“A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect.” ― Jonathan Lockwood Huie
ITS CHRISTMAS WEEK!! Okay, spazz moment over ya'll. This is my most favorite time of year. The sights, the smells, the love. Seriously this season is great. While my health decline this year has made this year a bit tough, Halloween- Christmas makes up for it. When Christmas time rolls around I can be guilty of over obsessing for the perfect gift. For the sports lover, we have team affiliations. For the cooker, we have kitchen gadgets. For the music lover we have subscriptions or headphones. For the adventure man, we have accessories for the adventure. For the clothes addict (or most females in general) we have clothes. But what about someone with chronic illness? Depending on the illness this can be hard. We are all our own person pre illness but sometimes we can appreciate a gift that helps us along side our illness. Think of these as a double whammy. For my procrastinators out there here's five awesome gifts any spoonie would love!
1. Ice packs/ Heating pads
One lovely part of dysautonomia is temperate intolerance. My body loves to jump both ends of the spectrum, but usually hangs out more in heat intolerance. A lot of us also deal with chronic pain, where heating or icing a part of our body is a must. I have five or six ice packs of different styles and shape that rotate in. My favorite is a weighted, essential oil infused neck wrap. This specific ice pack is also able to be heated up for dual purposes. As for heating , I prefer an electric heating pad over a microwavable one. This is a personal choice because I am more in control of temperature settings. I also will always splurge for a heating pad with an auto off switch because I am notorious for falling asleep with the coziness of my heating pad.
2.Home assistance
While not every spoonie can benefit (or is comfortable with )with you coming into their home and helping them out , we can all use a bit of help on the tough days. Some days I would love nothing more than a cleaning fairy to come and Cinderella my house all up. But this is not only costly, but a lot of us have limits on what our body tolerates. For me, I cannot tolerate someone in my house doing my chores for me. I feel useless at this point. Smells ( a lot of cleaning products) can trigger god awful mast cell reactions too. As much as I would appreciate a home health cleaning service or for someone to come help me do laundry, I can settle for simple assists. This is where Alexa can do a great deal of assisting. For those of you not familiar with Alexa, she is a smart home device that assists in simple tasks around the home. While she won't clean your kitchen or do your laundry, she sure has skills. I love utilizing my smart home device for setting timers, add items to lists, securing my home, turning on my lights, and so much more!
I fought this for a long while because I felt like Alexa was basically a wire tap . Nothing more than an invitation inviting listening on in. Since then, the new Alexa has a mute button that makes me feel more secure. At the end of the day this isn't everyone's cup of tea but she sure has made my life easier. * There is a wide array of these devices, such as the Google home, Siri powered device, and Cortana devices, However I can only preach to the love of my Alexa powered devices.
3. Lounge wear
I live for pajamas or lounge wear. I have sleeping pajamas and comfy housebound clothes. Most of us who suffer from chronic illness spend a good deal of time in bed our on the couch. Any type of pajamas is a winner for myself. When you spend more time at home than out in public pajamas or sweats become couture fashion. Spandex, raylon, cotton, sherpa, you name it. Nightgowns, pajama sets, shorts, sweats, the possibilities are endless. This can also be a pretty cheap gift if you catch sales or shop right! At Walmart you can score sets for about $12. Such a stea! Safe to say you can never go wrong gifting soft cozy pajamas.
4. Food
I can't dig this one enough! Simple and easy. Sometimes the hardest part of my day is living my life as normal as possible, like going to work, then coming home and figuring out how the hell I will tolerate cooking . By the end of the day my body just cannot handle it. I LOVE freezer meals. Hell if someone was to show up with a frozen casserole they made I may just die. *Remember if you have a mast cell friend make sure to get a list or know their allergies before you feed them!When in doubt gift card it out. #fatgirl problems
5. Your time.
I'm a sucker for memories. I loved spending time with family and friends. Snap some candid photos to be able to relive this memory. This is the simple, most appreciated gift. Most of all, it's free. Some days I can't get out of the house due to my illness. When there are multiple days that this happens I start to feel isolated or like I'm failing. Just spending time together with people cures this quick. Let someone know how much you love them this Christmas by spending time with them. I challenge you to spend time with someone who doesn't get out or doesn't get visitors, like at a nursing facility.
Remember this year that Christmas is more than just giving gifts. Rekindle relationships, be there with family, and love your surroundings. If that family member makes gatherings uncomfortable, don't go. Tight on cash? Don't go into debt over gifts. That annoying aunt making comments about your weight? Eat them. You know. Make this holiday one for remembrance. ❤
