Bringing the Holidays Home

For my last post this year, I’m reflecting on some of the things we did on holiday that I’d like to do more of at home. Sort of New Year resolutions I guess.

Our holiday was AMAZING, I had a great time. I’m sad to have left but glad to be home too. Some things are just better at home: my bed, the coffee, the bacon, my dog, even the winter weather (Christmas is summer is just not right), but some things were great there too and I want to bring more of those little joyful things to every day life at home.

Breakfast.

Yeah, we eat breakfast here in the UK too. I know that. We had breakfast out A LOT in NZ and they do really interesting stuff. Waffles are a new favourite. I loved the cherry and white chocolate ones with ice cream, and the savoury ones with eggs benedict. Mostly, it was nice to sit down to a nice treat for breakfast and take things slowly. I can’t do it every day, but I can definitely get a waffle pan and do it more often!

Adventures

We had so many adventures it is unreal. That’s what you do on holiday. But you can have adventures at home too. Not everything we did was a great tourist attraction. Some of the things were just pottering around places we had never been before and trying new activities, which is something we absolutely could do more of. Spending time together not staring at screens was great. I’m not about to give up my social media, but being awake when everyone else is sleeping did make me more conscious of just how much I reach for my phone.

Be more mindful of impact on the world.

Okay. This might seem a bit washy and idealistic, but one thing New Zealand do really well is emphasise the impact humans are having on the enviroment. From campaigns to only take what you need when fishing and hunting, to displays in the animal parks on plastic bags and their impact on wildlife. I have no plans to take up either fishing or hunting, but I could do a lot more to be more conscious of my own impact on the world.

Be nicer.

I’m never going to stop wanting to set the world on fire. It wouldn’t be me if I suddenly came over all fluffy, but it’s nice to be nice. People in NZ are so much friendlier. Every shop you go into people ask how you are and if you’re having a good day. It probably won’t kill me to crack a smile and say hello to people. Probably. If it does, you have my permission to spray paint “I told you so” on my headstone.

Try new things

I tried so many new things when I was away: helicopter flying, quad biking, cider, kangaroo… all the things. I’m usually a creature of habit. I had a lot of fun though and definitely want to try things I wouldn’t normally do.

What things do you do on holiday that you’d like to do more of in your every day life? Do you have any new year goals?