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With everything going on right now, it can be hard to feel particularly merry. Below, we’ll discuss a few ways you can start getting ready for the holiday season — even when you’re not in the mood to celebrate.
1. Bust Out the Decorations
If you’re not feeling particularly festive, decorating for the holidays might feel like a chore, just something else to put on your to-do list. But you might be surprised how quickly your mood can change once you get started.
Christmas-themed decorations and furnishings, menorahs for Chanukkah, and winter solstice decor can all be a fun way to start setting the scene for the holidays. Not to mention that all your favorite decorations can evoke happy memories of holidays past and can be a great reminder that things haven’t always been so depressing!
If you don’t have a ton of holiday mementos and can’t afford to buy new decorations, try going the DIY route. Head to Pinterest for a little bit of inspo so you can find easy and affordable decoration ideas such as a homemade dried orange garland, no-sew DIY gnome ornaments, a dreidel tissue-paper suncatcher, or a make-your-own waterless snow globe.
2. Watch Your Favorite Winter Movies
Movies are a fun way to escape the real world and that goes double when it comes to the holidays. Start by making a list of the best Christmas movies, Chanukah movies, winter movies, and New Year’s movies. That way, you’ll be prepared for a date night in, a snow day, a staycation, or simply a night alone when you feel like you need a distraction from whatever’s going on in your life.
Fortunately, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime have a ton of holiday movies ranging from the classics to cheesy rom-coms to the flat-out terrible Christmas movies that you can’t help but hate-watch.
3. Practice Gratitude
I know, I know. The whole “practice gratitude” movement feels cheesy as hell. Not to mention that it can feel silly and awkward at the beginning.
But it turns out, it actually works. Research has shown that practicing gratitude on a regular basis can improve your mood and make you feel better about your life. And we all know that we could use a little bit extra of that feel-good hormone during the holidays!
On top of that, gratitude can also have positive effects on romantic relationships. According to a Harvard blog post, expressing gratitude leads to couples feeling more positive toward each other as well as increasing communication between the two.
Last Words
When the world seems hopeless, it can be hard to get in the mood to celebrate, well, anything. But there are ways you can try to enjoy the festivities without having to fake it. Hopefully, these tips will help this year.
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