How to Love Christmas Again

I was cleaning up a spill in the grocery store the other day and I overheard a customer tell a cashier she hated Christmas. I did not wait around to hear her reasons but I could only imagine. She is not alone there are lots of people who dislike the holidays for one reason or another. Some of the reasons could be a bad memory of an event, being alone, children grown and gone, family lives too far away, etc. While others are rejoicing this time of the year some are suffering and that makes Christmas hard for them. You might be one of these people who feel you have no reason to celebrate. It is my intention to help you have reasons to rejoice again.

Create new traditions

I remember in my family, while I was growing up, we would go to church Christmas Eve and after we would all make the rounds to all the houses in our family. By the end of the night it would be after midnight and officially Christmas day. When I got older and had my own family I created my own tradition with them. My children in turn now have their own traditions with their family. It doesn't matter if you have family around or not you can start new traditions at each stage of your life. The secret is not to spend a moment dwelling on the past or the way things used to be. You can create a new tradition even if your only person left in your family.

Christmas is about giving

Christmas is about giving. The best thing you can do at Christmas time is to give of yourself. Try volunteering to help others. Why not invite a family to your house. There are so many things you can do to give of yourself. When you give of yourself you get such a great feeling. I love the story "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. Scrooge found how good it feels to give and give of oneself. It changed his whole outlook not just on Christmas but everyday. You want to feel good at Christmas try giving of yourself.

Greetings

This may sound dumb but you have to try this it really works. Try greeting everyone with "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays". Greet everyone even total strangers whether you feel like doing it or not. Put your best smile on and try it. After a few hours of this you will feel like it. Rejoice even when you don't feel like rejoicing.

Adopt a child

What I am talking about here is not really adopting a child, unless you really wanted to, but Salvation Army has a program where you buy clothes for a needy child. You get the child's name and his or her sizes and buy them an outfit. Than wrap it up and deliver it to the Salvation Army. The US Marines have their annual Toys for Tots. How about being some child's Santa Claus and making his life a little sweeter. The ideas are limitless.

I guarantee you do something nice for someone or give of yourself this Christmas you will love Christmas again as you did as a child. I won't have family around me this Christmas but I will do something for others on Christmas.