Since I elected to work through 30 Chic Days during December, Christmas Eve is Day 24, when the entry is “live a life of luxury.” How apropos – especially coming on the heels of yesterday’s tip about being “financially chic.” For far too many of us, we take a giant leap away from our good senses in December and get caught up in a frenzy of materialistic “wantwantwant” in the guise of celebrating the holidays.
Mme. Ferris shows us a better way here. First off, what does “luxury” look like to you? The image at the top of this post is from the Palace of Versailles – certainly luxurious, but not at all to my taste! So forget the glossy magazines, forget your friends’ ways of doing things (and you know not to pay too much attention to social media, right? Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your dress rehearsal to someone else’s highlight reel!) and spend some time thinking about this. What do YOU consider to be luxury? Daydream a bit – the old “if I won the lottery” game is a fine place to start, but there are other places to go with this, too.
- To me, this looks like luxury. Your mileage may vary.
To Mme. Ferris, it “all comes down to being intentional.” Set some boundaries on yourself, such as limiting screen time so you have time to spend on other things you value, such as a craft project or hobby you enjoy. Go through your house and figure out what “luxurious” things you already have and resolve to actually use them. She also recommends not being cheap with yourself – if it’s broken, dirty, or outgrown, you officially have permission to get rid of it! Mme. Ferris takes it a step further and suggests a dramatic way to “force” yourself to use your best things – donate the other stuff!
While I wouldn’t suggest this with everything, it’s not a bad idea. I’ve got a cupboard bursting with glassware and coffee mugs we never use – it’s time to pare all that down. I started this today with the linen closet – I had several sets of sheets that we had for the guest room bed that don’t fit anything else. We got rid of that bed more than a year ago! So before Christmas comes, I’m making a drop-off donation to a charity that can use them, instead of hoarding them.
With today being Christmas Eve, this is an especially apt entry – we tend to put on our “best faces” for the holidays. Why not spend a few minutes thinking about how you can carry that forward after you pack up the decorations? Luxury isn’t necessarily about a housekeeper, a personal chef, and two weeks at the spa. Maybe it looks like a small, tidy home that gives you pleasure to step into after a long day at work. Maybe it looks like a supermarket bouquet once a week (give up lunch out one day a week and you’ve got the cash.) Maybe it looks like setting a timer to limit your tendency to mindlessly drift from website to website and instead give you time to potter in the garden, or try a new recipe, or sketch, or daydream.
It’s your luxurious life – decide what that looks like, then pick a place to start making it a reality!
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