on finding hidden treasure

breaking the rules, new traditions and how to conduct your own personal treasure hunt

This is a stripped back repurposing of a December post from 2024 where I share something that brings our family a lot of joy when it comes to celebrating special occasions. You can read the original, longer post here. If you don’t enjoying *literally* buying into the whole expensive circus that is birthdays and Christmas, this is for you.

And it’s for you if you want to find your own hidden treasure too.

Hello you,

Today’s a big day in my calendar. It’s 20 years since my son arrived fully in the world. He’s my favourite human, ever.

But, birthdays? Not a fan to be honest. At least in the traditional way.

Because I can’t stand performance or expense for the sake of it.

And you’ll know by now I don’t follow rules just because they’re there¹. On a loop in my head I can always hear… Is there a faster / better / easier / more interesting way to do this? Do I have to do it at all?

Of course, I do still want to celebrate my boys birthday (and Christmas’s too) so where did my rebellious streak take me?

To simplicity…

After my first husband died suddenly in December 2011, my boy and I had the sweetest Christmas ever. The simplicity of that year's festivities was a balm. It stuck with me. I chose to keep hold of that stripped-back ease. That’s when I really started the process of re-designing my own routines for celebration.

These questions were front and centre…

• Why do we spend so much?

• Why do we exchange presents of roughly equal value to receive something we don’t (always) love and will probably (guiltily) re-gift or donate within a year, or else keep, tying up valuable space and emotional energy?

• Why do we spend hours in traffic, in busy shops making draining decisions about these things?

• Why don’t we spend that time with those people, or alone resting and recharging, or outdoors breathing fresh air?

And why don’t we have the conversation that says “I love you, and for that very reason, I’m not spending an unpleasant afternoon in the Trafford Centre buying you something you don’t want. Let’s hang out instead. Oh and if you loved me back, you wouldn’t buy me something I don’t need just because it’s Christmas.”

To contracting…

I realised that last question was the key to it all. Contracting. Because we’ve all been following these rules a long time, and (Cross of Laws) it’s important (for me at least) to take people along with me.

Contracting is not just boring business stuff. It’s nurturing, relationship-building stuff. It’s the depth and OK-ness to say what you need and what you’re willing to do or accept in return.

Contracting is boundary-setting, energy-protecting and the opposite of unnamed obligation. It frees us all to be who we really are.

So yes, I set present-related-contracts with parents, friends, partners. Please don’t buy me stuff I don’t want and I won’t do the same to you.

And to treasure hunts…

No matter how often I talk about this (twice a year, every year 😂), there is always someone who needs to hear how we do birthdays (and Christmas!) for my boy. If it’s not you, tell a friend.

We started twelve years ago when he was 8.

This year when I asked “do you want your treasure hunt this year?” he declined, politely. My heart broke just a little bit as our long-standing tradition crumbled.

Two days later he found a way to edge it back into the conversation with “… I suppose you could, mum, if you really wanted…?”

“Sure… I might” I think I got away with casual nonchalance and kept my grin to myself until he left the room.

Here’s what it looks like… ⬇️

This was last year’s birthday, don’t tell him I shared this, I’ll be in so much trouble…

And here’s how I do it ⬇️

1. I buy the one present he really wants (variously a new Xbox game, Lego set - yes, still, they just get bigger each year 😂 or whatever his obsession is that year, you get the idea…) and any new clothes he really needs.

2. I head to the local supermarket to pick up his favourite treats (crisps, sweets, comics, maybe a book, occasionally stationery, more recently cider, often tik-taks) I don’t spend much and it’s all things he will definitely eat, drink, use or read. I aim for 15 things in total. One year I got him a watermelon and a new ruler for school.

3. I wrap everything in brown paper (mostly saved from Amazon deliveries during the year) and write on a number from 1-18.

   1. IMPORTANT - ask me how I learned this 🤦‍♀️ - I make a list of what I bought and what number it is!

4. I hide everything around the house. I make the locations trickier to find the older he gets.

   1. ALSO IMPORTANT, I write all the locations on my list… because, well it’s surprisingly easy to forget where you hid things 20 minutes earlier, and occasionally we need to do the ‘hotter or colder’ game - I also learned this the hard way.

5. On the big day he chooses a number from the wee bag of numbers I made from wooden circles all those years ago, and goes to find the present.

   1. If there’s an ‘big’ present I sneakily keep the number back until the end.

   2. Any other presents he finds have to be left where he found them.

   3. When he was younger I only let him do 2 or 3 at a time, then we had a break while he played or read something new, which meant the treasure hunting could last all day (which is so much nicer that the standard smash-and-grab present-opening). Now we tend to stick at it until everything is found, but it still takes a couple of hours and is a brilliant way to spend time with him.

Now, every year, twice a year, I share our new tradition with friends and I can’t tell you how many other treasure hunts we’ve inspired along the way. For hubby’s 60th last year… guest what he asked for? Yep, a treasure hunt.

And on the subject of treasure…

You know that your human design chart is your own personal treasure map, right? Honestly, it’s holding a whole lot more than you can imagine.

• Your impact on the world? ✔️

• Why you feel different to other people? ✔️

• How to make the right decisions, easily? ✔️

• What’s draining you? ✔️

• How to eat so you have more energy? ✔️

• And much, much more.

When you’re ready to explore the treasure map that is YOU, join me on a free no-strings call to find out how human design could be the thing sets you free. Free from old limitations, outdated conditioning and unhelpful beliefs.

And ready to create your own rules.

Right I’m off to watch the birthday magic unfold! Happy Monday 🌟

As always I’m sending love, and permission to be entirely you 🧡

Sarah xx

Hey, I’m Sarah.

I help women who feel wiped out from doing it all - leading, working, parenting, holding it together - to finally find a way that feels lighter and more like them.

You’ll unlearn the rules that have been burning you out and holding you back, so you can lead, work and live in a way that actually fits.

When you’re ready for permission to be fully YOU, let’s chat.

1. *There’s a part of the human design chart that explains this perfectly; the Incarnation Cross on your chart is the bit that tells you the “job description of your aura” - it’s what you’re giving to the world, without realising, when you’re in alignment. Which, on the whole, most of us aren’t, thanks to external expectations & conditioning.

Mine is the Cross of Laws. In short it means I’m literally here to challenge the rules, to understand which ones we absolutely need to save us from anarchy, and which are outdated and unnecessary. It’s not an energy of sudden upheaval or revolution, it’s more about gentle evolution, of change at a pace that takes people along on the journey, using stories and upholding core values. It’s about sustainable change.

I can’t tell you how many people describe to me their impact on the world before knowing that they are actually designed to have that very impact through their Cross. And not necessarily IN their job… although often it is. I smile as I listen, with half an eye on their chart, blown away yet again by this crazy magic ✨