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The holidays are supposed to be the happiest time of the year but for a lot of people, they’re not.
For many people, the holidays are full of stress, grief, and depression. The weather can bring us down, the busyness can overwhelm us, spending so much money can stress us out, and if we’re missing a loved one, we can feel grief and loneliness.
Sometimes it feels like anything BUT the happiest time of the year.
So, today I thought I would share a list of things that can help you get in the Christmas spirit.
I hope that this can help you enjoy this time more instead of feeling the negative emotions that it can bring out.
But even if you’re not exactly depressed or stressed out, these are still great ways to get excited for Christmas – you know, the way we used to when we were children? 🙂
Here are 11 ways to get in the Christmas spirit!
1- Decorate!
Christmas decorations give me allll the cozy Christmas vibes. They’re one of the biggest ways that I, personally, get in the Christmas spirit!
I usually start decorating for Christmas on December 1st. I put up a tree, twinkle lights, and other decorations. When I’m decorating, I love to listen to Christmas music and really have fun with it.
Our environment is shown to have a direct link to our mental state. So I guarantee that putting up Christmas decorations will get you more excited for the holidays!
2- Read cozy Christmas books.
I’m definitely a bookworm so this is my other favorite way to get in the Christmas spirit!
When it comes to Christmas books, I absolutely love cozy mysteries centered around the holidays. They’re always so interesting, festive, and well… cozy, haha. What better way to spend a winter night than snuggled up on the sofa reading a good book? And if it’s a book with a Christmas setting, even better!
Here are a few of my favorite cozy Christmas mysteries if you’d like some good suggestions (some of these are part of a series, but they can be read alone!):
3- Watch Christmas movies.
Watching Christmas movies is a super-easy way to get in the Christmas spirit! Especially if you watch old movies from your childhood. Nostalgia can bring back all the happy holiday memories.
Here are some of my favorite happy Christmas movies:
4- Do a Christmas puzzle.
Puzzles are great for our minds. If you’re feeling stressed, depressed, or you’re in a negative mental space, doing a holiday puzzle is perfect. It will put you in an almost meditative mental state. It can calm you and give you a break from bad thoughts.
And of course, doing a holiday puzzle can help put you in the Christmas spirit. Especially if you throw on some cozy pajamas and put on a holiday movie while you’re doing it!
Here are a couple of awesome Christmas puzzles:
5- Get a new Christmas sweater.
This may seem like a super simple thing, and it is. But it can also be pretty fun too! Wearing a cute (or ugly) Christmas sweater is not only cozy, but it can help you feel more festive too.
You don’t even have to stop at sweaters either. Leggings, jewelry, hats – go all out with everything!
6- Show kindness.
The Christmas season is supposed to be the season of joy, giving, and hope. What better way to get in the Christmas spirit than to embrace the meaning of the season?
Showing kindness to people should be something that we do all year, but especially during Christmas. Not only will this spread joy to others, but it will make you feel good too.
There are tons of ways you can do this. You can volunteer your time at a homeless shelter, you can give to a family in need, and/or you can simply buy gifts for people. It will make everyone happy!
You might like: Making a Difference with Random Acts of Kindness
7- Remember that it’s okay to grieve.
So many of us are missing a loved one this holiday season. For some of us, it’s someone who played an important role in our Christmas celebrations. For some of us, it’s our first holiday without them.
So I just want to say that it’s okay to stop and grieve. You may be tempted to keep yourself as busy as possible to avoid addressing the grief, but that could make it worse.
I know that sometimes I start to feel guilty if I’m enjoying myself without someone important to me, but there’s no reason to. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, and your loved one would want you to!
One idea that I love is honoring this person (or people) through your holiday celebrations. Watch their favorite Christmas movie, dance to their favorite Christmas song, make their favorite Christmas food. Or simply put out a photo of them and light a candle in their honor. Let them know that you miss them and try to bring a part of them with you during Christmas.
8- Spend an evening looking at lights.
This was my absolute favorite thing to do during the Christmas season as a kid – other than opening gifts, haha. But it’s still fun for me!
I love grabbing a hot coffee drink from a drive-thru, putting some Christmas music on the radio, and driving around neighborhoods to look at festive holiday lights.
There’s something so cozy about driving through the dark night with a warm drink and looking at the bright lights. It kind of brings back some of the Christmas feelings I would feel when I was a kid too. I bet it will put you in the Christmas spirit!
9- Make Christmas stuff.
Getting creative and making Christmas stuff is a great way to get in the holiday spirit!
There are so many different things you can make, it just depends on what appeals to you. You could bake Christmas treats, crochet Christmas decor, make Christmas crafts, paint Christmas artwork – whatever floats your boat.
This is a great way to express yourself creatively, get excited for the holidays, do something productive, and have fun. You could even give away the stuff you make as a gift!
10- Build a snowman.
This may seem childish, but there’s nothing wrong with that!
Building a snowman can be tons of fun, especially if you have a child. You can even get creative with it and make an unconventional snowman. Maybe you can even turn it into a good old-fashioned snowball fight!
Building a snowman can bring back some of the magic of our childhood at Christmas time and it can put you in a good mood. Plus, it allows you to get some fresh air outside – which can be pretty rare during winter!
11- Try to enjoy yourself.
Above everything else, just do what it takes to enjoy yourself.
Even if you can’t afford to give any gifts, even if you’re missing someone important, even if you’re so busy that you feel like you don’t have time to enjoy yourself. There’s no real need to feel guilty or ashamed or anything like that.
As I said, Christmas is about joy and giving, and hope. It’s about doing things for others and spending time with loved ones, especially ones that we don’t get to see as often as we’d like. So try to be in the moment and embrace the meaning of the season! I know it’s easier said than done, but you should try. <3
How do you feel about this list? How do you get in the Christmas spirit? Let’s chat in the comments!
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Love this! Everyone could use a little more Christmas spirit. I love taking an evening and driving around looking at Christmas lights on the houses!
I agree, and that’s one of my favorite things to do! 🙂
Christmas movies and going to see Christmas lights definitely gets me into the Christmas spirit. But it actually doesn’t take much since Christmas is my favorite holiday lol.
I can relate, it’s my favorite too lol. 🙂
These are the things I do to get in the spirit too – watching Christmas movies helps a lot!
Yes, I love them! 🙂
These are such sweet ideas! I love to make hot cocoa and stick a candy cane inside of it and watch Christmas movies. I also love to do my nails festive colors and eat way more sugary baked goods than usual. And paint Christmas cards!
I love making Christmas paintings and cards too! 🙂