While I was ordering my usual morning cup of coffee, something was different. It wasn’t the smell or the taste of my coffee, the warm cup in my hand was the same as it had always been. It was the sound.
Instead of the soft jazz that usually filled the air at our local coffee shop, they were now playing Christmas tunes. Ah, December. Whether you love it or hate it, the holiday season is definitely upon us.
The holidays are considered the best and worst time by many. It just depends on who you ask. In fact, a lot of people suffer from holiday-induced stress and anxiety, which you can read more about here.
This got me thinking, how can you apply the flip flop philosophy to the holiday season?
During the holidays, it seems like the season of excess. It’s all about having more – shopping, parties, food, social activities… The stress of the holidays is essentially due to an overdose of everything.
What does the word “holiday” mean to you? A lot of people forget the true meaning of holidays – to celebrate traditions and embrace special moments with family. A holiday is defined as “a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done.” It’s a day set aside by custom or law on which normal activities like work and school are reduced or suspended.
If that’s the case, why would the holiday season stress anyone out? They’re meant to allow time to celebrate or commemorate culturally significant events. I don’t think that necessarily calls for excessive shopping or partying. The holidays have become too much. They’re too commercialized and as a result, we’re paying not only with money but also with stress. It doesn’t help that we’re bombarded with ads promoting the “perfect gifts” for friends and family. The holiday season has turned into a marketing scheme more than a meaningful tradition.
The good news is we can turn this around. Take a page from flip flop philosophy and strip your holidays down to the essentials. I mean look at a flip flop. It’s nothing but the bare essentials, just a good old footbed, and straps to hold them in place. While they don’t have any frills, they serve their function. As a result, flip flops have outlasted most footwear in terms of relevance and timelessness. They’re always in, season after season.
Why not take it from the simple flip flop and lessen your holiday activities (and expenses and stress)? While everyone else is making Christmas the season of more, challenge yourself to make it the season of less. Watch how life rewards you with enriching, priceless memories that you can only appreciate when you really slow things down.
We know flip flops aren’t the first type of footwear that comes to mind when you think of the Christmas holidays. But just hear us out.
Here are five ways that wearing flip flops during the holiday season will completely change your life. Do Life Right and wear flip flops during the holidays. More importantly, get inspired by the philosophy that Flip Flop Life represents.
1. Chill, seriously
You’ve already been working so hard the entire year. “Holiday” meant a day of no work. Drop that itinerary and just relax. There’s no need to apply your overachieving personality to your holiday schedule. Focus on the essence of the season, rather than the frills. That means taking moments to yourself to reflect in silence and gratitude. That’s just not possible when your schedule is jam-packed.
Free up days in your calendar just for yourself. This helps you in both the short and long term. It helps in the moment as you get to take a breath and helps in the long run as you’ll be able to get through the season without getting too tired or burnt out. Instead of dealing with post-holiday fatigue, right after the holidays, you’ll be good to go.
2. Keep things simple
A flip flop achieves more with less. It protects the sole of your feet and toes while using less material than your typical shoe. As a result, flip flops let you chill and have fun in the sun while allowing your toes to breathe. Just like a flip flop, focus on the basics.
Do less, not more. The holidays are always more enjoyable for people who attend, not host parties. The hosts are always stressed, especially when they try to pull off elaborate setups. If you are hosting friends, keep it simple. You can make magical memories without breaking a sweat or breaking the bank. Better yet, if you can get out of it – don’t volunteer as host.
Use your energy wisely. Your Christmas won’t be fun with more shopping or more parties. After a certain point, adding more of anything will cease to make you happy and start making you stressed. Identify the reason you’re doing anything before you do it. This will help you decide if it’s worth your energy or not.
3. Focus on the essence of Christmas
Don’t fall for the advertising. It’s a consumer trap. Christmas is the season of giving gratitude – not gifts. Sure, it’s nice to exchange presents with loved ones but that’s not all that the holidays are about. Christmas is about love.
It’s about sharing what you have, not only material gifts but things that can be felt – like a warm hug, a heartfelt note, or kind words to someone who needs it. When you pull the focus away from the frills and shift it back towards the essence of the holidays, you’ll immediately realize what is worth your attention and what isn’t.
4. Book a trip
This year, we’re all about celebrating a White Sand Christmas. That is, enjoying your holidays with sunshine overhead and sand between your toes. Forget the dress shoes. Flip flops are the perfect choice to take along on your tropical getaway. Spending your holidays by the beach allows you to create unique new memories to cherish for a lifetime.
Taking time away from home also significantly reduces your stress. Think about it: No traffic, no shopping and no Christmas parties to attend. You get to focus on yourself and your family. What could be better? We give our recommendation on the best trips and flip flops to take along with you here.
Practicing one or all of these tips will help you create fun new memories this Christmas and beyond! If you need advice picking out the best pair of flip flops, we’ve got you covered with our real, unbiased reviews of the best products in the market.
