December, lights, music and yummy food. It sounds good doesn’t? But, everyone doesn’t have that feeling of joy in December, even though they have everything they need in life.
Winter can be depressing at times (depends where you live). If you live in a dark cold place like I do then you will relate to this post. This post is going to be about how to get the Christmas spirit back up on cloud 9, like it used to be when you were a kid.
Before I get into it, I know some of you might not even celebrate Christmas but this post is a guidance to those who doesn’t like cold winters so it might help you a bit too, so don’t give up reading this yet!
Small meaningful things matters. I always told myself that in life, you don’t have to make major changes to be able to enjoy it to the fullest. Start appreciating small things in life! It could be from looking forward to eat a yummy meal for dinner to seeing a childhood friend for coffee. It is that simple.
Food. Some of the small things I enjoy in life is food. I like trying new dishes, eating my favorite dishes and taking nice foodporn angled pictures! Some people don’t see food the way I do of course, everyone is different but if you’re like me when it comes to food, then keep doing what you’re doing.
Challenges. I love to challenge myself in something. If I have a goal or a deadline I try my best to be as creative as possible and just make it happen. Even if I don’t manage to finish a goal in time, I would still be proud of myself for finishing what I started. That satisfaction is the best. So try to be creative and make a list of things you want to do week by week.
Baking. This might categorize as food but I still think it’s a bit different. During December you will stumble on a lot of Christmas decorations and a lot of Christmas music, the only thing that is missing is the baking! Start baking something that contains cinnamon and ginger! There are tons of recipes out there that you can try! Perhaps it’s time to skill up your baking skills? You will end up learning something at the same times as making something yummy. Isn’t that awesome?
Decorating. November is almost at its end and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Usually, you wait until Thanksgiving is over until you start with the decorations but you know what? Who cares? If you feel like putting up your tree before that time, good for you! An early start might give you a small boost of Christmas spirit!
Candles. This might sound ridiculous but this actually helps. Scented candles is like therapy for me. Try to find Christmas scented candles for your home! My ultimate favorite is Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin from Bath & Body Works. Their candles are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! They last for a long time too. I bought two candles from there years ago and it took two years to actually finish them off. Note that I didn’t use them everyday. I did light them up often though, mostly when I was taking a bubble bath. Ah, good times. You can find out more of their products here.
Lists. (yeah yeah my handwriting sucks eh) Don’t wait until the New Year starts to follow up with your New Years resolution, start today! Start making a list of things you want to do and accomplish. Also, keep track on your accomplished goals so that you remember them and feel happy about the outcome. Don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back too.
Events. Are you good at organizing things and do gatherings? Perhaps you should start hosting your own events! Try to organize an event once a month with your friends. It could be a hangout at home playing board games or going bowling. It’s really up to you! Make a group chat/event on a platform and make it happen.
Playlist. If you’re trying to get the Christmas spirit up, make sure to make a Christmas playlist on Spotify! (or any other platform you use for music) If you’re not into Christmas music then make a winter playlist of your favorite old and new music.
Movies. Last but not least, Christmas movies. The one I recommend the most is Home Alone. That one is a good nostalgic “Christmasy” movie. It always airs on tv close to Christmas and I love that movie so much. If you’re not fond of that movie no worries! There are tons more out there!
I hope this list gave you some inspiration of things to do during this cold and dark winter. Let me know if you’re already doing some of these things!
– Siara
Inspiring to read your thought here 🙂 I think I’m copying that weekly todo list idea of yours. I’d like to be creative as well, but now again I failed to finish that Christmas card on time, within these past busy December days. So I’m a bit burnt out on art, but that will soon be over. Now , the night before Christmas, I’m watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens and playing Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, a fun and really well made game 🙂 Merry Christmas ^^