Who’s ready for the holidays? In all honesty, I always am, but I can definitely see the need to have them only roll around once a year. After all, absence does make the heart grow fonder. But for some people, the holidays leave them feeling pressured to buy the perfect gifts (on limited budgets), make the perfect meal, host the perfect get-together, and deal with sometimes impossible-to-please family members.
But what if we focused on the positive aspects of the season, instead?
Some of the more positive aspects for me come from the warm and cozy feelings the holidays bring up–the hygge side, (see home page if you don’t know what hygge means). Savory dishes, curling up in front of the fireplace, the delicious scent of baked desserts, the seasonal scents of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, live wreaths and Christmas trees; pleasant time spent with family watching holiday movies, or cuddly with a significant other on a lazy, cold afternoon; mugs of hot cocoa, coffee, or hot apple cider–these are all things that make the holidays awesome. But there’s more.
All of the holidays involve some form of creativity, as well. With Christmas, it’s coming up with thoughtful gift ideas that show you care, unique and beautiful ways to package and present those gifts. There is also the concept of generosity involved with the Christmas Season. Instead of focusing on the excess of overspending, we can instead focus on the spirit of giving, which also involves home made gifts, charity, and showing kindness and helpfulness toward others.
Creativity with Halloween involves coming up with new and unique ways of transforming yourself, (through make-up and costume). It involves imagination, spark, and a sense of child-like adventure.
Thanksgiving and Christmas both share the creative aspect of creating delicious and nourishing meals to share with family and friends and provide us with opportunities to express appreciation. And also three holidays offer up creativity in the form of decor. Offering the chance to surround yourself with beautiful, personal, and unique aspects and accents representative of each holiday (you can even combine the three if you want).
Even though we can’t eliminate all holiday stresses, we can at least choose to place our focus on the positive aspects that are present in each holiday. So here’s to placing our focus on Creativity, Imagination, Spark, Nourishment, Generosity, Appreciation, and Joy!
Here’s to showing love to the last three holidays of the year–Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Which is your favorite?