For most of us – when we were younger – the holidays produced excited squeals and bright smiles and eyes shining with wide-eyed wonder. We marked off the days on the calendar, counting the sleeps until Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever big day we couldn’t wait to arrive.
But, for many reasons, the holiday season can be difficult as we get older. A partner or parent or sibling is no longer with us. Our kids are grown and gone, live far away, or celebrate with their spouse’s family. Many of us struggle with health issues and don’t feel like getting out and dealing with the snow, crowds, and traffic.
We are alone.
It’s Just Too Much Work
And sometimes – even if we aren’t alone – we lose our sparkle and zest for decking the halls, stuffing stockings, and making all those memories happen. What we once enjoyed – and looked forward to – now seems overwhelming and exhausting. The holidays are a lot of work.
“I’m not putting up a tree this year,” one friend announced.
“I’ll be glad to get back into a normal routine after the holidays,” another woman said.
“I’m so done with Christmas,” I heard another say.
We’ve made the month of December such a big deal for decades – stressing ourselves to the breaking point with gifts and baking and cards and social obligations – that the holidays have lost their magic. Regardless of whether we are alone, or not.
So! Here are a few ideas for what you might do to enjoy – or survive! – December when you’d rather fast-forward and flip the calendar to January. Some activities you can do by yourself, when you really don’t feel like doing much at all…
What You Can Do to Enjoy the Holidays
- Bake cookies or brownies – or buy a treat at the market – and deliver them to the local fire station. I defy you to not smile as you’re getting back in your car after the drop-off.
- Pick up a gingerbread house kit at the grocery store, Target, or Costco. Spend the afternoon decorating it.
- Make a mug of hot chocolate – the real kind with cocoa powder and milk – and pile it with marshmallows.
- Light a candle. Read or listen to a guilty-pleasure book. I adore a fun, heart-warming, predictable holiday romance!
- Pour a splash of eggnog in your coffee – yes, even at 6 a.m.
- Make plans to attend a church holiday concert – it doesn’t matter what church you go to.
- Prepare a dinner you’ve never cooked before. Freeze the leftovers. Or save them for the next night.
- Enjoy a holiday-flavored ice cream flavor. Yum!
- Pour a glass of wine, curl up on the couch, and turn on a holiday movie.
- Buy a tiny rosemary tree at the grocery store or Costco. Consider adding a string of lights to it. Light it during the day also!
- Set your table (or wherever you eat) with a placemat, cloth napkin, and pretty dishes. Replenish the setting every evening.
- Make a mocktail or cocktail for yourself.
- Drive through a neighborhood to look at holiday lights.
- Buy an amaryllis or a paperwhite plant to nurture during the month of December.
- Pick one spot in your town to visit during the holidays. A museum, garden, library, etc. Spend the afternoon wandering around.
- Play holiday music at home.
- Call a friend.
- Get a manicure or paint your nails.
- Visit a local bakery and buy a special holiday bread, muffin, or pastry to enjoy with your morning coffee or tea.
Hopefully, you will think of other things to add to this list. As I have learned, once you take the first tiny step, it is easier to continue. One thing will lead to another and another and another…
I hope you find something on this list that fills your heart this holiday season.
Share Your Thoughts:
Does the holiday season still excite you? Do you look forward to the holidays? What new or festive things might you do this year?
