To strive is human, to saunter divine. Welcome to The Tortoise - a podcast that digs deep into the power of slow. Brooke McAlary (author of "Slow", "Care" and "Destination Simple") is joined by her husband Ben for a monthly deep dive into the realities of trying to live slow in a world that won't stop racing. On the third Thursday of every month, join Brooke and Ben for an unscripted, unedited, always candid and usually fun conversation about slow living and how embracing our inner tortoise can impact every part of life: relationships, work, family, community, tech, health, care, personal growth. If you’re burnt out, overwhelmed, frustrated at the sheer pace of life or just looking for a sign to slow down, this is the podcast (a plodcast!) for you.
https://brookemcalary.substack.com/
Gift guilt and holiday conundrums - SHP026
http://www.slowyourhome.com/26
In today’s episode, I’m the annoying person talking about Christmas - in September.
While the holidays are still a few months away, I’ve been asked whether it’s possible to maintain a slower, simpler way of life in the face of the consumerism-driven Christmas of the modern day, and I think it’s a question many people will have over the coming weeks. So I thought now might be good time to start thinking about it. (Sorry!)
I have my own thoughts on this topic, naturally, and I dive right down into them in this episode, talking about my experiences as a kid, as well as our approach to gift giving now that we have our own kids to buy for.
But my ideas are just that - mine. There’s so many different ways to approach the holiday season, so I invited Bele Masterman back to chat about her views on giving and receiving, whether re-gifting is OK, how to buy second-hand and what to do if a gift is unwanted.
We also talk about how best to manage our kids expectations, how to deal with family and friends who love giving gifts and how to let go of the guilt that comes with a sentimental present.
Enjoy!
PS: This episode is a bit longer than normal, and we’d love to know if the length is something you enjoy or if you prefer to keep them shorter - around the 50-minute mark.
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