Everyone is remarking at how quickly Christmas will come this year following the late Thanksgiving holiday. I feel it. Less time to do all the things we feel obligated to do: The shopping, cooking, wrapping, socializing. Yes, it’s all fun. But also exhausting.
For me the things that suffer the most are probably the things I most enjoy about the season. I wish I had more time to enjoy the activities that really bring me the most pleasure, the most peace, the most Holiday Spirit. Here are a few of them, along with some tips I’ve cultivated to maximize their enjoyment. Most are no-cost, and easy to fit into a busy holiday schedule.
Look at lights-I love looking at Christmas lights. Whether it’s my own tree and ornamental lighted garland in my home, or an elaborate Christmas display like the one near my home at LaSalette Shrine. And everything in between.
A tip for you: Each year I make a map of light displays at houses in my area. I then take a drive in the evening to look at someone else’s creativity, or elegant beauty. Many social media platforms have groups that feature holiday displays in your area; you can join a group and get a lot of ideas of places you’d like to see. Get in the car with a thermos of hot chocolate, put on some Christmas music and enjoy the sights.
Socialize in an informal way, especially with people you don’t see often-The official parties are a lot of fun. We will attend 2 or 3 this year and I always look forward to the food, the decorations, the company. They also sometimes involve work: Bring a homemade dish, wine, possibly a gift. Then there might be too much eating and drinking, and a long drive home at night. Smaller gatherings can be just as much fun, and perhaps more intimate, more relaxed. We all have friends we wish we could see more often. I would have liked more time to invite people over for smaller gatherings with some simple snacks and drinks and good conversation.
A tip for you: Plan early, if you want to schedule time with the people you’d love to see, but sometimes last minute works too! If there’s someone you know you want to visit with around the holidays, reach out to them early to plan a time; but if things aren’t coming together and you haven’t been able to select a day to connect, try getting together on a whim. Call them in the morning and say, I have a couple of hours tonight, are you free? Sometimes it works. Don’t worry if the house isn’t clean, there’s no food to eat, or presents to be given. Order a pizza and enjoy the moment of being together.
Play games-I know, not everyone loves games, but I do! When we get together on Christmas day, my family plays games after dinner. I have a lot of games at home and I’m always on the lookout for something new that sounds fun. We usually find time for some of our favorite classics: Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Spoons. One of my favorite memories of Christmas as a kid include playing pokeno for pennies, around a big table filled with family members. Pokeno was my nana’s favorite so we all played it to make her happy, and we all ended up having as much fun as she did.
A tip for you: Invite your guests to bring a game so you have a bigger variety, with something that everyone can enjoy. Buy some inexpensive scratch tickets for prizes and draw names to select random teams. Play one game and then switch to something different. Even those who don’t love games will eventually find something they really enjoy. And you’re guaranteed to have some laughs, enjoying the company of the people you love.
Bake and Cook for Fun-Baking and Cooking can be a chore. Especially when you’re under a deadline. But doing it for fun is a whole different activity. Scheduling it could make it less stressful.
A tip for you: Set aside an afternoon and bake and decorate some cookies with a loved one. This serves double duty for spending time with someone important to you. And you can also use the cookies as a treat to bring to a party, or as a homemade gift, which means checking something off your to-do list! If there are several friends you’d like to include, turn it into a cookie swap. Add some holiday music and you’ve created a short, informal get together. Paying attention to your senses is one way to slow down the holiday season and enjoy all the moments. Homemade cookies are great at accomplishing this: touch, smell, sight, and especially, taste!
Watch Christmas movies-I love them all (except the Red Shoes! No sad stories at Christmas). The classics are great: A Christmas Carol, Elf, The Santa Clause. The old tv versions are fun too: Frosty, Rudolph, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Heat Miser and Cold Miser; and yes, I even love the Hallmark and Lifetime movies. Sure, they’re all basically the same plot and the ending is never a surprise, but there’s something comforting in that. Hope and joy that in the end, it will all work out. That’s the spirit of Christmas Spirit.
A tip for you: Find someone who also loves these sappy movies and plan a movie night or afternoon. Turn on the Christmas lights for a seasonal atmosphere. Or, if your family just isn’t into it, plan to watch one when you know you’ll be alone at home. I record as many as possible and save them for when I have a small window of time. Most of them run just about an hour and a half if you watch it prerecorded without commercials. Pure Christmas joy!
Listen to Christmas music– I can’t get enough! I know the radio stations that start playing the soonest (Before Thanksgiving? YES!) and the ones that play even after Christmas, so I get a solid hour each day during my commute to and from work. While there are one or two songs that I dislike, 99% make me smile every time and I never get sick of them.
A tip for you: We have a lot of ways now to listen to specific music. If the radio commercials are not your thing, create a playlist that you can enjoy in the car, or at home while you’re cleaning the house or making dinner. Most cable and streaming options also offer channels that feature holiday music. I sometimes play these in the background at home when I’m doing the dinner dishes, wrapping gifts, baking, or working on a puzzle.
Be grateful for the things you have-A good idea every day, but especially at the holidays. So many people are alone at the holidays, or suffering with illnesses, homelessness, or strained relationships.
A tip for you: Whether you practice gratitude every day, or only rarely, take some time during the holidays to recognize the many blessings in your life. This is something you can do with as little as 5 minutes of time. It might help to write them down. You will likely be surprised by how long your list is. Don’t forget the small things, like listening to a pretty song, or looking at lights, or the smell of a Christmas tree.
Prepare more homemade gifts and/or experiences and fewer store bought items– In my groups of friends and family, we are very lucky. None of us really needs more “stuff.” I think especially of my friends and family who may be living in small homes with little storage space, or are just not in need of more clothing or candles or toys. If you’re crafty, homemade gifts can be very special. Many people have great talent for crocheting and knitting, and can create beautiful blankets, or hats and mittens that are not only useful, but extra special. While I am not crafty, in the past I’ve used what little creativity I have to create my own “crafty” gifts like assembling a photo album of pictures of the recipient with loved ones, or gifting a cookie jar with homemade cookies.
A tip for you: Its a popular sentiment these days that an experience is far more valuable than an object, and I couldn’t agree more. This Christmas I gave the gift of time spent together. My daughter received a “certificate” for a day out with mom to include some of her favorite things, like pickles, massages, thrift stores, and hot chocolate. My mom loves movies, so her certificate was for dinner and a movie, both of her selection. There are companies designed to help you gift some fancier experiences: Let’s Roam is a scavenger hunt company, Virgin Experiences offers gift certificates for many different experiences like food tours, hot air balloon rides, and flying lessons. And AmazingCo offers mystery picnics where you spend a day travelling to different restaurants and small cafes where you pick up a food or drink item at each and end your day at a pretty location where you can have a picnic with all of your collected items.
Remember loved ones no longer with us– I know many of us have loved ones that we miss and remember all year long, but in particular at the holidays. It might seem counterintuitive to spend time thinking about lost loved ones during the holiday season, but I find it oddly comforting. I lost one of my best friends last year, and I still don’t feel like I’ve had enough time to mourn. I miss her every day, but particularly at Christmas, as her birthday was December 28th, and we had many traditions that we shared at the holiday season. I will spend some quiet time alone to reflect on our friendship, and will also reach out to her kids to let them know I’m thinking of them,, and here if they need anything. My nana also died around Christmastime many years ago, so thinking about them and remembering fond memories, especially of times shared at Christmas, is like visiting an old friend.
A Tip for you: Schedule some time to remember those you’ve lost. You can do it separately for each person, by visiting their final resting place, if available, or remembering all of your loved ones who are no longer with us, at home, in a quiet space. My friend every year would buy personalized Christmas ornaments for my children, one of whom was her goddaughter, so even decorating the tree this year was a nice way to remember her. You can also look through old photos, if you have some, and remember some good times, and what you loved about each person.
These are the activities that most put me in the spirit, and also bring me peace, that sometimes elusive, but ever sought-after feeling. And if it seems like additional pressure to fit these in, just choose your 2 or 3 favorites and combine them. Most require very little time or money and the payoff is big. By asking a friend or family member to join you while you bake cookies and listen to music, you’ve enjoyed three low-stress, holiday-oriented activities. I guarantee you’ll feel full of Christmas Spirit.
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