10 Ways to get Into The Christmas Spirit

It’s almost Christmas. If you need a bit of joy and lightness in your life here are 10 ways to help you get into the Christmas spirit!

Are you getting into the Christmas spirit yet? Oh, I love Christmas! Here is a new and improved list of things you can do to be Merry and Bright and ponder the real meaning of Christmas this year like no other.

Sometimes we get so busy with all the preparation and bustle of Christmas that we forget our Ho Ho Ho! Christmas can be a stressful time and that’s such a shame.

I’m sharing 10 ways to put a little jingle back into your step and Christmas joy in your heart. Even if you are the happiest of Christmas elves these ideas will help you celebrate this special season.

I’m sure these suggestions will get you singing Christmas carols in no time!

1.) Listen to Christmas music

Listen to your favorite Christmas music. When you cleaning or decorating a room or a tree you listen to peppy, funny Christmas music. When you cook you listen to Michael Buble or Christmas standards and when you are working and need to concentrate without a whole lot of foot tapping you listen to Peaceful Christmas Music.

Christmas music is such a special treat and most of us only listen to it this time of year. Get in as much Christmas music listening as you can! It’s a real mood lifter!

2.) Fill your home with the scents of Christmas

Oh, joy! Aromas create and trigger strong memories. Fill your home with scents of peppermint, cinnamon and cloves, evergreen, vanilla, and other delicious Christmas scents.

You can do this by diffusing essential oils.

Another way to add a Christmas scent to a room is to make your own Scented Pinecones. They are so easy to make and can be stored and refreshed from year to year.

3.) Cut down your to-do list

Okay, just do it! You know you should! A little bit of holiday tough love, friend.

Most of us have a pretty busy holiday schedule.

If you tend to keep piling those chores, parties, responsibilities, etc on! Don’t do it.

The object of getting to Christmas day is to have a prepared heart not a prepared everything else in the universe.

That leaves our spiritual and emotional tanks empty and our bodies exhausted with hot glued fingertips, glitter in our hair, and bags under our eyes.

I took a serious look at all I did a few years back and cut it down.

Did we really need to make 15 different kinds of Christmas cookies? NO! So if we make them we only make a few of our very favorites. This is so freeing.

Do we really need three Christmas trees decking the halls at the Tanglewood house?

It’s much better to have one that is carefully and joyfully decorated! Please hear me… Do what is important to you and your family. That’s it! You will be so much happier and your family will love you for it too.

Christmas can be Christmas without all the extras. Charlie Brown was right!

4.) Get into the Christmas spirit by asking for help

This is huge.

A grandmother lived with her mother-in-law, a great-aunt lived down the street and Nani’s next-door neighbors felt like family. They worked together! “Many hands make light work”.  The old adage is true.

We can learn a lot about working together from our grandmothers.

If you love cookie baking barter to do it for a Christmas chore you don’t like as much! If you are a decorating elf but cleaning/organizing is just not your gift let it be known that you are ready to trade jobs.

Because of our busy job we need help. Our friend also works for us and will help us put away our Christmas decorations this year. You can’t even imagine the giant Christmas tree-size weight that will be lifted out of you.

We usually move right into January’s blogging schedule the day after Christmas and don’t have time to de-decorate except between the hours of 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM the week right after New Year. And that is already scheduled for much-needed sleep! Our friend can become a godsent in our life.

Delegate. You should not do all the Christmas work. If another person lives in your home share the work and enjoy the fun together.

You can hosting Christmas lunch this year but your children and your relatives can help you. Delegate tasks – also dish washing. What a joy to work together.

Do things that make your life and the Christmas season easier and more enjoyable! Ask for help.

Seriously, do it!

5.) Decorate something for 20 minutes

Decorating our homes at Christmastime can be daunting.

How fun would it be to pour yourself into a Christmas decoration that only took 20 minutes to do?

Most of us can find 20 minutes in our day to make something beautiful. And making an effort to only concentrate on that one thing for 20 minutes will give our minds a much-needed timeout and get us into the Christmas spirit.

There are so many easy to do Christmas arrangements on the blog that take less than 20 minutes to create full of beautiful last-minute Christmas decorating ideas. Just think a little and you will find a lot of beautiful ideas for Christmas decorating by yourself.

6.) Read the true Christmas story

If you are not feeling very Christmassy, give yourself a break! It’s okay.

To tell you the truth, how we celebrate Christmas is a far cry from the real-deal first Christmas. If you want to really get the true meaning of Christmas read about it in the Bible… Luke 2:1-20.

Think about real Christmas when we remove all the tinsel and elves stripped from the Christmas scene and all the raw sights, smells and emotions and meaning added back in.

Christmas is really not about the decorations and tinsel. It’s about how God came to us with his plan of salvation. Oh, now that is something to celebrate.

Even if you are the jolliest of Christmas lovers or the grumpiest Grinch you should make time to read the true Christmas story. It’s so good for your soul.

Christmas Spirit is real and should be cherished!

7.) Read a Christmas book

Take time to read a few Christmas books. They can be simple and yet so poignant.

Just saying “The Best Christmas Pagent Ever” can make us giggle… every time!

8.) Watch a Christmas movie

Grab a bowl of popcorn (and maybe some chips) and the family and watch a Christmas movie together.

In many families they have tradition that continues to this day. Every Friday night is movie night. Now children who have their families do the same.

9.) Drive around and look at Christmas lights

This can be a big favorite of yours!

In pre-Christmas time we watch houses that we are meeting on our way and making a mental note of what homes we wanted to visit on our “Christmas lights” tours. The good, the bad, and the oh,-what-were-you-thinking! You must admit you LOVE a usually or unique Christmas beauty.

There is something magical about Christmas lights. Make sure to turn on the Christmas tunes and take a thermos or traveler of hot chocolate and maybe a cookie or two.

Make it a family event! 

10.) Go for a walk

Don’t forget to exercise during the holidays. We tend to drop our exercise routines when we get busy. But exercise will help your mental outlook and we will feel better too!

Spend time in the fresh air. Get outside! Even if it is cold!

For the end, here are a few other things that might put a little jingle bell in your step!

• stay away from the mall (Only go to see Santa. The rest can be life-sucking at Christmas.)
• order online
• visit local shops
• buy a small real evergreen tree (If you have a big artificial tree get a small tree or at least a bunch of real greens right before Christmas)
• send Christmas cards and write them yourself
• drink hot chocolate
• give to your favorite charity- Christmas is about joy, hope, love, and peace
• go to church
• volunteer if you can
• find out what local events are happening in your area and go
• wrap gifts as you get them
• eat lots of cookies (and make sure you follow the last tip- get those walking shoes on!)
• make gifts/cookies for friends and drop them off at their front door
• hang a wreath on your front door with a big bow

Article source:
www.stonegableblog.com