GET IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT EARLY

 

GET INTO THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT EARLY- The Christmas season is too short to waste one second! So let's get into the spirit a little early this year. Here are 10 ideas to help you!

The Christmas season is so short! Too short for many of us to soak up and find our Ho Ho Ho! So why don’t we start the Christmas season a little earlier this year? Here are some fun ideas to help you rev up your Christmas Spirit and enjoy each minute of the season!

 

Today on Decorating Tips And Tricks we are talking about BEST TIPS FOR HOSTING THANKSGIVING. We have lots of tips for making a less-stressed and fabulous Thanksgiving feast and more!

Listen below to our latest DTT podcast, BEST TIPS FOR HOSTING THANKSGIVING below:

 


  Catch up and listen to all 124 DTT episodes HERE.

Sometimes we get so busy with all the preparation and bustle of Christmas we forget our Ho Ho Ho! It’s more like Ho Ho Hum! Or even worse… Bah Humbug!  Christmas can be a stressful time and that’s such a shame! Today is Practically Speaking and I’m sharing 10 ways to put a little jingle back into your step and Christmas joy in your heart! Even if you are the happiest of Christmas elves these ideas will help you celebrate this special season!

LISTEN TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC

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Listen to your favorite Christmas music! When I ‘m cleaning or decorating a room or a tree I like to listen to peppy, fun Christmas music. When I cook I listen to Michael Buble or Christmas standards and when I’m working and need to concentrate without a whole lot of foot tapping I listen to my Pandora station: Peaceful Christmas Music!

Christmas music is such a special treat and most of us only listen to it this time of year! Get in as much Christmas music listening as you can! It’s a real mood lifter!

FILL YOUR HOME WITH THE SCENTS OF CHRISTMAS

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Oh, joy!!!! Aromas create and trigger strong memories. Fill your home with scents of peppermint, cinnamon and cloves, evergreen, vanilla and other delicious Christmas scents.

My favorite way to do this is diffusing essential oils. If you are an “oily” girl or guy you might like my favorite Christmas combination from Young Living. Mix 6 drops of Thieves, 3 cinnamon, 2 cloves, and 2 orange or tangerine.  Shameless pitch: I am a young living consultant. Use my member number to order 3098375.  

You can also see my original recipe for CHRISTMAS IS IN THE AIR SIMMERING POTPOURRI. I’ve been simmering this during Christmas for decades.  My son says, “Mom this smells like Christmas”!

There are also so many beautifully scented candles that can create a luscious Christmas scent in your home!

CUT DOWN YOUR TO-DO LIST

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Okay, just do it!!!! If you are like me, you tend to keep piling those chores, parties, responsibilities, etc on! Don’t do it! The object of getting to Christmas day is to have a prepared heart not a prepared everything else in the universe! That leaves our spiritual and emotional tanks empty and our bodies exhausted with hot glued fingertips, glitter in our hair and bags under our eyes!

I took a serious look at all I did a few years back and cut it down!!!! Did I really need to make 15 different kinds of Christmas cookies? NO! So if I make them I only make a few of our very favorites. This is so so freeing! 

Do I really need three Christmas trees decking the halls at StoneGable? It’s much better to have one that is carefully and joyfully decorated! Please hear me… Do what is important to you and your family. That’s it! You will be so much happier and your family will love you for it too! 

Christmas can be Christmas without all the extras. Charlie Brown was right!

ASK FOR HELP

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This is huge! My grandmother lived with her mother-in-law, my great aunt lived down the street and Nani’s next door neighbors felt like family. They worked together! “Many hands make light work”.    

If you love cookie baking barter to do it for a Christmas chore you don’t like as much! If you are a decorating elf but cleaning/organizing is just not your gift let it be known that you are ready to trade jobs!

Because of my busy job I have help. My friend also works for me and will help me put away my Christmas decorations this year. I can’t even begin to tell you the giant Christmas tree size weight that will be lifted off of me! I have to move right into January’s blogging schedule and won’t have time to de-decorate… except for 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM the week right after New Year. And that is already scheduled for much needed sleep!

Delegate. You should not do all the Christmas work. If another person lives in your home share the work and enjoy the fun… together!

Do things that make your life and the Christmas season easier and more enjoyable! Ask for help… do it!

DECORATE SOMETHING FOR 10 MINUTES

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Decorating our homes at Christmastime can be daunting! How fun would it be to pour yourself into a Christmas decoration that only took 10 minutes to do? Most of us can find 10 minutes in our day to make something beautiful. And making an effort to only concentrate on that one thing for 10 minutes will give our minds a much needed time-out. I have lots of 10 minute Christmas decorating ideas for you

I have lots of 10 minute Christmas decorating ideas for you HERE and HERE. Rember to crank up the Christmas music!

READ THE TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY

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If you are not feeling very Christmassy, give yourself a break! It’s okay. To tell you the truth, how we celebrate Christmas is a far cry from the real-deal first Christmas! If you want to really get the true meaning of Christmas read about it in the Bible… Luke 2:1-20. Or read about it HERE.

Even if you are the jolliest of Christmas lover or the grumpiest Grinch you should make time to read the true Christmas story!

You can also read about the real Christmas story with pictures from my studies in Israel HERE.

READ A CHRISTMAS BOOK… PREFERABLY A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS BOOK

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Take time to read a few Christmas books! I love THE POLAR EXPRESS, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, THE CHRISTMAS WISH,  THE LITTLEST ANGEL ( I cry buckets every time I read it) and THE SNOWMAN.  Look at Christmas through the eyes of a child!

WATCH A CHRISTMAS MOVIE

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We love the old classics, here at StoneGable. When our kids were tiny we would go to the video store (yes, there was a place that actually sold and rented movies) and we would get “the classics”. Exposing our children to a bevy of great old Christmas movies gave them such an appreciation for wonderful cinema!

Most of these movies were way before my time. I love the old classics!

Some of our favorites were: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, HOLIDAY INN, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT,  THE BISHOP’S WIFE, WHITE CHRISTMAS. AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER… and more current movies like ELF, SCROOGED, HOME ALONE, THE SANTA CLAUSE, LOVE ACTUALLY, THE POLAR EXPRESS, THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS, THE HOLIDAY, ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS, THE CHRISTMAS STORY, THE NATIVITY, and PRANCER. If I left out your favorite Christmas movie make sure to remind all of us in the comments!

TAKE A CHRISTMAS LIGHTS DRIVE

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This is a big favorite of mine! Last night on the way home from a family birthday dinner Bobby and I were making a mental note of what homes we want to visit on our “Christmas lights” tour. The good, the bad and the oh,-what-were-you-thinking! I must admit I LOVE a train wreck of a display as much as I love a one-of-a-kind Christmas beauty!

There is something magical about Christmas lights! Make sure to turn on the Christmas tunes and take a thermos or traveler of hot chocolate and maybe a cookie or two!

Make it a family event! 

PAINT YOUR NAIL RED

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Get a manicure and paint your nails Christmas red! Enough said!

GO FOR A WALK

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Don’t forget to exercise during the holidays. We tend to drop our exercise routines when we get busy. But exercise will help your mental outlook and we will feel better too! I swim and it’s such good medicine!

Opps! I think that was 11 ways to get into the Christmas spirit!  Here are a few other things that might put a little jingle bell in your step!

  • stay away from the mall (Only go to see Santa. The rest can be life-sucking at Christmas!)
  • order online
  • visit local shops
  • buy a small real evergreen tree (If you have a big artificial tree get a small tree or at least a bunch of real greens right before Christmas)
  • send Christmas cards
  • drink hot chocolate ( Here’s an easy slow cooker peppermint hot chocolate I love)
  • give to your favorite charity
  • go to church
  • volunteer
  • find out what local events are happening in your area and go
  • wrap gifts as you get them
  • eat lots of cookies (and make sure you follow the last tip- get those walking shoes on!)
  • go to lunch/breakfast/dinner with friends and exchange gifts
  • hang a wreath on your front door

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Here’s hoping you have the merriest Christmas ever!

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Here are my favorite Christmas movies, books, and music!

For Your’s Video Library!

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 HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS || ELF  ||  IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE  ||  A CHRISTMAS CAROL  ||  A CHRISTMAS CAROL    ||  WHITE CHRISTMAS  ||  HOME ALONE  || CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT  ||

Great Christmas Reads

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A WISH TO BE A CHRISTMAS TREE  ||  THE POLAR EXPRESS  || THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMA S  ||  THE CHRISTMAS STORY  || 

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS  ||  MAX LUCADO’S BECAUSE OF CHRISTMAS  ||

  THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER  (reading this now for the umpteenth time)  ||  THE LITTLEST ANGEL  ||

 

Christmas Tunes

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MICHAEL BUBLE´ CHRISTMAS  || CELTIC WOMEN HOME FOR CHRISTMAS   ||  CHRISTMAS AT THE BROOKLYN TABERNACLE  || ANDRE BOCELLI MY CHRISTMAS  ||  THE PIANO GUYS A FAMILY   CHRISTMAS  ||  IL DIVO THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION  ||  JACKIE EVANCHO SOMEDAY AT CHRISTMAS  ||

 

How do you get into the Christmas spirit! Please share!

Did you know that I have over 1,300 pins on my Christmas board? You might like to follow me on Pinterest and see all the holiday inspiration HERE.

 

 

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50 Comments

  1. Karen VanLoo says:

    You really hit the spot today! I’m listening to Pandora Peaceful Christmas music right now, and it is starting to get me in the spirit at my office this morning. I’m also a Young Living consultant and love my oils. Thank you for the “recipe” of oils to mix for the holidays. I love anything with Thieves, and love cleaning my home with it. My family comes from out of town to my house for Thanksgiving, and they all leave on Saturday. Then my husband and I start the madness of Christmas decorating. I started taking the Monday after off work so that will give me an additional day to work and not be as stressed out. It really takes me a week to finish and “tweak” everything. I have a huge 9-foot tree, a 7-foot tree, a 7-foot pencil tree (just for my Spode ornaments) and a small 3-foot tree at the base of our staircase. I love Christmas, it does go by so quickly so cherish every moment, try not to stress, and relax and enjoy! Thanks for the tips and the movie list, I love the old classics! Have a great day Yvonne!

  2. Jeri Ann Thompson says:

    Great ideas! In today’s too busy workd, it’s hard to get in the spirit sometimes. My grandchildren have renewed my Christmas spirit. Everything is so exciting and magical for them. And most importantly, the real Christmas story! Merry Christmas to you and yours, Yvonne!

  3. thanks for the tips. We are keeping it very minimal this year because we are traveling right after Christmas. It will help to keep us more grounded on the real meaning of Christmas too. My all time favorite Christmas movie is Christmas in Connecticut. You are the first person that I’ve encountered that has even heard of it. Blessings to you and yours this Holy season.

  4. Hi, Yvonne! You got me at the simmering potpourri!! I remember seeing you blog on that last year, but I got stuck because I have a couple questions. Where do you find star anise and mulling spices? And for the dried lemon peel, orange peel, and cranberries, do you just let a bunch of real stuff dry out for a while and then add them to the mixture without the fear of mold? I so badly want to try this this year!! Love your posts and podcasts! You continue to inspire me!

    1. So Happy you are enjoying the podcastJacki. To answer your questions, I get the star anise and mulling spices at my local grocery store. Look on Amazon for them if your store does not carry them. You do not have to use dried lemon and orange peel. You can use fresh. Just remember when you peel an orange or squeeze a lemon to save the peels, cut them into strips and let them dry out. As for the cranberries, I don’t dry them. They go in fresh.

  5. Thank you for all these wonderful holiday ideas and hints. I usually host Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. I love doing all the hosting but time is so limited and you can really miss out on the special holiday magic if you don’t stop and enjoy it all. Your holiday music idea is wonderful. This year I started listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween, just to put me in the spirit a little early!

  6. 100% agree with you “the object of getting to Christmas day is to have a prepared heart not a prepared everything else in the universe! ”

  7. I have a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit, so these are great tips! Thanks!

  8. Enjoyed all the ideas! I’m going out to get all the ingredients for the potpourri! I also crank up the Christmas music while decorating!

  9. A hearty amen to every idea. My husband turned on our Family Life internet radio to Peaceful Christmas this morning and chose Luke for our shared devotions. Will intentionally try to implement your wonderful ideas. I like to make a season of Christmas, not just a day. Since my husband is recently semi-retired, I am hoping for to engage him in elf help activities. As always, many thanks for the encouraging exhortation.

  10. Thanks for the tips fora happy Christmas season. As I age, the small things are what are important along with family. Your ideas are things to ponder.

  11. Theresa at Winterberry Lane says:

    I love today’s post Yvonne. I have a couple of children’s DVD ‘s that my grandchildren love one being Dinsey’s Prep & Landing / Prep & Landing Naughty vs Nice and Arthur Christmas. All of Stone Gables favorite movies and tune list are our favorites also. Thanks for sharing and have a great Monday!

    1. I’ll need them in a couple years. Anderson just turned one and Emma Kate is 5 months.

  12. I have only been following your blog for about 2 months, but I enjoy it so much and have picked up so many great tips and ideas. The “Living Stones” posts were particularly special. I’m just curious, what graphics program do you use in writing your blogs? Thank you!

  13. All good tips.I have scaled down this year even the size of the tree which I put up this past weekend.We will be visiting our children & grandchildren that live up north this holiday season.Just being with them will make our holiday.

  14. All great ideas. I do many of them, including watching as many Christmas movies as I can fit in. It wouldn’t be Christmas in my house without watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at least once. Gotta love the Griswolds!

  15. I love all of your tips for enjoying the Christmas season and I also follow most of them. I would like to add a couple movies to your list. Silent Night and A Christmas Visitor are two very good Hallmark movies. Being a fan of classic movies, I have also found some oldies from the early 1930’s on You Tube.

  16. Lovely and inspiring ideas!

  17. Janice Davis says:

    My husband died two weeks ago. We loved the holidays. So difficult to get into the spirit without him. Thank you for the joy you give me through your blog.

    1. Oh sweet friend, I am heartsick for you! God bless you and your family. I’m praying for you, Janice.

      Just remember God lost His son on a cross. He knows how deeply you are hurting.

  18. Movie: The Snowman (1982). Sooooo beautiful and RELAXING.

    1. I should add, it’s only about 25 minutes long, and couples hand drawn (from the book) visuals with a wonderful music score.

    2. Yes, thanks for adding that one. I love it too! It’s so fun to watch a movie and address Christmas cards or do something sorta mindless.

  19. You just made me smile with remembering some of the best ideas to make the holiday jolly and bright! Sometimes I feel weighted down by just the thoughts of what I need to do even though I have really scaled down & simplified! But there some of those little things you mentioned that help me to make the holiday special! Thank you for all the great reminders!

    1. Perfect!!!! NOW you are beginning to get into the Christmas spirit!!! Watch a couple Hallmark sappy Christmas stories too!

  20. Susan Anderson says:

    Love all the ideas. Every morning (after coffee) I put my own simmering potpourri on the stove. Just a good start to the day. And so welcoming to anyone that stops by!

  21. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says:

    Hi Yvonne..taking a break from decorating the trees and decking the halls while the Christmas movies are on TV (love the Hallmark channel!)….Happy decorating!

  22. Kathy Hollmann says:

    Yvonne, You are a gift to me! I have followed you for years and have received boatloads of inspiration! So much so, that I recently became a subscriber! First time ever, and better late than never! I will do every one of your 10 (11!) suggestions! Also, I made “Thankful” card list for my guests placesettings and am thrilled at gearing up to use dishtubs for clean-up! It’s simply brilliant, like you!

  23. Dawn Gilmore says:

    Great tips as always, Yvonne. We all need to slow down and enjoy the season ourselves.

    Just this afternoon I watched Holiday Inn with my stepfather who loves Christmas and watches Christmas movies all year long. And I am sure we’ll be watching many more Christmas movies whenever he visits till the end of the year .

  24. I love the 1940 movie-Remember the Night. It stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred McMurray. The greatest portion of the movie takes place Christmas and New Year week. I watch it when it comes on TCM. Guarantee you will never guess how it ends!

  25. Norma Rolader says:

    Thank you for your ideas and inspirations … Great lists

  26. Thank you for this great reminder to make Christmas a bit more calmer! I love the movie “The Christmas Card” It has become one of my favorites, up there with It’s a Wonderful Life.
    Blessings to all of you at Stonegable for a beautiful and merry Christmas!

  27. Beth Pozzini Putz says:

    Yvonne, your post touched me deeply. This will be the last Christmas that my daughter, who is a senior, will be living at home during the decorating period. I am going to involve her as much as her school schedule will allow. It truly is hard to believe 18 years has flown by?Feeling very nostalgic, and emotional. I have an entire large sterilite box of ornaments that I’ve collected for her (and each of my other two children) that I will give her when she leaves home and makes her own home. Those ornaments might not mean anything to her now (she is a snarky teenager after all), but in years to come as she starts her own family and her own traditions, I hope she will be inspired and filled with memories as she uses them to decorate her tree. Great post! As always, thank you for sharing your heart and your home with all of us!

    Blessings,
    ❤Beth

    1. Sweet Beth, I was where you are not very long ago. I remember how emotional my daughter’s and son’s senior year are. But let me tell you a little secret… they will call all the time from College. Walking between classes, after dinner or a date etc. It’s a very special time to share and enjoy with your children. God bless you!

  28. Marie-Angela says:

    Since I’ve been an empty-nester for quite some time now, I have found myself, each year, in a Christmas funk. I have always loved to bake and decorate my home for Christmas, but with my boys grown with families of their own, it’s just not the same. But this year will be different, thanks to Yvonne and these inspirational newsletters. I eagerly look forward each day to see what new and beautiful ideas I can incorporate to make my home warm and inviting….for my hubby and myself!!

    1. SO glad you are getting into the Christmas spirit this year, Marie-Angela!!!!

  29. Don’t forget A Charlie Brown Christmas; it moves me every time I watch it.

    1. Yes, can you believe that it actually gives the gospel account of Jesus’ birth. Talk about Christmas spirit!

  30. Merry Christmas Yvonne,

    I just loved 10 Ways to Get Into the Christmas Spirit. Just reading it put me in the Christmas Spirit. Can’t wait to see your Christmas decor as it is always my favorite!

    Cheers!

  31. Great ideas!
    The Family Stone is another more recent Christmas movie that I’ve watched around the holidays more than once.

  32. Love these ideas!! ?

  33. Lovely blog and post!

    I love watching “While You Were Sleeping” (an early Sandra Bullock movie) every year at Christmastime. It’s delightful!

  34. Your blog is my favorite! You do a great job of always having things that interest us! I especially enjoyed the “Get the Christmas spirit early” my kids have been reminding me to put up the tree, and now I’m excited to do it!
    Thank you Yvonne Merry Christmas ?