pamperˈpampə/verb
Today a pamper party is taken as a meeting of (usually) women in the home or at a spa and with the avowed intent of having a range of beauty treatments or therapies to leave them feeling perfectly spoiled. I’ve written before of the hyggely benefits of a pamper evening, and I’m all in favour of grabbing an evening before Christmas to spend with your best mates or relatives (Darling Daughter, I’m looking at you!) to exfoliate, cuticilize, smoothen, soften and plumpen whatever you want to.
Organise the night, split up the roles, get in the Prosecco and go for it. It’s easy and fun. All the instructions you need are in this blogpost.
But looking at the definition of pamper, can’t we also pamper ourselves another way? Today is three days before Christmas. I don’t know about you, but the stress builds up from here on in: the performance anxiety sets in, the worry that whatever I do will not be good enough, or look like the magazines, or show how much I love my family and friends. Like I can only demonstrate my love by how much effort and expense I put into Christmas.
I say enough.
Christmas was never about how much or how big or how massive or the cost or the value or the presents or the stuff… so much stuff…. since when was Christmas the season of plastic tat?
Today indulge your friend with the best present of all: simply be yourself. Invite them over, or Facetime them if they’re too far away. Arrange an hour of freedom and give them every attention, comfort them, be the voice of kindness in the storm of Christmas that lets them complain, cry, laugh and be damned. Pamper their souls, not just their bodies. Eat those chocolates and drink that wine without guilt, because tonight counts as medicine. Share the worries, concerns, fears, happinesses and more of life and part with a hug and a promise to share the burden. Your nails may not be done, but your spirit will reap the benefits over the next few days.
It’s probably too late to order any more books for Christmas… you could plan ahead for next year, though.
My books make very good presents, and they are all available from Amazon.
50 Ways to Hygge the British Way is available in Paperback and Kindle version and so is How to Hygge Your Summer, again in Paperback and Kindle form, from Amazon.
Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas was released in September 2017 and is available again in paperback and ebook version.
If you purchase through the links on this page, I get a couple of pence extra per copy, and if you’ve already read them and enjoyed them, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I have a Goodreads Author’s Page!
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How to Hygge the British Way 