It’s that time of year again when Mariah Carey tops the charts with her classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” While the movies will have you believe that everyone is always extremely excited about Christmas, that’s not true. In fact, the holiday season is really tough for a lot of people, especially those who don’t have anyone by their side. There’s even an official term for it called The holiday blues.
Christmas is always considered the time when big families come together to celebrate, but not everyone has that kind of family. Some people don’t have a good relationship with their family while others don’t even have a close relationship. According to a recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 38% of people revealed that they were more depressed during the holiday season. As the investigation revealed, there could be several reasons behind this sadness; loss of a family member, strained relationships, breakup, financial stress, loneliness, etc.
How to get into the Christmas spirit?
So the question is how should these lonely souls get into the Christmas spirit? Well, don’t worry, Christmas is for everyone and in this article we will talk about what you can do to enjoy this holiday season.
1. Participate in holiday events in your community
As an active member of society, you must belong to a certain community, whether you study or work. Besides, where you live is also a great way to start. Christmas-related events are held everywhere, from residential buildings to offices. You can attend to get into the Christmas spirit.
It would be even more fun if you didn’t half-heartedly attend these events and actually participate in different activities. You can bring some kind of food for these parties like a gingerbread cake or help with the Christmas decorations. If you have a good voice, you can also become the entertainer of these evenings by singing Christmas carols.
2. Decorate your home with Christmas decorations
One of the things that can automatically put anyone in the festive mood is a Christmas tree. You can’t expect to get into the Christmas spirit if your venue has no hint of the festival. People who love parties a lot get into it as soon as they get out their Christmas decorations. Some of them put it on as early as the beginning of November. However, a good time for these decorations to go up would be after December 15th.
It may seem daunting at first, but you can always find easy-to-follow tutorials on YouTube. If you’re more creative, you can also take inspiration from clever and budget-friendly DIYs for any Pinterest board that’s closer to your personal style. . Christmas decorations are like life’s little pleasures, they help keep the child in you alive.
3. Listen to Christmas music
Music has the ability to make you feel all kinds of emotions. If you’re depressed, a catchy song can lift your spirits or a motivational song can give you hope. Exactly how a Christmas song can ignite the festive spark in you. You can create a playlist of all kinds of Christmas songs, from high-energy to slow-paced. You have the whole year to listen to other genres of songs! While decorating your home or cooking, listen to Christmas tunes and you won’t feel depressed anymore. Plus, it’s impossible not to get into the Christmas spirit after listening to Jingle Bells.
4. Go for a walk and feel the festive air
Christmas is the time when all the cities in the world are decorated. If you live in big cities, you can find all kinds of Christmas events. From lighting up trees to creating entire Christmas markets, just search and you can find it. If you live in a small town, you can walk around and see incredibly well decorated houses.
You have to allow yourself to be more aware in order to take full advantage of it. Take a leisure tour to watch the Christmas lights and at the end you will feel yourself getting into the Christmas spirit.
5. Do a Christmas movie marathon
You have the whole year to enjoy sensitive, non-cheesy movies, thrillers or high VFX. The last week of December should be exclusively for good-natured Hallmark Christmas movies with highly predictable plots. It is something that one should try only then you will really get the hype around it.
Throughout the year, there are shows that become very popular. Most of these films or series are in the science fiction or thriller genre. Currently, even crime documentaries are experiencing such a boom. So, the last days of the year are a great way to unwind by consuming simple and uplifting movies that can help take the cynicism away from you. Besides that, you can also watch Christmas episodes of your favorite shows.
6. Invite your friends
When you live far from the biological family, then friends become your family. If you’ve made new friends, Christmas is the perfect time to invite them over and cement that new friendship. You can even invite acquaintances and then give them a chance to be your friend.
At Christmas, everyone is just looking for a way to hang out with a crowd. Just send out an invite and you’d be surprised how many people show up. It will also give you a chance to dress your best and get your Christmas glow.
7. Become a volunteer and help others
The true spirit of Christmas is helping those in need. If you’re really not in the mood to try the activities mentioned above, you should see the larger purpose of this festival. Christmas is not just about decorations and parties. It’s just a nice way to celebrate, but if you can help the needy, there’s nothing better than that.
In fact, it’s the best way to celebrate it. You can do something for yourself by visiting an orphanage or a nursing home. If you want to be part of a community, you can go to the nearest church and participate in the event they have organized for the underprivileged.
Bonus Tip: Try Celebrating Christmas the Old Way
It’s always nice to get personalized Christmas cards and gifts. You can try sending handwritten notes on cards with the gifts. It will surely make Christmas special for your loved ones.
More Thoughts on How to Have a Merry Christmas
Christmas is about spreading love and joy. This is the time to become the best version of yourself to fully embrace the festive spirit. Always remember that happiness is a state of mind. You can always cheer yourself up when you feel sad or lonely. Life can become more fun if you start finding joy in the little things.
A sad truth about growing up is forgetting the magic of Christmas. However, it’s never too late to embrace the glory of Christmas. This holiday season, try to enjoy Christmas like a hopeful child, not a cynical adult!
