interesting book, hot bath, exercise or any other activity that allows you to rest your mind and body.  You would be surprised how rejuvenated you could feel by indulging yourself for even 15 minutes a day.

4.  People often ask me how to know where to place Christmas decorations.  The answer to this question depends on the individual but from a very general perspective I recommend placing items where they feel right.  Although we can’t see energy we certainly all can feel it.  So use that sense.  Play around with it.

I hope you find these Holiday Feng Shui tips helpful.  If you have any questions or would like to leave a comment please visit my “Ask a Question” page at www.FengShuiSolutions.org.

Merry Christmas,

Marjorie