We’re a week into December, which means radio stations are blasting Christmas music nonstop, the mall is bustling with holiday shoppers, many homes are decorated with sparkling lights, and Christmas tree lots have popped up around town. Everyone seems to be getting into the swing of things, but perhaps you’re just not feeling very festive this year. Use the tips below if you’re wondering how to get in the Christmas spirit. With our help, you’ll go from saying “Bah, humbug!” to “Merry Christmas!”
How to Get in the Christmas Spirit
Play some holiday tunes and sing along.
As Buddy the Elf wisely instructs, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” So put on your favorite Christmas songs, especially the classics that you’ve been listening to since you were a child, and sing along. You have plenty of gems to choose from: “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” and on and on the list goes.
Watch a Christmas movie.
Even if you’ve seen it a million times, a classic holiday movie is sure to warm your Grinch-like heart. Pair it with some flannel pajamas, a glass of eggnog or spiced cider, and some warm cookies, and you’ll be well on your way to a cheerful attitude. You might like to watch one of the following tried-and-true classics:
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Elf
- Home Alone
- White Christmas
Read “The Night Before Christmas.”
“A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas,” was published anonymously in 1823 (Clement Clarke Moore claimed authorship in 1837, but some contest this). Since it’s a poem, it won’t take you very long to read. You may even find that you have portions of it memorized! Some say it’s one of the best known verses written by an American. Not only is the poem cherished by families around the country, but also it helped unite Americans’ ideas about Christmas. For example, it helped shape the idea that Santa is plump and jolly and rides in a sleigh driven by eight reindeer named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. Once you reach the end, you’re bound to have a little more Christmas cheer.
Bake some Christmas cookies.
If you have a sweet tooth and you’re wondering how to get in the Christmas spirit, bake some cookies! Gingerbread cookies are perhaps the most traditional (especially if you decorate them with icing and red hots), but feel free to make whatever cookies you associate with Christmas: sugar cookies, spritz cookies, chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, shortbread, etc. Take a page out of Santa’s book and enjoy your cookies with a glass of cold milk.
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We encourage you to enjoy these activities with friends or family if possible, especially anyone you know who’s very festive and filled with Christmas spirit. Just being around that person, you might feel some of their enthusiasm rubbing off on you.
Happy holidays!
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