To Be or Not To Be Jolly: 5 Ways to Light Your Holiday Furnace
And I don't mean a literal furnace.
I grew up with cold winters. (Who's with me?) Snow on the ground, twinkling lights, indoor fires, mittens, moonboots... (That may be a bit too far...)
For the last 16 years, I've lived in a tropical climate -- so different from my upbringing. Our fist year in the south, I didn't know HOW to find my holiday spirit.
It was too warm
Too sunny
Too colorful (talking about the greens, blooming flowers, tropical birds)
In fact, it took a few years before I figured out how to feel the holidays when I couldn't feel the weather I'd associated with them. It revolved around
Our December traditions center on Christmas -- starting with the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday *gasp*) when we
1. Put up decorations
We surround oursevles with things that say to the subconscious -- "This is special." Seeing those reminders daily, whether we consciously acknowledge them or not, establishes a different atmosphere, emphasizes the importance.
2. Foods!
Unless you hate eating (my daughter does -- too many food sensitivities), this is one of the quickest ways to remind the heart, mind, and tongue that it's time to be festive! Gingerbread is my go-to for this season, since I grew up mass producing gingerbread houses with my mom every Christmas -- one for Dad's work, one for our house, one for each kid's classroom (all 8 kids), one for our grandparents...
3. Activities
We have so many traditions here -- advent calendars, gifts to Christ, movies, tree strolls, wrapping gifts, holiday performances, tree lighting, etc.
4. Music
Obviously, I'm a little biased, but music is the BIGGEST mood chaser I know. I love the traditional Chirstmas songs out there, but my favorite are the sacred songs, the ones that point at the heart and purpose of a celebration.
And if NONE of that is working, we break out the BIG GUNS:
5. Thinking outside ourselves
Christmas presents, food donations for the poor, service to community or neighbors... A celebration becomes something more when it's not all about us, but we look for ways to share it with others (kids included). It makes it sweeter (cookie plates), brigher (Christmas lights), more joyful (caroling, singing in/listening to choirs).
Whatever the case may be, I'm wishing you a wonderful Christmas & holiday season!
AND as my gift to you, enjoy some music. These aren't holiday songs but ones you can listen to all year round. And they're free. And they cost to produce. So yeah, a true gift.
As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?
It was probably my first book, completed in 3rd grade. We wrote an informative story, complete with a hardcover (wrapped in contact paper). It was the first time I saw something I'd written as a "finished" product -- and it wouldn't have happened without an incredible teacher who initiated, formed, and executed the projet.
What are your favorite holiday traditions? What are you doing this year to get in the spirit of the season?
We need more teachers like that. I grew up in several states, most of which included a very cold winter. Not so much here, so I have to do a lot of what you suggest to make it feel like a wintery Christmas.
It's definitely different celebrating the holidays in the warmer climates, but I've totally gotten used to it. I love seeing palm trees wrapped in lights and golf carts all decked out for the holidays. :)
I love Christmas food. Just made a batch of gingersnaps. My sister has lived in Australia for almost fifty years. She still has nostalgia for the cold Christmas's of her childhood, but tells me now she's used to spending Christmas outside in the hot sun.
I grew up in Ohio but moved to a more tropical climate two years ago as well, and I don't miss the snow that's dumping on Ohio right now! Even though we still get seasons in Bluffton, SC, the Christmas season seems delayed here, so I appreciate your festive post. I remember getting one of my stories bound as a child, and it was magical!
I think I do still have it, somewhere! I thought I was a talented comedian when I wrote about French fries coming from France or something dumb like that! Do you still have yours?
What a great list! I have spent my whole life in the Pacific Northwest, so I've gotten used to rain for Christmas. There's an old 80s song "Christmas in the Northwest" that celebrates it well. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Merry Christmas! I grew up in Souther California, so no snow, now icy weather. We did a lot of what you did. But it so different to how it is where I am now.
I grew up the same way - when the weather is cold, it's the holiday days, but I guess it's different now since the weather is crazy and some days, it's sunny and raining at the same time.
It's too bad I didn't have an incredible teacher or I, too, would have my first book.
Happy holidays.
Thank you for dropping by my blog. Have a lovely day.
Hi, I love the sacredness of Christmas. The reasons why we celebrate it. The freedom it brings and offers to all whose hearts are open to receive it. It's not just another day. Have a blessed Christmas. Shalom shalom
I get that! We have a bunch of homemade ornaments from various years from kids and an exchange that we did with my sisters for many years. So many memories!
I love all the lights and color of Christmas, and they are undeniably the more special because I live where this is a very dark time of year (Seattle). I like the music of the season, too--at least, some of it :)
Weather does set the stage for holidays. The first Christmas I spent in Hawaii, just didn't seem right--surfing on Dec. 25 instead of sipping hot chocolate by a cozy fire? No way.
I loved your perfect gift! That must have set you on the path to writing.
You know, I felt the same way until I lived in upstate New York and my nose was permanently frozen all year round. I just haven't been the same since. 😂
Your mother was a saint, Crystal! All those gingerbread houses ~ OMG. I loved learning about all your traditions. Christmas is something you carry around in your heart. It doesn't matter where you are. I was thrown by the climate in Southern California my first Christmas there, but I adjusted quickly. Here it is snowing, and all I've seen this morning are four deer who tentatively stepped out into some rough grasses and then fled somewhere for a warmer spot. Enjoy your tropical weather! 😂
She really was a saint! From watching her, I learned that it is okay to take the path the least resistance sometimes. Or at least, not to take on quite that much. But she did it. Every year.
You paint a lovely picture with the deer. We have some of those too. The last one, decided he wanted to take a mad dash into the front of my car. It did not end well.
Crytal I wish you a wonderful Christmas season as well What a delight all the Christmassy songs, food and decorations. I had the same experience Grew up in the Netherlands where we often had a white Christmas. In NZ Christmas is in summer and we have a BBQ It doesn't feel like Christmas at all but the togetherness does Take care
You know, BBQ would be okay for Christmas, methinks. But they we're weird and don't usually have a real meal on Christmas day -- just all our Christmas treats. 😂
It's different being in a warmer climate for the season. I lost my Christmas spirit after working for the evil toy store (now defunct) for 11 years. Nowadays I'm just grateful I don't have to work retail this time of year.
such a fun december post! and i completely agree about trying to get into the holiday spirit after just moving to FL — thankfully, we are doing things just as you suggested. Decorating (adding a funny southern take) and having family come down will make it all just right! happy holidays! Tara Tyler Talks
I travel back to Ohio every Christmas to get my fix for the joy of the holiday season with the fireplace burning, the oven baking, the lights twinkling, the snow falling, and all the goodies to be eaten. But the magic of Christmas' past is gone. My grandkids are now young adults and I miss seeing their glowing faces of anticipation when they see the presents under the tree. Thank goodness for all the videos I took.
Oh Leigh, what a strange place to be in life. I hope you can find a way to fill it. My mom visits the family on Christmas day & hosts a dinner for everyone to gather. Unfortunately, we're on the other side of the country so we can't join. My grandparents would host Christmas Eve every year & they found their joy in that.
I'm with you on struggling to find the Christmas spirit when it's warm outside. Where I live now, Christmas is in the summer and it still feels wrong even though I've probably had more summer Christmases than winter ones now.
Oh Crystal, so many fine ways to enjoy and make Christmas special. I was the one with five kids. Christmas happened at MY house. Beginning with a big meal on Christmas Eve. Because I was so busy taking care of the kids, we never found time to decorate the Christmas tree. So Christmas Eve, once everyone finished their holiday meal, they all helped decorate our tree. This has been happening ever since. By the way, your third-grade teacher was a genius. A child's first "published" book is a truly inspiring thing to create. Bravo! Merry Christmas, my dear!
Five kids here too! Thankfully, they weren't all back to back to back, but we established our own traditions because I learned that if the decorating didn't happen the day after Thanksgiving, it never would. AND it couldn't take more than a couple hours because that was too much. AND there had to be ways things the kids could do to contribute or we'd all be in trouble.
I love how your traidition developed. Those kinds of memories are the best!
I like to put up my Christmas lights on Remembrance Day, because I have the day off and the weather isn't too bad yet. That's the start of my holiday season. :-)
I saw your video called "The Hunger" and I got excited thinking someone had made a musical version of the old David Bowie vampire movie. :-P
Glad you found a way to embrace the warmer from the colder. One year we had it be almost summer on Christmas and I enjoyed the switch. It was unlike I'd ever experienced. That said, I'm enjoying the dark cold winter right now. Wishing you a yummy Decemeber. Sorry to read about your daughter's food issues. Been there. For sure.
We need more teachers like that.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in several states, most of which included a very cold winter. Not so much here, so I have to do a lot of what you suggest to make it feel like a wintery Christmas.
We figure it out, eh?
DeleteI don't have a problem creating a wintry Christmas. It's already cold and snowy here in Michigan. Have a happy holiday with your family, Crystal.
ReplyDeleteA little too cold... Wishing you an epic Christmas as well, Natatlie!
DeleteMy first book was in high school when we had to create a children's book. I still have it somewhere.
ReplyDeleteChristmas movies! I've already watched The Grinch once and will likely watch is several more times this month.
LOL! We just got done with a staged play of The Grinch -- one that I have now seen WAY too many times, but it's still epic.
DeleteIt's definitely different celebrating the holidays in the warmer climates, but I've totally gotten used to it. I love seeing palm trees wrapped in lights and golf carts all decked out for the holidays. :)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Crystal!
Right?! I mean, sandmen are just as good as snowmen. LOL! Not as clean though.
DeleteI love Christmas food. Just made a batch of gingersnaps. My sister has lived in Australia for almost fifty years. She still has nostalgia for the cold Christmas's of her childhood, but tells me now she's used to spending Christmas outside in the hot sun.
ReplyDeleteGingersnaps... Hold on -- let me fire up my teleportation device! ;)
DeleteHi, Crystal! I loved visiting your blog today and will definitely be a follower in the future. Thanks for stopping by mine today! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you, Martha. It was a joy finding you.
DeleteOy, I could never survive in a tropical environment, I am a polar bear.
ReplyDeleteLOL! My brother feels the same way -- one of my sons too. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.
DeleteI love Christmas music. So even if it's warm outside, it still puts me in the mood. Have a Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteRight?! As long as it's not October. =) Merry Christmas, Sherry.
DeleteThat's a really good point about feeling the holidays without snow or a cold nose. I enjoyed this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in, Jacqui. There are definitely some advantes to NOT freezing during the holidays.
DeleteI grew up in Ohio but moved to a more tropical climate two years ago as well, and I don't miss the snow that's dumping on Ohio right now! Even though we still get seasons in Bluffton, SC, the Christmas season seems delayed here, so I appreciate your festive post. I remember getting one of my stories bound as a child, and it was magical!
ReplyDeleteIt takes effort sometimes, eh?
DeleteYay! Do you still have that first book?
I think I do still have it, somewhere! I thought I was a talented comedian when I wrote about French fries coming from France or something dumb like that! Do you still have yours?
DeleteHaha! That's epic. Mine was about my favorite animals -- horses. And yes, I have it.
DeleteWhat a great list! I have spent my whole life in the Pacific Northwest, so I've gotten used to rain for Christmas. There's an old 80s song "Christmas in the Northwest" that celebrates it well. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteWhew! Rain for Christmas? That's a whole different ball of wax. It would definitely take some getting used to.
DeleteMerry Christmas to you as well, Jenni!
Good ideas! I love #5 especially.
ReplyDeleteRight? It's the best.
DeleteMerry Christmas! I grew up in Souther California, so no snow, now icy weather. We did a lot of what you did. But it so different to how it is where I am now.
ReplyDeleteI get that! It's kind of nice being able to experience extremes, eh?
DeleteYou've got the spirit! Enjoy the season. (I love the music too.) :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
You as well!
DeleteI grew up the same way - when the weather is cold, it's the holiday days, but I guess it's different now since the weather is crazy and some days, it's sunny and raining at the same time.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad I didn't have an incredible teacher or I, too, would have my first book.
Happy holidays.
Thank you for dropping by my blog. Have a lovely day.
Crazy weather for sure -- definitely more dependable some places rather than others.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI love the sacredness of Christmas. The reasons why we celebrate it. The freedom it brings and offers to all whose hearts are open to receive it. It's not just another day.
Have a blessed Christmas.
Shalom shalom
Likewise, Pat! It's such a great holiday.
DeleteMy fave tradition is buying a Christmas ornament on vacation and then remembering all those trips from years past when looking at our tree.
ReplyDeleteI get that! We have a bunch of homemade ornaments from various years from kids and an exchange that we did with my sisters for many years. So many memories!
DeleteI love all the lights and color of Christmas, and they are undeniably the more special because I live where this is a very dark time of year (Seattle). I like the music of the season, too--at least, some of it :)
ReplyDeleteI hear that! We lived in upstate New York very close to the Canadian border or a little bit, and I missed the sun so, so much.
DeleteWeather does set the stage for holidays. The first Christmas I spent in Hawaii, just didn't seem right--surfing on Dec. 25 instead of sipping hot chocolate by a cozy fire? No way.
ReplyDeleteI loved your perfect gift! That must have set you on the path to writing.
I understand your Hawaiian experience. It only took me about 4 or 5 years to figure it out while living in a tropical climate.
DeleteIt wasn't just that book. That teacher encouraged my writing the entire school year. She really is the one that sent me on the path.
Wonderful list, dear friend. Crystal, I ❤️ love Winter, snow ❄️ and cold 🥶 temperatures. I just dress warmly and enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I felt the same way until I lived in upstate New York and my nose was permanently frozen all year round. I just haven't been the same since. 😂
DeleteYour mother was a saint, Crystal! All those gingerbread houses ~ OMG. I loved learning about all your traditions. Christmas is something you carry around in your heart. It doesn't matter where you are. I was thrown by the climate in Southern California my first Christmas there, but I adjusted quickly. Here it is snowing, and all I've seen this morning are four deer who tentatively stepped out into some rough grasses and then fled somewhere for a warmer spot. Enjoy your tropical weather! 😂
ReplyDeleteShe really was a saint! From watching her, I learned that it is okay to take the path the least resistance sometimes. Or at least, not to take on quite that much. But she did it. Every year.
DeleteYou paint a lovely picture with the deer. We have some of those too. The last one, decided he wanted to take a mad dash into the front of my car. It did not end well.
What an amazing gift! School gave a lot of us our first taste of "being published" and the glow never wears off. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
The first glow -- not to be counter-balanced by the realities of life. 😂
DeleteCrytal I wish you a wonderful Christmas season as well What a delight all the Christmassy songs, food and decorations. I had the same experience Grew up in the Netherlands where we often had a white Christmas. In NZ Christmas is in summer and we have a BBQ It doesn't feel like Christmas at all but the togetherness does Take care
ReplyDeleteYou know, BBQ would be okay for Christmas, methinks. But they we're weird and don't usually have a real meal on Christmas day -- just all our Christmas treats. 😂
Deleteoops I mean Crystal
ReplyDeleteHaha! I read what you meant. 😉
DeleteIt's different being in a warmer climate for the season. I lost my Christmas spirit after working for the evil toy store (now defunct) for 11 years. Nowadays I'm just grateful I don't have to work retail this time of year.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I'm hearing, it wasn't that bad this year. Strange, right?
DeleteI wish you a wonderful Christmas season too ... enjoy your December days.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Thank you! Here's to an amazing one!
Deletesuch a fun december post! and i completely agree about trying to get into the holiday spirit after just moving to FL — thankfully, we are doing things just as you suggested. Decorating (adding a funny southern take) and having family come down will make it all just right!
ReplyDeletehappy holidays!
Tara Tyler Talks
See, you're totally on it. I think it took me by surprise the first year.
DeleteMoonboots were the best! Happy holidays!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! They were definitely warm.
DeleteI travel back to Ohio every Christmas to get my fix for the joy of the holiday season with the fireplace burning, the oven baking, the lights twinkling, the snow falling, and all the goodies to be eaten. But the magic of Christmas' past is gone. My grandkids are now young adults and I miss seeing their glowing faces of anticipation when they see the presents under the tree. Thank goodness for all the videos I took.
ReplyDeleteOh Leigh, what a strange place to be in life. I hope you can find a way to fill it. My mom visits the family on Christmas day & hosts a dinner for everyone to gather. Unfortunately, we're on the other side of the country so we can't join. My grandparents would host Christmas Eve every year & they found their joy in that.
DeleteI'm with you on struggling to find the Christmas spirit when it's warm outside. Where I live now, Christmas is in the summer and it still feels wrong even though I've probably had more summer Christmases than winter ones now.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy, isn't it? I'm used to it now and good either way, but yeah, it's a head trip.
DeleteOh Crystal, so many fine ways to enjoy and make Christmas special. I was the one with five kids. Christmas happened at MY house. Beginning with a big meal on Christmas Eve. Because I was so busy taking care of the kids, we never found time to decorate the Christmas tree. So Christmas Eve, once everyone finished their holiday meal, they all helped decorate our tree. This has been happening ever since.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your third-grade teacher was a genius. A child's first "published" book is a truly inspiring thing to create. Bravo! Merry Christmas, my dear!
Five kids here too! Thankfully, they weren't all back to back to back, but we established our own traditions because I learned that if the decorating didn't happen the day after Thanksgiving, it never would. AND it couldn't take more than a couple hours because that was too much. AND there had to be ways things the kids could do to contribute or we'd all be in trouble.
DeleteI love how your traidition developed. Those kinds of memories are the best!
I like to put up my Christmas lights on Remembrance Day, because I have the day off and the weather isn't too bad yet. That's the start of my holiday season. :-)
ReplyDeleteI saw your video called "The Hunger" and I got excited thinking someone had made a musical version of the old David Bowie vampire movie. :-P
Oh man! Sorry to disappoint. LOL!
DeleteI love that you get an extra half month of decorations. That's the way to go!
Glad you found a way to embrace the warmer from the colder. One year we had it be almost summer on Christmas and I enjoyed the switch. It was unlike I'd ever experienced. That said, I'm enjoying the dark cold winter right now. Wishing you a yummy Decemeber. Sorry to read about your daughter's food issues. Been there. For sure.
ReplyDelete