I cannot for the life of me figure out why I’m not in the Christmas spirit this year. It could be the work of pulling out all my décor. It could be that it’s still teetering between 50 and 80 degrees here in Florida or it could be I wanted to savor Autumn just a little while longer. Whatever the reason, I’m determined to get excited about the holiday season. So I decided to round up a few ideas on how to get into the Christmas Spirit when you’re just not feeling it.
But really what is the Christmas Spirit?
Well, I’ll tell you what it’s not. It’s not hustle and bustle, glitz and glam, toys and trees or ham and figgy pudding. Yes, we pull out all the beautiful decor, but our hearts truly should be in a place of reflection and giving during the Christmas Season.
The Christmas spirit was born in a manger. He came as a humbly wrapped gift to teach us to love and give all of self to others.
Remember the reason to get Jolly in the first place
I make no apologies that I love Jesus. He’s the reason to celebrate. His coming to the earth is about the promise he made in the garden of Eden to rescue creation from the plague of sin.
I may not be in the mood to get out all the tinsel, but you better believe I need to plan to be grateful for the gift that counts the most: His coming.
So my first tip to help you get excited about Christmas is really to put Christ in the proper perspective.
1. Read through the birth of Christ Story
Reading scripture will set the tone for WHY I even celebrate. It’s so easy to skip over the details of what actually happened at the birth of Christ.
The king of Heaven stepped down from the throne, was born of a little poor virgin girl and was delivered in a lowly manger. And all for the purpose of dying for me? What amazing love. And even as I write this, I think what selfish nature I have to even be in a place to say, ‘I’m not in the mood’. SMH at myself.
I generally read through the story every year, but this year I’m doing it early to get my heart and spirit in the right place. Perhaps I’ve lost a little perspective. Reading these passages will help get me back on track. I hope you join me.
Passages on the birth of Christ in the Bible
Related: How to Plan a Jesus Centered Christmas
Now that we’ve got the main thing in focus, let’s talk about a few other ways to get excited about Christmas.
2. Spend some quality time with the people you love
We often say Christmas and holidays are about family, but if we’re honest we spend way too much time fussing over things that just don’t matter.
I’m super guilty here.
When you’re feeling less than joyous this season, take a little time with your family and savor the moments. I mean real time, not time in front of the TV, but quality moments filled with conversation, laughter, and connection.
Don’t think big holiday party; think intimate, relationship-building downtime.
- Spend a quiet evening around the dinner table
- Take a nature walk and pick pine cones, and branches and leaves (then later use them in your Christmas Decor)
- Play a round of board games or even tried and true Charades.
3. Pull out a FEW decorations to get in the Holly Jolly Mood
And I do mean a few. If you’re like me you have several tubs of holiday décor stacked up somewhere. Looking at the pile makes me want to slam the garage door. BUT, if you pull out just a few choice items like your nativity scene and maybe a wreath and let them linger a bit, I bet you’ll be more inclined to break out a few more.
My Christmas cutting board is within easy reach. I think I’ll pull it out. (This photo was a part of my 2017 Chrismas Home Tour.)
4. Get the family in the Christmas Spirit by taking some family photos
Now, if you’re really feeling really Scrooge-like…skip this step. Coordinating outfits and gathering the gang will feel a bit overwhelming and make you want to cancel Chrismas altogether. And no one wants photos with your pouty face.
BUT! Taking festive family photos will certainly remind you of how beautiful your family is and what a precious gift you have.
Get the photos developed and actually send them out. No time to do it yourself? Get them printed, addressed and mailed through Minted.
Related: How to Get Fantastic Family Photos on a Budget
5. Get Festive by Making your home smell like Christmas
What does Christmas smell like to you? Pine cones, oranges, cinnamon, hot chocolate? Whatever it is, fill your home with those scents to get you in the Christmas spirit.
Christmas smells like peppermint candy canes and pound cake around here. Add Christmas scents to your home in a myriad of ways.
- Make a stove top brew of cinnamon, cloves, and oranges.
- Buy some fragrant candles
- Get an essential oil dispenser and these diffuser blends
- Or just grab some simple Glade Holiday Scents. Yep, anything to bring the joy of Christmas to life.
6. Pay it forward
Don’t wait until December 25 to hand out gifts, do something now.
To me, Christmas means a lot of giving and not the kind of giving that makes you go broke. The kind of giving that comes from the heart and does something good for other people.
Whether you’re volunteering at a local charity, donating to your church or simply paying for the coffee of the person behind you at McDonald’s, take a moment to give of your time and resources. The thoughtful act of giving will light your holiday fire because focusing on others rather than yourself makes you more like Christ at Christmas.
It’s more blessed to give than it is to receive.
In fact this year, Christmas starts early for my household because I plan to give my husband and my son 12 days of gifts for a unique Christmas Countdown Tradition. Check out the aforementioned post where I detailed my plans and provide some free printables if you want to join me.
7. Put on some Christmas Tunes to get into the Christmas Spirit.
Nothing says Christmas like Christmas music. Pull out some old favorites and sing a few carols to yourself, grab a friend, or just turn the radio on. My favorite Christian Radio station turns in to the Christmas music station every year after Thanksgiving.
Music makes the heart merry and ready for a merry season.
This is a great time to enjoy some Tunes from Amazon Music Unlimited. You can start a free 30-day trial to check it out. Bonus, your free trial gets you all the way through Christmas. Turn on the music during your drive home or better yet, while you’re sprinkling your décor around the house.
8. Enjoy a Taste of Christmas
Yep, Christmas has a taste. The taste of Christmas is different for everyone. I sure hope yours isn’t fruitcake. Yuck!
It could be a holiday drink like spicy apple cider or maybe it’s hot cocoa. For my Jamaican friends, it’s bun and cheese. My sister always gets a huge bin of flavored popcorn. My great aunt buys a basket of summer sausage and gourmet cheeses.
What does Christmas Taste like to you?
For me?
It’s cookies, banana bread, and apple butter. I love to bake during the holidays and a few years ago I gave away loads of goodies as gifts because money was so tight. Every year one of my friends looks forward to a jar of homemade apple butter. I may whip up an early batch of all just to get in the Christmas spirit.
9. Visit a Christmas Festival
In this neck of the woods, Christmas festivals abound and they start EARLY. Take a stroll through a park all lit up with holiday lights, watch the faces of little ones on an ice-skating pond (even the fake ones like we have here in Florida) and enjoy the winter atmosphere. I’m pretty sure you’ll get excited about Christmas after a night immersed in it.
It may even be a simple as rolling through the drive-thru a local fast food joint. The Chick-Fil-a near me decks the entire place out with an amazing Chrismas light display every year starting the week of Thanksgiving. The whole thing is a site to see. Thousands of lights, set to music no less, and a special choir or school chorus every night to entertain you while you grub. On the weekends they show movies, have crafts for kids and photo ops. The food isn’t free, but the fun is.
10. Have a movie night and watch your favorite Christmas flicks.
I gotta admit, I’m all in with the sappy Christmas movies. Like–total suspension of belief with the magic of Christmas love and all. No Hallmark Chanel? Netflix and Hulu have their fill of totally predictable but oh so lovable movies. We have an arsenal of movies on hand through Amazon Prime.
Favorites we watch every year:
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- Miracle on 34th Street (this is an AWESOME one to buy because it contains the original and the remake!
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original cartoon)
- The Polar Express (get these two in one set)
And would you believe I’ve never seen White Christmas? Maybe I’ll put that on my list this year.
11. Start Planning!
Is stress keeping you from enjoying the holiday? You may just need to step back with a better approach. Save yourself some holiday headache by sitting down and planning the season instead of letting it take over. I created a beautiful holiday planner you can download here for FREE!
12. Journal a few thoughts about what Christmas Means to you.
I have to tell you, just writing this post has really gotten me excited (and convicted) about Christmas. I challenge you to sit down and write out why you even want to be in the Christmas spirit. What makes it important to you?
Gail says
I feel the same way, Kenyatta! As someone who loves to make holiday crafts and decorate, I am dragging this year. Forcing myself to get creative. I’m the only one in my household who cares about decorating and I am truly dreading it this year. I remember my parents decorating less and less each year as we got older and then when we moved out, only a few things were done. I wondered what was wrong with them. I understand now. It’s too much work! We’re going out tomorrow to look at Christmas decorations in the city – it’s my birthday and I thought that would be something special to do! Maybe I’ll feel like getting in the spirit afterwards. I hope so!