Christmas is absolutely my favorite, favorite time of year. Well the holiday season in general is my favorite, but specifically Christmas time (or whichever holiday you celebrate around the end of December). Since I was little, Christmas always felt like a magical time. It’s something about the sparkly lights everywhere, the smell of pine, celebrating with friends, the crispness of the air, and the cheesy, but awesome, Christmas music. This year though, it has been really hard to find the Christmas cheer. Not sure if it’s the warm temperature do far in December or if it’s just overall too much stress, but in general I’ve been feeling a bit Bah-Hum-buggy.
So here are my attempts at bringing in the Holiday Spirit:
1) Decorate the house. Get a real tree that smells like pine (from a local, sustainable source if possible), put up lights everywhere, put stockings on the fireplace, and drink (vegan) egg-nog.
2) Join in the festivities: find out your towns celebrations, tree lightings, shopping days, holiday plays and concerts, drive through neighborhood sot see the lights, etc. Go out and share the holiday spirit with others. The more you give, the more you receive.
3) Follow Buddy Elf’s advice: The best way to spread cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Turns up the Christmas tunes, feel the happiness and love coming through the radio, and sing as loud as you can. Maybe dance a little too.
4) Holiday movie marathon: What was one of the big things that made us excited for Christmas as a kid? Holiday Movies! Take a day or an evening, make some popcorn, and have a movie marathon.
5) Last, but certainly not least, each day write down 5 things you are grateful for. Feel the joy and love (the true meaning of the holidays) rushing into you. Tell your loved ones that you love them. Give hugs. Smile. Spread the cheer.
With that, I am off to finish decorating, turn on the Christmas lights, sing some tunes, and spread some holiday love!
We also have a “fake” tree, but we decided to get a huge “real” tree. When we went to the tree place, they were all so beautiful, big, and full…and then there was this one. I didn’t think anyone else would want it and I couldn’t let it go to waste. Also, it was tall and skinny and reminded me of the hubby 🙂 I loved it immediately.
Peace and joy to you,
Jessi
