Keeping spirits up for December

This is the first of my Christmas blogs and I know I mention spirits but I do not mean over-indulge in spirits as in drinking too much!

This year more than anything people are wanting to bring magic into their lives and have some fun. I know it won’t be the same for many people with restrictions on numbers and many not having enough money to buy presents.

When you can’t have lots of people at Christmas think of it as having a more close family Christmas with those you love. And if you can’t have elderly family round your table be grateful that they are still with you and that you are being responsible. You can phone them and tell them that you love them or if possible you can do a zoom call. Think of the many people who lost their loved ones this year but if you did lose a loved one, focus on the memories.

As for buying of presents, please don’t get yourself into debt remember ‘it’s not how much we spend but how much love we give’ or in the words of Mother Theresa:

‘It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving’.

Here are some tips to follow on the run up to Christmas day.

Embrace the change and find a funny moment in every day.

Watch Christmas movies, even sad ones as they can help you feel grateful for what you have and if they make you cry then that helps too as it is good to let the crying out. But also look at the happy films, comedies and romantic feel-good films – they will boost your spirits. What’s your favourite? Ask the family what their favourite is and you can sit together and watch it.

Play your feel-good music as well as Christmas songs – perfect to listen to together, round the table or just on your own phone.

And of course the TREE!! Maybe I should have put this first as this year many people have already put their tree up early to help bring the magic of Christmas into their lives after much needed negative months. I love my Christmas tree and as my children now have their children I created a new Christmas tradition for myself and the grandchildren and they come along and decorate my tree – I just love to feel their excitement and see their faces light up as they put all my treasured baubles gathered over the years on to my tree. Many of you know of this tradition as I usually post on social media the before ‘bare’ tree and the after decorated one. This tradition cannot go ahead this year due to the restrictions but I will still have my tree and as I decorate it I will remember all their faces and feel their spirit of Christmas. And of course I will place a very special bauble for Bruce and remember all the wonderful memories too.

If you love baking them get the kids to help and take a deep breath and smell the aroma of gingerbread biscuits and hot chocolate and mulled wine for the adults.

Christmas events have been cancelled but we can still use our creative imagination by reading Christmas stories to the kids or drive around looking at houses and count the Christmas trees – we used to do that and the kids would turn it into a competition about who found the most – and of course there would be arguments but always ended in them all getting a gingerbread biscuit.

And of course the last tip my ABC –

Affirm – I am grateful

Breathe – take 3 deep breaths and use my ‘C’ – your creative imagination to take yourself to a place you love to be. Do you like the beach? Do you like making snow angels in the snow? Do you like walking through the morning mist. Make it your own.

I hope these tips help you see Christmas in a different light and that you can keep your spirits up. Use my ABC like a ‘friend on your shoulder’.

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Calm, peace and virtual hugs to you all.

Patricia x