13 Fun and Simple Ways to Get into the Christmas Spirit

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It truly is. While fall is my favorite season, Christmas is my favorite holiday. This time of year is so short, so I like to celebrate as early as possible, be it with all the bells and whistles I can include. The most important part about this holiday is the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, this season/holiday would be nothing. While it’s great to celebrate the other aspects of Christmas, Jesus is King and the main reason we should be celebrating. I hope this post brings you joy and merriment as I share with you these fun and simple ways to get into the Christmas spirit.

Ways to Get into the Christmas Spirit

Celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior

As mentioned previously, and as the cliché goes, Jesus is the reason for the season. God sent His only son into our world so that we would be saved from our sins. I pray this message will resonate with you as it has with me. My faith in our Lord is the most important thing in my life. I pray you will allow Him to enter your heart and become Lord of your life if you haven’t yet. One of the ways to get into the Christmas spirit is to read the Christmas story from Luke 2. Another thing to do is to go through an Advent devotional. The Daily Grace Co. offers absolutely beautiful devotional books and fun accessories to go with them. It’s such a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!

Listen to (instrumental) Christmas music

Jesus comes first, but Christmas music is next in ways to get into the Christmas spirit. Are you crazy like me and start listening in early November? If I had to pick one favorite aspect of Christmas, the music would be it! From classics like “I’ll be Home for Christmas” by Bing Crosby to “Candy Cane Lane” by Sia, I have so many beloved Christmas songs that I listen to each year. Yes, I listen to them on repeat throughout the Christmas season because it’s such a short time I get to listen to them. If traditional Christmas music isn’t your jam this early, there is plenty of instrumental Christmas music! One of my favorite playlists to listen to while working is the Cozy Christmas Jazz playlist on Spotify. It’s just cozy enough to get into the holiday season while feeling calm and relaxed!

Make some peppermint mocha coffee creamer

Even coffee can get you in the mood for Christmas! Since switching to a whole foods diet and foregoing most ultra-processed foods, I no longer buy commercial coffee creamer. And you don’t have to either! Instead, you can make your own with ingredients you probably already have! Not only is it healthier, but it’s cheaper as well and tastes so delicious. I use whole milk and half and half to make mine. Here’s a very simple recipe for peppermint mocha creamer. While it doesn’t call for cocoa, you can easily add in cocoa to your liking.

Plan out Christmas decorations

If you’re not ready to put up decorations just yet, one of the ways to get into the Christmas spirit is to plan out your decorations. If you haven’t moved in recent years, you are probably decorating your house in a similar way each year. Even if you don’t plan to buy new decorations, this is a great time to take inventory of your decorations and revisit how you decorated last year. A useful tip is to take pictures of how you decorate each space in your house. That way, if you want it to look the same way next year, all you need to do is refer to your pictures.

However, if you’re like me and you’ve moved into a new house, you are going to have to reconfigure your decorations. This is a great time to first take inventory of what you have, and then begin planning! I love using Pinterest for ideas. If you’re sick of all the ads on Pinterest and that’s why you don’t want to use it, you can use an ad blocker/remover or use the Brave browser, which automatically removes ads. If you don’t want to use the Internet, you can be creative and simply imagine how you want your spaces to look. Then, travel to different stores to get an idea of what Christmas decorations they have.

Put up a wreath on your front door

If you don’t want to go crazy with Christmas decorations, putting up a wreath on your front door is one of the ways to get into the Christmas spirit. While most fresh wreaths won’t be available until closer to the end of November, you can also use a faux Christmas wreath. Not only do they look beautiful, they are a great way to begin celebrating this beautiful season.

Read a holiday-themed book

Recently, I’ve changed what I read. I’m trying to read more books that are wholesome and not filled with graphic content like coarse language, violence, sex, or darkness. This means, goodbye to most of the modern murder mysteries currently on bookstore shelves. Instead, I read heartwarming books with sweet storylines and characters. I discovered the Melinda Foster book series and it’s so charming! One of the ways to get into the Christmas spirit is to read a holiday-themed book. While I’m currently on the first fall-themed book in the series, there are a few holiday-themed books in the series as well. There are also classics as well, like A Christmas Carol. Here are some holiday-themed book suggestions to read this Christmas season:

Light a festive candle

In my opinion, the best of ways to get into the Christmas spirit and transform the mood in your house is to light a festive Christmas candle. Not only do candles give off a cozy glow, they make a space smell wonderful. I love supporting local businesses, so using Etsy is a great option. They have so many hand-poured, beautiful looking Christmas candles! Balsam scented candles make it truly smell like Christmas, in my opinion.

Drink hot cocoa and bake cookies

What better way is there to get into the Christmas spirit than to drink hot cocoa and bake Christmas bookies! Not many, I think. There’s something so comforting and cozy about eating Christmas cookies while sipping on a cup of homemade hot cocoa. If you’re looking for some delicious cook recipes to get you into the Christmas spirit, AllRecipes offers some of my absolute favorite Christmas cookie recipes!

Go Christmas shopping

This might be one of the more controversial ways to get into the Christmas spirit. I say this because many people, including myself, are trying to remove ourselves from consumerism. I remember waking up to mounds of presents under the tree. While I love gift giving, I’ve been thinking more about the reason behind giving. Honestly, I was getting to the point where I would buy a bunch of gifts my family never ended up using just so they would have gifts to open. In more recent years, I’ve take a different approach, one that involves carefully curating presents for my family, even if it’s just one or two per family member. So, when I suggest Christmas shopping, that’s what I suggest. If you can source your gifts from local stores and venues, this is an even better way to show generosity during the Christmas season.

Volunteer for a local organization

Many of us are very blessed with the lives we live. We are rarely in need of anything, even if we’ve been affected by inflation. One of the best ways to get into the Christmas spirit is by volunteering for a local organization. Many people think of soup kitchens and homeless shelters as the only places to volunteer, but there are thousands of organizations across the country that are in need of volunteers. Many organizations that do good for people in the area are ones that run off of help from volunteers since they aren’t making any money. VolunteerMatch is a great way to find volunteer positions. Here are some ideas of places that may need volunteers in your area:

• Local library
• After-school programs
• Your home church
• Thrift stores
• Exchange student programs
• Military affiliated organizations
• Food banks
• Local ministries

Watch a Christmas movie or holiday episodes of your favorite TV shows

If you don’t mind doing it before Thanksgiving, one of the favorite ways to get into the Christmas spirit is to watch Christmas movies! The fun thing is that there are so many different options, depending on your mood. If you’re looking for pure comfort and predictability, then flip on a Hallmark movie! The plots are typically the same and always end pleasantly. You have classic options like Holiday Inn It’s a Wonderful Life, and White Christmas. More recent classic options include Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, The Santa Clause, and Home Alone. Whatever you choose, don’t forget to snuggle up on your couch with some of the cookies and hot cocoa you’ve made!

Go light peeping

When my sister and I were younger, our parents would take us out to drive around and look at the lights. Besides my mom’s Christmas Eve party, I honestly think it’s one of my favorite childhood Christmas memories. My sister and I would challenge each other to see who could spot the most lights (Being the bigger sister, I always won 😉 ). To this day, I still enjoy lighting peeping as one of the ways to get into the Christmas spirit. I always feel like a kid again as I drive around on my own and look at them. Light peeping is so much fun and a great way to find Christmas spirit. Even if you don’t have children, driving around and looking at Christmas lights is a source of joy and it’s always fun to see what Christmas decorations people decide to put up!

Attend a Christmas show

If you’ve never attended a Christmas show, I highly recommend it. There are so many options: Christmas concerts, The Nutcracker ballet, and theatrical shows to name a few. Seeing a live Christmas performance is just difference. It’s more magical to see singing in dancing in person. From the lights to the costumes and performances themselves, it’s a sure way to increase your Christmas spirit!

It’s important to remember that Christmas doesn’t have to include material items. These 13 ways to get into the Christmas spirit will hopefully inspire you as we move closer into the holiday season. I’d love to know what are some of your favorite ways to get into the Christmas spirit! Until next time, Kayla.