How to Feel More Authentic Connection by Giving Handmade Holiday Gifts

How to Feel More Authentic Connection by Giving Handmade Holiday Gifts
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If we were ever to meet up for a tea and girl talk date, chances are I would show up with a gift for you.

Maybe it would be a tube of homemade lip balm, some flower petal-infused bath salts, a handcrafted card with a glitter dipped feather on the front, or a love potion I mixed up under the full moon.

My point is that I don't just craft for the pleasure of creating. I often create so I can infuse my intentions into gifts for the beloved people in my life.

When I am sprinkling rose petals into a jar of bath salt or stirring melting beeswax over the stove, I am infusing all my love and good energy into the final product.

It's the secret of handmade gifts -- the thread of connection and love that you feel when you receive one. It simply isn't something you can feel in a store-bought gift.

Allow me to explain this concept a little further.

Take, for example, when you're at a party. You're having a great time and someone enters the room and has a totally negative vibe. They have a scowl on their face, defensive body language, and a rough demeanor. The energy from that person is so intense and distracting that you can feel it in your own body and it puts a total damper on the party.

But then there's that time that someone entered the room and immediately brightened it up. They were vibrant and charismatic and just plain lovely. Being around that person brought a smile to your face and a feeling of calm and safety in your body.

You could feel the difference between the two people, right?

You can also feel it when a loved one cooks you a meal. A meal that is made with feelings of love and excitement to share it with you tastes and feels far better than one that is cooked in an anxious and harried state. As opposed to going over to someone's home and having them serve you a half-assed frozen meal that they didn't spend much time or loving energy on. The food may taste okay but the energy isn't the same.

You can also feel that difference in energy when it comes to giving and receiving gifts.

When you give a handmade gift to your loved one, the exchange goes far beyond a mere object to another human.

That handmade gift has the power to influence that person's daily life. It may sit on their desk or on the window-sill in their bathroom or next to the stove in their kitchen. Every time they see it or use it, they are receiving all the love and beautiful intentions you have put into it. It has the power to change their day from crappy to awesome.

It's a reminder to them that they are adored and worth crafting something beautiful over. And, the best part, is it is likely to inspire them to get creative too! It's a beautiful ripple effect that all started with a loving, creative thought.

You have the ability to infuse your gifts with all your love and good intentions while you are making them.

Not sure how to do this? Follow my step-by-step guide to crafting handmade gifts that have meaning.

Step 1 -- Take time to get your mind present before you dive into making your gifts. Clear your mind of the to-do lists and normal head chatter. Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself that this time is as much for you as it is the people you are making your gifts for.

Step 2 -- Bring to mind your gift recipient. I like to imagine their smiling face, which usually brings a smile to my face as well. Feel into the bond you have with this person as you start to begin crafting the gift.

Step 3 -- As you create, bring to mind your memories of this person and feel into those loving and positive thoughts you want to bestow on them.

For example, when you are stirring beeswax to prepare it for candles, you giggle at the memory of that time the two of you stayed up into the wee hours of the morning talking about past loves. As you seal the jar tightly, you feel a pang of tenderness remembering that day you held each other through a painful loss. Feel and experience it all as you move your hands through the creation process.

Step 4 -- As you complete the gift -- when you tie the ribbon and place the gift tag just so -- take a moment to feel gratitude for the experience you just guided yourself through.

That gift you've created is now charged up with all good energy that is the essence of your love for the person you're gifting it to.

The next time you have an occasion to give someone a gift, make them something you can infuse your love and intentions into.

If you want to go deeper with this technique, I invite you to check out my holiday gift program called A Handmade Holiday where I not only solve your gift giving conundrum but also provide you with all the elements to have a holiday season filled with creativity, meaning, and blissful deep sighs.

Image by Rosa Delgado

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