Ways to Enjoy Christmas

The period beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with my birthday (January 9) is my favorite time of year - Christmas time. I love pretty much everything about the season. I love the music, lights, food, festive atmosphere, cards, friends, nativities, etc. The whole season feels like love and happiness. Here are a few ways I have found to enjoy the holiday season (I will go into more details on many of these points in later posts):

• Deck the Halls - It doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive, but there is just something special about having your home decorated for the holidays.
• Put up a tree - Ricky and I bought an artificial tree for $15 a few years ago. It is pretty low-quality, but we love it. It is fun to put up our ornaments and some lights. It really makes our home feel like Christmas.
• Blast the festive music - We have Christmas music playing almost 24/7 right now.
• Enjoy the treats - Everything in moderation of course, but enjoy the flavors of the season (pumpkin, gingerbread, fudge, hot cocoa, pie, etc).
• Enjoy winter comfort foods - It is fun to make soups, stews, and other yummy comfort foods this time of year.
• Serve others - Nothing gets you in the spirit like helping others.
• Make homemade Christmas presents for those you love
• Wear comfy sweaters and sweat shirts
• Attend Christmas events - Look online, in the newspaper, and listen to radio to find out about free holiday events in your area.
• Sing Christmas songs - Ricky and I have had fun jamming on his guitar and belting out Christmas songs (we would never do this in front of anyone else of course).
• Bake Christmas goodies and bring to friends - Make sure to sample the treats before you deliver them!
• Watch classic holiday movies.
• Learn about the season - There are some great books teaching about how Christmas traditions came to be.
• Read the biblical account of the Christmas story - You don't have to save this for Christmas Eve and there's nothing that says you can't do this multiple times during the season.
• Save some time for cuddling and reading
• Look at Christmas lights
• Go to church - This is a good thing to do every time of year, but church can take on even more significance when our focus is on the Savior's brith
• Send Christmas cards
• Connect with family - We like to spend time talking with our families via web-cam. We can share the holidays even when we are far away from each other.

I guess the main thing is to just enjoy the moment you are in. There is no need to stress or let pessimistic vibes poison your holiday. Use the time to feel joy, happiness, and love and express your gratitude that God has given you so much. Celebrate Christ's birth and honor all that he has done for you. Merry, Merry Christmas!