By Lori Welch Brown

I don’t care if you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, lighting the Menorah, hunkering down for Kwanzaa, or gearing up for the Chinese New Year—December truly is the most wonderful time of year.

“Awww, bah humbug, Lori—Christmas is for kids! Clearly you haven’t tried to park at Costco recently or gone near a Macy’s. People would rather run you over than lose a parking spot within a mile of a mall.”

Okay—true about the parking situation, but not true about Christmas being for kids. I mean, sure. There’s nothing like seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child on Christmas morning, but I know many adults who are nothing short of giddy this time of year.

“Giddy? What is there to be giddy about? Have you seen the news recently? The world is at war, we have a geriatric president who will likely be ousted by a felon, new strains of COVID are popping up daily, and AI is about to replace all our jobs while it’s stealing our identities.”

True—there is a lot of bad stuff happening in the world right now which makes it even more important to embrace the holiday season with glee and spread the message of hope, peace, and joy.

“You sound like a walking Hallmark movie.”

Thank you.

“What if I don’t have anything to be joyous about? Have you seen the price of eggs?”

Joy is everywhere—you just have to look for it. Perhaps you should switch off the news and put on a Hallmark movie.

“Hallmark shmallmark. Who has time for those indulgences when there are presents to be bought, gifts to be wrapped, pies to be baked…”

Sounds like someone is gearing up for the holidays…

“Well, it is a BUSY time of year; I’ll give you that.”

The bustle is part of the magic. While I don’t like the parking lot wars, I actually do enjoy being out and about and relishing in the glow of it all.

“Glow? The only glow I’m experiencing is from my hot flash. I don’t know—I think I’d rather hide my head in the sand and just sit out the holidays. All they do is leave me feeling lonely and depressed. Every year I say I’m going to book a trip and squirrel away for the holidays.”

I get it. Really. I do. I felt that way for many years. For many of us, the holidays are a reminder of a loss or a big let down because our ‘holiday’ doesn’t resemble that aforementioned Hallmark movie—which doesn’t make them any less enjoyable, btw.

I’ve found that in order to enjoy the holidays, I have to be proactive and find ways to make them meaningful, fun, and festive.

“But how?”

Well, for starters, regardless of what’s going on in my life, I think about how fortunate I am and I think of others who are less fortunate and that helps get me out of my own head. There’s always someone worse off than yourself so I use that as my north star.

Then I try to find ways to brighten someone else’s holiday in some small way. There are tons of ways to do that—donating to Toys for Tots or adopting a family for the holidays—to name just a couple.

Gifts are my love language, and I happen to excel at shopping so I find a lot of joy in the gift giving experience.  BTW—I like to receive them as much as I like to give them so feel free to ask me for my sizes and favorite colors…

“It is better to give than to receive, Lori. It’s all just too much—too much consumerism, too much booze, too much eating, much too much of everything.”

The holidays can become the season of gluttony if we aren’t careful. I have a hard time not eating the entire tin of cookies in one sitting, and if I’m at a party, you can find me by the food table. I’m told, however, there are strategies one can develop to help with these sorts of matters, i.e., eating a healthy meal before you go out, drinking a glass of water in between glasses of wine/spirits, etc.

“Well, that sounds like a buzz kill…”

I didn’t say these were my strategies. No—my strategy is to eat and drink all the good things in excess. It helps me tee up my New Year’s resolutions, i.e., Stop drinking and eating.

“Beyond all the excess, just what exactly is it that you find sooooo magical about December?”

Gosh—where do I begin? The air has an energy…

“I hate the cold!”

It’s not just the cold temps—it’s the feeling you get walking down King Street with all the shoppers and revelers. It’s the chatter and clatter with a backdrop of carols and lights and smells and aliveness. It’s the decorations—the wreaths hung on doors, trees erected by the front windows, and lights strung with care.

It’s a cup of hot chocolate, wearing the mittens your friend Peggie crocheted for you. It’s accepting an invitation to Jen’s annual girls’ gift exchange. It’s pulling out your holiday decorations and coming across the one your Mom had your name etched in when you were a kid.

It’s finding the perfect gift for your husband who really isn’t into gifts. It’s sitting down at night to binge watch your tree. It’s assembling the ingredients for your Aunt Norma’s Italian wedding cookies which you love to make because a) they’re delicious and b) the recipe is in her handwriting and you look forward to gently unfolding it every Christmas and then putting it away again for safekeeping.

It’s opening the card from your former co-worker you haven’t seen in years. It’s shoveling your walkway and realizing you have enough steam to do your neighbor’s. It’s pulling out your snow boots and hanging your stocking.

It’s the million and one little things that make your heart smile.

“Okay, Lori. I think my Grinch-like heart is starting to melt a little.”

That’s great. Sometimes all you need to do is put on some Christmas music and talk yourself into having the most wonderful time of the year.

“For the record—I really love unwrapping a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve.”

Duly noted.

“Also, for the record—you can beat me over the head with Christmas spirit, but you’re still never going to get me to drink eggnog.”

No worries. We’ll have espresso martinis instead. I’ll just sprinkle some nutmeg on top.

About the Author: Lori is a local writer, painter and pet lover who loves to share her experiences and expertise with our readers. She has been penning a column for the OTC for over 20 years. Please follow Lori online on Medium for more missives like this.