3 ways to get the holiday spirit

When your life is an ever-growing list of to-do’s, the holidays can seem like one more inventory of tasks to handle. Plus, the troubles of the past months and those that are still lingering can really put a damper on the holidays. So, if you’re not really feeling the spirit of the season but wish you could, I have some suggestions to help you get it.

Check the media

Day or night, you can switch on your television and look for channels offering programmes and movies with a holiday theme. You will find news and stories that give you facts, fiction, whimsy or humour. As you flip through, you will come upon new pieces and old staples dressed in holiday gab. And you don’t have to be a sentimental soul either because the holiday-themed television programmes will stir a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the love, joy and goodwill that are so evident during the holidays.

“If music be the food of life, play on,” said William Shakespeare. Whether music is the appetiser, the main course or the dessert in your life, around the holidays it becomes the signature ingredient in every dish of holiday activity—relaxing at home, doing household chores, the office environment, shopping or entertaining friends and family.

Turn on your radio, pop in a CD or plug in your MP3 to enjoy the best of holiday music, whether you prefer hymns, parang, the old classics or modern holiday songs. You won’t be able to resist singing, tapping your feet and dancing. Your choice of media can spark the early stirrings of the holiday spirit.

Decorate

You don’t have to follow the frenzied “fixing up” that pervades. A little tweak here and there can get the ball rolling. Start with one room. Select the room in which you spend most of your time or the first one you see when you walk through your front door. Give it a mild cleaning or a thorough one, if necessary. Do a little cosmetic painting.

If you’re not going to buy new curtains, wash and reuse the current ones or use curtains from another room. Rearrange the furniture, edit or shuffle your accessories and add some holiday specialties to spark some holiday cheer.

NOTE: Leave the room bare of accessories for a few days and then begin the transformation. Even if you bring back in everything you took out, you’ll be surprised how fresh and inviting the room will look.)

Go where the spirit is

Instead of waiting for the holiday spirit to descend, go where it is throbbing and thriving. If walking the city streets is too intense, go to the mall. After a busy week, maybe some peace and quiet and no crowds may be just what you need. So, take care of your Saturday chores and head out to a mall to get there when it opens its doors.

With very few shoppers around, you can stroll and browse to your heart’s content. Stop and take in the holiday decorations and snag a few ideas to use in your own home. Make sure you have your shopping list with you.
When you find the items on your list, mull them over to be sure that they are ideal for the person you have in mind. Use this time to catch those details that usually get lost in the hustle and bustle of peak time shopping. This is a no-stress way to welcome the holiday spirit. Make time and space for the holiday spirit, seek it out, welcome it and join in the season’s preparations and celebrations.