Christmas is traditionally a time to celebrate, but sometimes family tensions can sour the day.
But what if you could use a little Feng Shui to to minimise eruptions between long lost relatives, and create a harmonious atmosphere?
We all want December 25 to be as smooth and fun filled as possible, and Feng Shui has been shown to be super effective in helping with this.
Employing simple principles has been found to protect the family home from other people’s Christmas stress while fashioning a beautiful environment.
Because let’s face it, the festive season can be an emotional time!
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy, which when translated, relates to the wind and water or the natural forces of the universe.
It is said that Feng Shui manipulates the flow of ‘chi’ or energy, therefore bringing luck, prosperity and happiness into people’s lives.
Energy cannot be seen, but we feel it, and utilise it everyday.
The sun’s rays, although we cannot see them, feel fabulous when they shine on us, however too much can burn us.
Currents of electricity and radio waves cannot be seen, but are useful and harmful at the same time.
Getting the “feng shui right”, is about balancing the energies that are present, and understanding how to best maintain this balance.
The first step to creating a beautiful environment is to clear out all the clutter.
Try to keep a handle of what enters your home so you avoid living in Santa’s grotto and feeling totally overwhelmed by the experience.
Energy flows in an environment that is clear, clean and clutter free.
It becomes stagnant in dusty, cluttered places.
The mouth of the home is where the majority of chi enters.
A clean front porch with a Christmas wreath on the door symbolises an open, accepting and welcoming family.
Ensure all cobwebs and dust are swept away promoting a readiness to move forward in a positive direction.
A pine tree is a traditional Chinese symbol for longevity!
Interestingly, this is the tree that is the central focus of the Christmas season.
Placing the tree in an area where the family often come together will help promote family harmony and abundance.
If you’re standing at the main entrance to the room, the best positioning is along the left side of the room, either centre left or far left corner.
Christmas meals should be enjoyed at a round or oval dining table as opposed to a rectangle one.
A circular shape is symbolic of eternal unity, promoting harmony and equality with everyone seeing eye-to-eye.
If a round table arrangement is not possible, be sure to set an even number of chairs.
A red tablecloth will stimulate appetite but avoid putting spiky leaves on table decorations as they create a feeling of fear and aggressiveness.
Remove sharp knives from being on show in the kitchen.
By placing them out of sight you symbolically diminish the scope for irritability and family arguments.