The holiday season is regarded as a time of relaxation, tradition, and joy for families across the globe. With the hectic nature of our modern lives, however, it is often difficult to find the time to fully relish in the magic of Christmas. Through participating in simple holiday traditions and activities, we may be able to grasp the nostalgic feeling of the Christmas season despite the overwhelming aspects of our daily life.
Bake Cookies
The holiday season is the sweetest time of the year: what better way to celebrate this joy than with a festive treat? Few people in this world would appreciate a delicious Christmas cookie, especially if it was made from the home and heart. Baking cookies are accessible to nearly every Christmas fanatic, acting as a low-effort but highly enjoyable activity for those involved. As always, this experience is enhanced by the presence of loved ones, allowing the making of these delicacies to satisfy both the heart and stomach. Many delectable cookie recipes are already available on the internet, providing bakers with an array of mouthwatering flavors to concoct. Creating a cookie from a family recipe is all the more fulfilling, tying the holiday season to tradition and nostalgia.
Watch Christmas Movies
Perhaps one of the most renowned methods of bringing holiday cheer to your home, Christmas movies are the pinnacle of comforting, simple festivity. Whether you enjoy the romance of a Hallmark holiday original, the classic comedy of Elf or Home Alone, or the charming nature of vintage, stop-motion Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, innumerable films capture the essence of the holiday season. Available across countless streaming services and cable channels, it is a nearly impossible feat to not find a festive Christmas movie to bundle up to. After an arduous day of work or school, one should find themselves cuddled in a blanket near the fireplace, letting the holiday spirit of a movie consume them (this experience may be enhanced by the previously mentioned cookies).
See Christmas Lights
Making an active effort to decorate your home and surround yourself with garland, twinkling lights, and comically large Santa inflatables is vital to establishing the Christmas spirit. Such, however, may not be feasible for the overworked individual: luckily, the efforts of others compensate for this shortcoming. A typical suburban neighborhood will show no scarcity of colorful, festive decorations and Christmas lights. Simply driving through these streets will instill a sense of holiday cheer within your being, as it is difficult to avoid the presence of Christmas with intricate, flashy decorations. Naturally, decorating one’s own home is often more fulfilling, especially when done with the help of friends or family, so one should prioritize filling their own space with Christmas cheer to ring in the holiday season properly.
Spend Time With Friends and Family
The previously mentioned experiences are, of course, effective and effortless methods of celebrating the holiday season. However, these activities and Christmas itself are mere illusions of true, nostalgic joy without the valued presence of friends and family that are held close to the heart. Christmas is, at its core, far more than a time of petty gift exchanges; it is a time of enjoying the company of loved ones and appreciating the time that has been spent with them over the previous year. Oftentimes, you will find the cookies taste sweeter, the movies are more heartfelt, and the twinkling Christmas lights shine brighter with a dear friend or family member by your side, preserving the value of the holiday season.
We must find ways to create joy during the holiday season. Regardless of the stressors of outside life, simple traditions have a distinctive way of maintaining the childlike magic of Christmas for all who celebrate.
