The Joy of Giving No. 4: Your Moment of Peace

I have a tradition. Every Christmas - before, during or after the joyous festivities - I give myself a little gift: my moment of peace, tranquility and reflection. It can be as short as five minutes or a nice, long meditation session.

The Joy of Giving No. 3: DIY Turmeric Body Mask

Well, I have to admit I postponed this blog post to see what happens on this special Friday....so far, I'm still alive and kicking and the weather gods have just surprised me with light snowfall - what else can you wish for Christmas?

Since Christmas Eve is still "on", there's enough time for organizing or making last minute gifts. Today's DIY recipe is a wonderful, easy peasy Turmeric Body Mask. Why turmeric? This yellow spice does not only do wonders to your health but really improves your skin: it helps reduce pigmentation and the appearance of acne, increases elasticity and just makes your skin glow!

The Joy of Giving No. 2: DIY Pillow Oil

While family and friends were busy baking delicious Christmas cookies these days, I spent most of my evenings blending oils, creams, inhalators and body masks. So instead of vanilla, chocolate and sugar scents, our apartment was filled with Jasmine, Rose, Myrtle and Bergamot fragrances - very calming and soothing!

So, my DIY Christmas gift idea for today is a lovely pillow oil: just a few drops onto the pillow at night and your loved ones will sleep like a baby. Alternatively or simultaneously, this oil blend can also be applied on to the chest or neck area for extra relaxation.

Tea & Talk: Aromatherapist Shireen

Christmas is in exactly two weeks, so I thought it would be nice to give myself and of course you, my lovely readers, a pre-Christmas present! Yay! I'm very excited to announce that my wonderful aromatherapy teacher Shireen Calucin has agreed to sit down and share some of her vast knowledge with me.

Current Objects of Bliss...Christmas Bliss {1}

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So I'm officially starting the Christmas countdown with the first part of my top 5 favorite things for a blissful Christmas. Hope, you'll get inspired:

Why I love Thai Massages

{Nuad Thai}

Are you feeling the Holiday stress already? I do, but I think it's positive stress: crafting Christmas presents, scheduling Christmas parties and drafting my travel itinerary for Europe (tips for Berlin, anyone?) - all while humming the "Driving home for Christmas" tune. But recently my body gave me subtle signs of exhaustion with a cough and runny nose here and there. So, it's time for a break. My body requests exclusive pampering and undivided attention. After all, the coming days will be even more stressful.

The Joy of Giving No. 1: Delicious Sugar Scrubs

Yesterday I visited the first Christmas Bazaar of the month where I bought some handcrafted holiday decor and indulged in a cheese raclette especially imported from Switzerland; a tradition me and my Austrian/German expat friends enjoy once every year and really look forward to. This event also never fails to officially trigger my Christmas countdown mood for it means that my annual holiday back home with my family is very close. Only two more weeks and I'm back in good old Austria!