Susan Czyzo

How to Be Mindful During the Holidays (and Beyond)

Staying present during the holidays can be challenging, but learning how to be mindful during the holidays is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

For some, the whirlwind of holiday activities leaves little room for mindfulness. For others, slower or more solitary holidays can make it just as hard to stay connected to the moment when the mind drifts toward what’s missing.

No matter your circumstances, practicing mindfulness during the holidays requires, well, practice. But with small, intentional steps, it’s entirely possible. These five tips will show you how to be mindful during the holidays and carry that presence with you into the new year.

1. Set an Intention for the Season and Each Day

To be mindful during the holidays, start by setting an overall intention for the season—a guiding focus that reflects what matters most to you.

To clarify your intention, you can ask yourself:

How do I want to feel during and after the holidays?
What do I want to cultivate this holiday season?
What matters to me most right now?

Your intention could be something like, “feeling connected to others”, “finding joy in simplicity”, or “prioritizing gratitude”.

Once you’ve identified your seasonal intention, take a moment each morning to tune into it. From there, set a smaller, related intention for the day.

For example: If your seasonal intention is “feeling connected to others,” your daily intention might be “I will give my full attention to conversations today” or “I will call a loved one I’ve been meaning to catch up with.”

Why it matters: An overall seasonal intention gives your holidays purpose and direction, while daily intentions provide a practical way to live it out moment by moment.

2. Give the Gift of Presence

Presence is one of the most meaningful gifts we can offer—to others and ourselves.

Start with Yourself:

The gift of presence starts with creating space for yourself each day, even if just for a few minutes.

Choose a task you do every day for yourself: Whether it’s enjoying your morning coffee, taking a shower, or saying hello to a pet, bring your full attention to it. Savour what you see, touch, hear, smell, or taste – be fully immersed in the moment.

Tune into your body: Take a few minutes each day to notice your breath, feel sensations within your body, and check in with how you’re feeling. This simple act of awareness helps you notice when you’re feeling stressed, fatigued, or overwhelmed, so you can address it before it carries you away from your intentions for the season.

For Gatherings:

When you’re with others, offering your full attention is a powerful way to give presence. Try this:

Signal to others that they matter more than your notifications by turning off or silencing your phone, or even placing it out of sight.

To help you listen more attentively and stay in touch with your emotions, maintain a little bit of your attention on your breath as you engage in conversations. If you find your mind wandering or planning your response, gently bring your focus back to your breath and the words being shared.

Practice releasing judgments as you notice them. Judgments—of yourself, others, or the situation—can pull you out of the present. Acknowledge them, let them go, and return your focus to the person or moment in front of you.

Why it matters: Giving someone our time is truly a gift but what is giving someone our time if we aren’t also as present as we can be? Start with yourself and let it ripple out.

3. How to be Mindful with Holiday Eating

During the holidays, food often takes centre stage. However, just because it’s a festive time doesn’t mean our relationship with food becomes uncomplicated. In fact, the holiday season can bring added complexity.

So how can we approach food with mindfulness during this time? How can we cultivate appreciation for nourishment despite the challenges?

Savour the Simple Meals:

The holidays don’t need to be filled with extravagant meals to be meaningful.

Take time to savour the simpler meals—whether it’s a cup of tea, a piece of fruit, or a Christmas cookie. Take time to notice the colours, smells, and textures. Chew slowly and pay attention to how the food feels in your mouth and as you swallow. By eating mindfully in these small moments, you invite gratitude and presence into your day, regardless of the amount of food in front of you.

Practice Self-Compassion:

The reality is that the season can bring up complex feelings around food for many. Remember to treat yourself with the same care you would offer a loved one.

If you find yourself indulging, try to approach it with a mindset of enjoyment rather than guilt. Give yourself permission, as you would a dear friend, to fully experience the moment and savour the treat. Let it be a source of pleasure, not self-criticism.

On the other hand, if food is scarce or you’re feeling disconnected from it, recognize that this doesn’t diminish your worth, and it’s okay to feel the complexity of those moments. Speak kindly to yourself and give space to whatever emotions arise.

Why it matters: Food is an essential part of our lives. Mindfulness allows us to tune into our relationship with food, be present with what it is, while helping us to navigate eating with more acceptance and gratitude.

4. Gratitude, Simplified

Coming up with a list of things to be grateful for can sometimes feel forced, particularly if we’re not in the mood for it. But gratitude doesn’t have to be a grand gesture—it can come alive in small, intentional moments.

Here are two ways to gently invite gratitude into your holiday season:

End your day with a moment of gratitude: Choose a specific moment during your evening routine to pause and reflect on one thing, big or small, that brought you joy or comfort that day. Call up the moment in your mind and notice how it feels in your body. Allow it to linger in your body before proceeding with your routine.

Share specific gratitude with someone: Think of someone who has supported or impacted you recently. Let them know exactly why you’re thankful for them—whether it’s their kindness, humour, or a small gesture that made a difference. It could be a quick text, a thoughtful phone call, or an in-person moment. If it was a momentary interaction with a stranger, take a moment to send them good wishes.

Why it matters: Gratitude shifts focus from what’s missing to what’s meaningful and present. By intentionally weaving gratitude into your daily life, you create small but powerful moments of connection and appreciation.

5. Move Mindfully, Indoors and Out

The holidays often come with disrupted routines, making it easy for movement to fall by the wayside. But mindful movement doesn’t have to mean sticking to a rigid schedule. By shifting our mindset to see movement as an opportunity to reconnect with our body – no matter for how long – we can create space for it in our day.

Here are two ways to move mindfully this season:

Take a “sense and savour” walk: Bundle up and head outside for a few minutes. As you walk, focus on one of your senses at a time. Let your pace be guided by your curiosity, pausing to take in the details around you. This simple practice can ground you in the moment and turn an ordinary walk into a restorative one.

Make the most of micro-movement opportunities: Throughout the day, notice pauses where you can move your body with intention. It could be rolling your shoulders, reaching your arms overhead, or standing up on your toes. Pay attention to the sensations of the movement within your body. If time allows, let one movement flow into another, creating a short, mindful sequence.

Why it matters: Mindful movement nurtures your connection to your body. It’s a reminder that even the smallest moments of physical activity can bring benefits to your mind and body.