How to find the Christmas spirit?

Hello :)

As you may have noticed, I haven't posted much this month, I have been very busy, I realise I've said that a lot during the past year, I seem to be always busy, I guess I should try and plan my time better, but at least I'm here now and I've got a brand new blog post, you guessed it, about Christmas. It's about time.

Now, I've written a lot about Christmas and I thought long and hard about what more I could say without repeating myself too much. So I thought I'd give you a guide to how to make Christmas time slightly less stressful and hectic and more enjoyable, calm and joyful.

I am aware that Christmas and the holiday season, in general, can be unpleasant for some people, there are chores and responsibilities and maybe not your favourite relatives that you have to spend time with and it might just get a little repetitive and uninspiring. If that's how you feel, then firstly, I'm sorry, and secondly maybe this year you can turn it around, maybe this year you can be the Grinch, but just skip all the stealing and havoc part and go straight to jolly and bright.

Here are a few things that always help me get into the Christmas spirit, perhaps doing a few of those things will aid you in your journey as well.

Step One for me to get into the Christmas spirit, is to start listening to Christmas songs, it's quite possible, that you have heard some of them so many times that just the thought of them gives you a headache, that's ok, then just find some new Christmas songs, I guarantee you'll find at least a few that you'll like, you can create a playlist and maybe listen to it as your getting ready in the morning or before bed, it sets a nice mood and I find that the first Christmas music sessions that I have always bring that little bit of joy into my heart.

Step Two is Christmas lights, I understand that with the release of Stranger Things Christmas lights may have received a slightly different reputation than what they have had previously, but for me, especially with the combination of Christmas songs and Christmas lights, they still bring joy.

Step Three is most important - gingerbread, the official scent of Christmas. I feel like the first bites of gingerbread are always the most magical, if you don't like gingerbread then clementines/mandarins work just as well, simply peeling them already makes the room fill with the heavenly scent of Christmas, so how could that not make one happy.

Step Four is presents, although, for some, it may be a stress factor, taking your time and starting early will help prevent that a lot. I have a great blog post about how to find the perfect present, I'll link it HERE, following that will make something that seems like a chore straight into pure joy.

Step Five is very strongly linked to the previous step, that is wrapping the gifts, you can make it as fun as you like, be creative and remember it doesn't have to be perfect, it's the thought that counts.

If all else fails, then the best thing to do, is to wrap yourself in tinsel and maybe even put a few ball-balls on as decorations and I will guarantee, it'll make you feel something...most likely...

Feel free to leave some more suggestions in the comments and I'll see you in our next one.

Kaiela :)