5 Post-Holiday Unique Gifts To Give Yourself For 2015

Now that everyone's opened the presents you gave them for Christmas 2014, what did you give yourself?

You deserve to be appreciated for all that you did for others and for yourself this past year. So, if you haven't yet given yourself unique gifts for the holidays, get ready to shop for yourself in the post-Xmas sales.

There are 5 types of gifts I like to get for myself each year to help me move into the New Year feeling satisfied, appreciated and prepared. The items I get myself vary from year to year, but these types of gifts fulfill my needs and desires, no matter the size or cost.  

If you'd like to join me to give yourself some of the things you haven't gotten from others, here's the 5 types of gifts I like to get for myself:

1. Something you NEED.

No matter how much I've hinted to my husband about what he could get me for Christmas, I usually don't get what I really need. Since I know what is far better than he ever can (even with reminders), it feels deeply satisfying when I check this item off my list after finding it in post-Xmas sales.

In the past, my "needs" have included a down comforter that's wider than our king sized bed so we don't pull it off each other in the middle of the night. This year it's a mini-blender with handles on the cups. I need it to replace one I got years ago, which is now missing some of its parts and has no handles (which I've discovered I truly need).

2. Something you WANT.

My desires sometimes feel selfish or extravagant. But, they should be. I deserve only the best, don't you? Although the Rolling Stones sang "You can't always get what you want," I believe we can, especially when we give it to ourselves. This year, my "want" is an Alaskan cruise, which I'll be taking in the summer with my husband and some dear friends. We've wanted to do this for decades, and this year we can.

3. Something DELICIOUS.

Our most satisfying holiday memories are stimulated by our 5 senses, especially smell and taste. For me, food that tastes and smells great also makes me feel great. This Christmas I'll be baking delectable mini-croissants to munch on along with my favoriate with aromatic French Roast coffee. This sensory feast will make Christmas morning truly feel like a holiday for me.

4. Something DELIGHTFUL.

I love surprises that make me smile and delight me every time I see or use them. What makes you smile and lights you up inside—a fun toy or a cashmere sweater or sparkly jewelry? Whatever it is, we all deserve things that light us up from the inside out.

My delightful gift this year is a retro-style lava lamp, blue with big puffy "bubbles." This self-gift was inspired by a photo my daughter took of her 6-month-old twin boys "hypnotized" by a lava lamp. I had one when I was a teen (when they were first invented).

As a hypnotherapist, I realized lava lamps are great hypnosis tools. If it could help them my grand-twins get to sleep faster and deeper, it could also relax my clients, and also myself. Just breathe deeply as you watch the blue bubbles float up and down; you're getting more and more relaxed ... that's right.

5. Something to pass on as part of your LEGACY.

This could be a tangible item or an experience you enjoy for yourself and can also pass on to those you love. We all want to create a legacy to feel as if our lives have purpose. For example, Native Americans generally consider the impact their actions and decisions will have seven generations into the future. This Seventh Generation principle was codified, in fact, in the Iroquois Great Law of Peace which was created in the 12th century and inspired the American Consititution.

What can you get or do as we move into 2015 that can create a memory, a legacy, a gift for yourself as well as those in future generations? You could plant a tree, buy a special piece of jewelry that you can enjoy now and pass along in your will to your children, grandchildren and beyond, or create a book of photos of your family and friends that can be shared with relatives in future decades.

This year, my husband Glenn and I will be compiling and publishing a collection of stories he's told at Native American Equinox and Solstice Ceremonies. I'm committed to putting them into a book we can give to our grand-twins at their first birthday next summer, and read to them as they grow up.

Glenn's retellings of stories told around campfires by tribal storytellers from a wide range of indigenous cultures have inspired and delighted me and others for over 15 years. So, my legacy gift will be to edit them into a book we can share with our grandsons, who can then pass these stories along to their kids and grandkids for generations to come.

So, no matter how challenging, exhausting or unsatisfying your 2014 may have seemed, you've survived and gotten through it all regardless. Celebrate by gifting yourself with what you Need, Want and Deserve to uplift your spirits, raise your vibrations, and help you spready holiday joy with everyone you touch, for the rest of 2014 and all of 2015.