Pages

Monday, December 9, 2013

"How To Embrace the Christmas Spirit" by Sarah D


It’s that time of the year again; time to pull out the ornaments and other decorations, play some holiday jingles, and stay up late watching Christmas movies while drinking hot chocolate. And, of course, you cannot forget to write a letter to Santa Claus! It is actually quite easy to get into the festive mood of the holiday; here are some easy steps to embrace the joys of Christmas and everything else it brings.
1.     PICK A TREE!       
Whether your tree is a fresh, sweet pine-y smelling tree or something that is pulled out of a box and put together, having a Christmas tree is the first step in getting into the holiday spirit. When picking a tree, you must find the PERFECT tree. It has to have the most precise branches to hang ornaments off of. WARNING: if choosing a fresh tree, be sure to find a tree that has lively needles, or else your tree will not last till the day of Christmas.
2.     SET THE MOOD TO DECORATE!
Before getting started make sure you have the proper setting to decorate your home. Begin by lighting your fireplace. The soft glow of the flames will bring a comforting, and warm, light into the room, perfect for the holidays. If you do not have a fireplace, there are some great apps available that will allow you to bring a simulated version of a warm fire, complete with the low crackle a real fire creates.
Along with the soft lighting, Christmas music as well as your favorite Christmas movies should help create the perfect setting to decorate. Regarding music, you can either pop in your favorite holiday CD or you can download apps such as Pandora and Songza which allow you to find your favorite artist or holiday song to get you in the cheerful, festive mood. When looking for movies you can rent DVDs, stream movies on Netflix, or even find the best classic movies on channels such as ABC family’s 25 Days of Christmas and the Hallmark Channel.
3.     DECORATE!
You’ve brought home your tree, now it’s time to decorate it along with the rest of your house. Start with the small things, such as cinnamon and baked good scented candles (or even bake your own treats!) in addition to other small ceramic trinkets that bring holiday cheer to your house. Add lights to the inside and outside of your house. You can even set up small Christmas scenes in front of your house, complete with Santa, his elves, and his reindeer. Stores such as Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Lowe’s will have great inflatable Christmas decorations that will assist in making your home a winter wonderland! For the inside, keep it simple and classic with lighted garland and wreaths.
The tree; this is possibly one of the most staple decorations of the Christmas season; it is also one of the most fun things to do. Start by adding lights to your tree (unless it is pre-lit). Next, add all of your favorite holiday ornaments, from homemade ones (you know, the ones you made in kindergarten) to the simple seasonal colored store bought ones, to the crazy fun colored ornaments. After hanging all of those ornaments you’re not done yet! You have to top the tree! To add a center piece of sorts to your tree you may need a ladder (use with caution!). You can top your tree with an array of items including stars, angels, and decorative ribbon.
4.     WRITE YOUR LETTER!
When writing your list to Santa Claus, be sure to include how grateful you are for the things you have, after all Christmas is the time of giving. You may also want to include a small list of items that you believe that you deserve, only if you’ve been Nice. To start you letter, you can write “Dear Santa Claus” or even “What’s up Saint Nick!” Have fun with writing you letter, because you only write him once a year.
I hope this short How-to has provided you with the initial steps required to embracing the Christmas spirit. Have a wonderful holiday season, celebrate with your friends and family! And to end, in the essence of the season: “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”

19 comments:

  1. Instructions weren't clear enough, got my head stuck in the washing machine... Na i'm kidding. Nice little guide. My family actually does set the mood to decorate before we start with music and candles
    -Kevin McCondichie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I truly love all the decorating, baking, movies/music, and just the light and happy feeling associated with Christmas. My family and I went shopping for our Christmas tree this weekend, finding only depressing twiggy trees at The Home Depot (our usual go to store) but ended up finding a lush green tree at Costco (they were less expensive too!). We still need to do the decorating (Christmas is in a few weeks!) so we will definitely be lighting the fire place and putting on The Grinch. Great entry to prepare for Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This was an adorable guide. Especially step #4 haha it reminded me of how I explain the concept to my little cousins. Though it is a set of instructions, you managed to make it very cheery and bright with a bit of that Christmas magic. Reading this brought a smile to my face and made me feel ready to prepare the twinkling lights!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This guide gave me the fuzzy and warm feeling of Christmas nearing by. I like how the instructions were pretty straight forward, but fun to read. In my household, we love to go overboard with decorating, especially when it comes to the tree. I also liked how you pointed out different places to get inflatable decorations. I believe my dad is planning to buy more! Overall, this guide was very fun to read and very informative as well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sarah!!! I love your Instructional Guide so much! After reading it, I felt so happy and cheerful! I guess you have me feeling that Christmas Spirit. ;) Your didactic tone reminds me of the HGTV hosts; I could see you teaching us on one of those "Do It Yourself" shows! Great piece, girl. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You know, I always wondered why I was always such a Scrooge during the holidays, and now I know why! I haven't done any of those things since I was around 6! After reading your helpful guide to embrace the spirit, I think I might go and give some of these things a shot! Your description of each steps really made me want to give these things a try. Perhaps I won't be much of a Scrooge this year thanks to your helpful guide...? (:

    ReplyDelete
  7. Although I have never celebrated Christmas, this guide allowed me to imagine those scenes in those happy Christmas movies I've watched. This was very easy to follow, and I was able to get that "Merry Christmas" feeling even though we still have about a week until the actual day. Well done!

    -Ben Chang

    ReplyDelete
  8. This was such a fun how-to! It's easy to get lost during the holiday season and this is a great reminder to stop and appreciate all the little enjoyable traditions of this season. I loved how you said "What's up Saint Nick!" as it seems that as we grow older, that is probably how most of us would start our Christmas letters! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sarah, this is one of my favorite blog posts so far. I am definitely a sucker for cliché holiday traditions like warm fires, twinkle lights, Christmas carols, and holiday movies. Just reading your article put me in a festive spirit. I think you should start writing for a seasonal magazine. Nice job!!!

    Christina Tapia

    ReplyDelete
  10. This was an awesome how-to! Now I really cannot wait until Christmas. I liked all the detailed steps and examples of what to do in order to prepare for such a great holiday. I especially liked your closing line of "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night." Great job :)

    -Alexandra

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nice work. it was really easy to follow and so much fun to do. I've done this before with my family and we had a great time together it was so much fun!! Good job I bet anyone who tryies to do this it would be really easy for them :)
    - Natalie Anguiano

    ReplyDelete
  12. For the longest time, I haven't been able to experience the highly- commercialized Christmas cheer. It's never a holly- jolly time for me, but maybe with your recommendations, it will be this year. Maybe all that's missing are the traditions associated with Christmas, such as the tree- picking and the Santa letters. So, I'll go ahead and write my letter to Santa this year. Thanks for the tips!

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a great way to get people focused on christmas! With all these projects and finals to worry about its nice to read something that brings some cheer. Nice job!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This makes me want to jump into the holiday spirit! The tree bit makes me want to go hunting for a tree and I like how you added helpful hints for advances in technology, such as the fireplace app and the music stations. Part #3 made me smile; I remember all those decorations people made in elementary school. Part #4 definitely boosts my spirit and I'll be sure to write a letter this year! Thank you for this helpful and creative how-to!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This was such a fun piece, but I actually learned from it! I've been so stressed over school and life that I haven't actually made the time to get into the holiday spirit; but I'm definitely going to use your guide. Thanks for the reminder to not take everything so seriously. Great job Sarah!

    ReplyDelete
  16. How adorable!
    This piece made me feel super jolly inside! c:
    It really covers the necessities to get into the Christmas spirit.
    DEFINITELY includes a lot of sensory detail which allows the audience to think about numerous Christmas-like things so that they EMBRACE THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. I see what you did there.
    This how-to gives off a lot of holiday examples which allowed it to be a swift and easy read!

    ReplyDelete
  17. How adorable!
    This piece made me feel super jolly inside! c:
    It really covers the necessities to get into the Christmas spirit.
    DEFINITELY includes a lot of sensory detail which allows the audience to think about numerous Christmas-like things so that they EMBRACE THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. I see what you did there.
    This how-to gives off a lot of holiday examples which allowed it to be a swift and easy read!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for giving such great ideas for this christmas. This piece gives some much detail on how to make this christmas even more to look forward too. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This piece was great Sarah!!! It reminded me of Christmas when I was little, especially #4. I can't remember the last time I wrote a letter to Santa, or at the very least a list of the things I want. Your steps really do describe the typical family traditions that get us into the Holiday Spirit. Great job!

    ReplyDelete

Remember, make your comment positive, supportive, and specific to the piece you're commenting on. No anonymous comments! :)