Photo by: fotomaster

Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. - Francis C. Farley

The old Christmas song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”And, once again, the holiday season is upon us! With very little time until Christmas and many preparations to do, this festivity of joy is a very important event for the whole world – everyone has their reasons.

Even if many people complain that the winter holidays are one of the most stressful events of the year, we all feel a little bit more joyous during this period. That is because Christmas is
the
festival of
the human heartChristmas is the festival of the human heart. It is the time of year when the whole universe “conspires” to make us more sensitive to peace and love toward ourselves and one another. It is a season that resonates to the sweet, childlike innocence that resides in all of us. It’s a time when we feel inspired to shift our focus away from fear, toward joy and love and giving.

If you’re like most people, then you don’t have much time left at the end of a busy day to take care of extra things. But during this period of the year, you want to do something to make your home look festive and special and create a warm and wonderful Christmas holiday atmosphere around. You want Christmas to flow smoothly, without hiccups and frustrations. You want to feel happy. You want to feel the legendary “spirit of Christmas.”

Here you’ll find some quick and simple ways to boost the magic of the holidays without spending a fortune. And don’t worry, they’ll leave you plenty time left to enjoy Christmas!

1. Hang holiday wreaths. Wreaths are commonly made by evergreens as a symbol for the strength of life, with these plants overcoming even the harshest winters. Put a beautiful Christmas wreath on every door you have. Of course, start with the front door to welcome your guests and to send out a nice warm feeling to those passing by. Don’t forget about the back door. Also, put a wreath over the mantle, in all your front windows and bedroom doors.

To make your own wreath you can use real pine, holly, or grapevine, and decorate it with bows, berries, fruit, pinecones, raffia, ornaments, birds, photos, or candy. To keep wreaths year after year, you could buy artificial wreaths that will last. But remember, you’ll need room to store them… I think it’s better to make your own wreaths! They simply give more fun & pleasure.

Also, don’t be shy in experimenting. You could arrange small wreaths underneath each dish for a pretty and inexpensive natural piece of décor.

2. Cash in your rewards. This can be a real money saver. My advice is to save your supermarket savings stamps! Now that most supermarkets do more than just food it really is worth filling up some cards with stamps through the year and saving loyalty points so that in November and December you can go on a spree with “free” money - and obviously get more of what you want/need. If we’re encouraged to go on a buying spree, let’s do it the smart way!

3. Stock up. Have plenty of indigestion tablets and cold remedy at hand – you never know. Also, it wouldn’t hurt buying a few small extra presents for the people you might forget about! If you didn’t forget anyone, don’t worry - you’ll be able to make your loved ones happier with more presents! And for the perfect Christmas, you should also
stock up
on smiles!And for the perfect Christmas, you should also stock up on smiles!

4. Perfect gifts? They’re not just a fantasy even if my mind goes blank for present ideas at this time of year. Every time someone mentions something they like throughout the year I write it down. This way the panic of trying to think of presents in the last minute is avoided. If from this moment until Christmas there’s more than a week, you can still use this tip.

5. The Christmas tree. For many people, decorating the Christmas tree is a favorite part of the holiday. The fragrance and majesty of a natural Christmas tree are as much a part of the season as candy canes and Santa. So you’ve chosen the perfect Christmas tree, you’ve learned how to take care of it properly, but now what? How to ornate it so that it doesn’t look like a tornado just hit him? Here are the basics:

• When decorating your Christmas tree, put lights on first, then garlands, then the ornaments.
• Start arranging Christmas tree lights on the branches near the base of the tree. Weave strings of lights along the branches “inside,” then move to the outer edges of the branches.
• Don’t hang all your ornament on the tips of the branches. Place ornaments and other decorations ‘inside’ your tree to add depth and interest.
• Start by arranging the “filler ornaments” evenly spaced around the tree. This would include basic solid color balls that are easily found at discount stores in a wide range of colors to coordinate and enhance your decorating scheme. You’ll need about 20 “filler ornaments” for every 2 feet of Christmas tree.

6. Use ribbon decorations. Tie generous ribbons to chair backs, candlesticks, picks in plants, wreaths, garlands, basket handles, drapery tie-backs and stair railings. Choose ribbons in colors and patterns that fit with the rest of your decorations.

You don’t have to stick with red and green. If you can’t find anything that looks quite right, then try metallic silver and/or gold. The festive ribbons will add to the feeling of the holiday!

7. Christmas shopping. Studies show that the majority of us often come home from a Christmas shopping trip without a single purchase for our efforts. Why? Because we rather dislike Christmas shopping. And while online shopping is better than the shopping-center shopping, it doesn’t lack its frustrations. Stress reduction strategies for successful Christmas shopping include:

• Make a list of all the gifts you wish to buy before you go out. If you wait for inspiration to strike, you could be wandering aimlessly around, or end up buying something that you didn’t really intend to.
• Buy your gifts by mail catalogue or over the Internet. Some companies will also gift-wrap and post your presents for a small additional fee.
• If possible, do your Christmas shopping early - in the first week of December or even in November. Some well-organized people do their Christmas shopping gradually over the course of the year, starting with the post-Christmas sales.
• Buy a few extras, such as chocolates, just in case you forget somebody or you have unexpected guests bearing gifts.

8. Christmas vacation. Most people want to go on a holiday around Christmas. However, not each and every person can afford to go abroad, stay in five star hotels and enjoy all the first class luxuries. And even if everyone could afford it, there simply isn’t enough space for all! Anyway, I believe that a budget shouldn’t stop you from enjoying yourself around Christmas.

The people you are having fun with are much more important than the place you are going to or the hotel you are planning to stay in. So just gather your family and friends and go somewhere!

9. Let there be light! Christmas lighting adds a festive look to the rest of the Christmas decorations. Christmas displays give houses and whole neighborhoods a magical touch that makes them look paradisiacal. Christmas trees decorated with abundance of Christmas lights have a divine look and sparkling icicle lights make dark winter nights look cheerful. If you’re worried about the power bill or if you’re concerned for the environment, consider buying strings of LED lights. The wattage of 100 LED is only 6W (8+ times lower than the usual 100 cherry lights string).

10. Holidays will magnify all emotionsHolidays will magnify all emotions. Psychologists and health care workers who work with the depressed will tell you this, as well as those who deal with the “party spirit” people. If you want to be happy during the holidays, get rid of all the negative emotions and feelings that you might have gathered during the year. Laugh more, love more, give more! Set free whatever grudges or ill will you have and sing the carols at the top of your voice. Magnify what’s good in your life!

I love the Christmas holidays together with this time of the year! And no matter what you celebrate (if you celebrate anything), I hope this time of the year is good for you too. I also hope that you’ve enjoyed this post.

A merry Christmas to all of you!

External Resources:

• Christmas on Wikipedia;
• Christmas recipes;
• Ergonomic Tips and Tricks for Christmas Gift Wrapping;
• Top 10 Gift Ideas;
• “How Christmas works” on HowStuffWorks;

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