Truth be told, as an empty nester, I find it difficult to get into the holiday spirit without listening to my Harry Connick Jr. Christmas CD while sipping on a little eggnog Moscow Mule holiday liquid cheer, if you know what I mean. Unless you have small children in your home or a workshop full of elves, maybe a reindeer or two, the holiday spirit can be a bit hard to come by for us grown-ups.
Here is my Top 10 list of activities and outings to put yourself in the holiday spirit or drive yourself to the brink of Mistletoe Madness. It could go either way.
#10, Holiday Shows: Watching one of the thousands of holiday movies or television programs can really kick off the holiday season. Who doesn’t enjoy their 50th viewing of Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Little Drummer Boy, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Santa Clause (1, 2 & 3), The Polar Express, Home Alone, Bad Santa, Shrek the Halls, NBC’s Tree Lighting from Rockefeller Center and every cheesy holiday movie on the Hallmark Channel from November 1st through New Year’s Day? I especially enjoy stringing cranberries while I watch my holiday shows (NOT), but a little liquid cheer will add to the holiday spirit.
#9, Ice skating (outdoors): There isn’t enough peppermint fudge in this world to get me to ice skate at my age, I’ve got bills to pay and I don’t mean medical bills. I can’t afford to be laid up for a couple of months with a broken ankle or bruised glute muscle. However, going to an outdoor skating rink to watch other people fall down on the cement-hard ice is a lot of fun. The music, the merriment and the cool crisp air can set a joyful mood. Cups of warm cocoa or cider, with a little liquid cheer, will certainly add to the holiday spirit.
#8, Caroling: Organizing a neighborhood caroling cavalcade is a dandy way to get into the spirit of the holiday. What’s a cavalcade? It’s a procession. Work with me people. It’s safe to say, we all know most of the words to every holiday song; Jingle Bells, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Deck the Halls, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Silent Night, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Oh Holy Night, Hells Bells (just kidding, that’s my favorite AC/DC song) and Joy to the World. Dress warm, wear sensible shoes and bring along a little liquid cheer to enliven theholiday spirit.
#7, Baking: Nothing says “holidays” more than a house wafting with the delightful odor coming from an oven full of homemade cookies, pumpkin bread, peppermint bark, fudge, biscotti, or a life-size Gingerbread House. It certainly helps mask the offensive odor coming from a backed-up bathroom following a toilet-clogging relative’s annual visit. If nothing else, invest in the new Febreze holiday baking scent. A little liquid cheer will undoubtedly add to the holiday spirit and baking creativity.
#6, Decorating (indoors): Deck the halls baby. I’m not saying that everyone’s indoor holiday decorating needs to be over the top, but how about getting in the spirit with a few twinkling lights and shiny ornaments on a tree or bush for starters? From there, do as little or as much as your heart desires. Personally, I like pasting copy paper scissor-cut icicles on the windows and dangling mistletoe over every arch or doorway, but that’s just me. I find that a little liquid cheer will add to the holiday spirit.
#5, Decorating (outdoors): Regardless if you live in a house, apartment, townhouse, condo, mobile home, or tent, deck the yard baby. Assuming you follow HOA guidelines, string your lights, arrange a nativity scene and plug in your blow-ups to create an outdoor winter wonderland. Electricity and ladders don’t always mix well with libations, trust me I know, so maybe wait until your Griswold Holiday Vacation light display is completed until you enjoy a little liquid cheer which will add to the holiday spirit.
If you really want to experiencea little light bulb envy, visit the Vista San Ramon sub-division in San Ramon (across from Central Park) or the house at 108 Dana Highlands Court in Danville (Woodranch Sub-division). I’m pretty sure Santa sees these two locations from 30,000 feet up when he’s dropping into the Bay Area on Christmas Eve. I also bet they get a really special holiday card from PG&E every year.
#4, Holiday Cards: Addressing and mailing your holiday cards to friends and family is another annual tradition. Due in large part to Shutterfly’s brilliant guilt- focused marketing campaign, personal photocards long ago overtook the popularity of traditional Hallmark card with a Thomas Kinkade image. Part of the holiday merriment is trying to coordinate an acceptable family photo even if your family simply consists of you and your turtle. Once you have that perfect Kodak moment image, complete with clever saying, “From our home to yours,” addressing the envelopes can take longer than the 12 days of Christmas. As for the envelope, I like to go with a seasonal postage stamp and the cutesy holiday return address stickers that come in every fundraising request envelope I’ve received the year before. A little liquid cheer will add to the holiday spirit and deaden the envelope licking aftertaste.
#3, Visiting Santa Claus: I haven’t sat on Santa’s lap sinceI was 7 or 8…teen, but if you really want to get in the spirit, plan a visit to Stoneridge Mall or Broadway Plaza to chat with the jolly, white bearded, present granter (or some reasonable likeness). Let’s assume, for argument sake, you’re taking your kids or grandkids, or someone’s kids—hopefully with their permission—to also get a photo with Kris Kringle. For only $99.99, you can get a complete picture set, ornament, and mug of someone either crying or screaming. Don’t laugh, it might be you. I don’t recommend that you add liquid cheer tothis event as a public intoxication charge or DUI could really dampen the holiday spirit for everyone.
#2, White Elephant Gift Exchange: It doesn’t matter if it’s your office mates, friends, family, neighbors or cell block, a white elephant gift exchange is almost always fun and festive—that is, unless someone gives you an actual white elephant because those albino pachyderms can really trash your backyard. Having a theme to your gift exchange can add to the shenanigans, but let’s keep it PC for fear of offending the seasonal morality police. Liquidcheer is a wonderful theme because, as I like to say, “a little liquid cheer will add to the holiday spirit.”
And the Number One (#1) way toget into the holiday spirit is: Give: Give your time or money to the less fortunate; the sad, the lonely or the hurting. Be a friend, a helper or a listener. Donate to a food bank or Toys for Tots. Purchase a pre-packed bag of groceries at Safeway, or find a family in need through a school, church or community group. It is better to give than to receive and there are a lot of homeless or sheltered families with children who could use some assistance. Lending a helping hand in some meaningful way will make everyone’s holiday brighter—including your own—and add to the holiday spirit.
The holiday spirit is in all of us. It just takes a can opener or cork screw to bring it out of some of us. Hopefully, my TopTen List of ways to find your holiday spirit will help. If not, start with the liquid cheer, but in moderation, and don’t drive.
Good tidings to you and yours this holiday season.
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