For some of us, like myself, winter holidays are less about eating and drinking and more about recharge and rest—both with family and alone.

As a Chinese American, the holidays are both familiar and foreign. Growing up in Seattle, my family would get a tree, do the Santa thing, have a special dinner of Chinese hot pot on Christmas Eve or day—we weren’t sure which was the main day. My parents mostly did those things so we could fit in and feel less “weird.”

Nowadays, I embrace my introvert self to savor the quiet that takes the place of the usual frantic pace of daily life.

This holiday moment, I have big plans for...me. Specifically - my scalp and skin. You'll find me tinkering around with ideas for treatments that I'll be sure to share in the new year if successful.

For instance, I’m currently playing with a treatment that involves TCM scalp stimulation followed by LED light helmet. I’ll also be exploring new home-care practices that combine facial Gua Sha with other devices or product treatments that I am *super* excited to share with you in January. Sneak preview, one involves a next-level line relaxing protocol that you can do at home.

Whatever you're doing (or not doing) for the busy winter season, my amazing team at Lanshin and I all wish you lots of love, and support in remembering to always take good care of yourself as you take care of the many 
things and others around you.

The holidays are a special time to connect with self and loved ones—whether biological family or best friends. My experience of the holidays as a young child looked much different than as an adolescent, and much different than as a queer adult. I appreciate the time to pause and reflect on the past year, to get in touch with my own needs, and to give love and appreciation to my community. This year I’m using my ZIIP microcurrent device and the Lanshin Pro Gua Sha tool to calm the senses and get centered. Lots of herbal tea, too. And the occasional dirty martini.

The holidays can get pretty overwhelming! I love getting to spend time with loved ones that I don't always see but I am an introvert with a large, blended family so it can be... a lot. I think it's really important to make space in all the holiday rush to check in on yourself. After a long day, I love to use my Lanshin Hot Massager and really take time to focus on how I'm feeling physically and emotionally.

To me, the holiday season is all about gratitude and celebration. It allows us to take a step back, reflect on our journey throughout the past 12 months, forgive ourselves for "failures" or hardships, appreciate what we have and what we've accomplished, and celebrate and share our selves, our joy, our love with our communities and loved ones. I always find this time of year invigorating, but when I'm in need of some "me" time, lately I've been turning to the Lanshin Scalp Stimulator, lighting my Teak & Leather Candle from Queer Candle Company, sipping on a beautiful Lambrusco, and listening to the new Carly Rae Jepsen album. 

So the holidays for me are a time where I can really just slow down and maybe even stop if necessary, the same way that nature slows down and athletes go off season. I find that is really important for me to have that moment at the end of the year to just not do anything that I usually am required to do and just exist. It lets me take inventory of where I'm at, where my body is at, and kind of figure out where I need to be for the next year to feel good about life and then just allow myself that preparation leading into it. I also like to spend a lot of time with my chosen family around people who I feel safe and loved and free so that I can really just feel like not just know intellectually that things are okay, but who really feel it all the way through. This year, I'm planning to catch up on podcasts from my teachers Skyler Brown and David Savage. I'm also planning to do some woodworking with a friend and catch up on some of my photography work. I've been wanting to play with my new Intro Tool. I'm new to Lanshin and also new to the world of Gua Sha. So the Australian Jasper in particular really caught my eye.