I think there comes a time in everyone's life where the holidays seem to lose their magic. One year, you're excitedly awaiting the holidays, remembering the food, traditions, the feelings of being surrounded by family; the next year, it's just another day on the calendar.
Maybe it's just me; I am well aware of my general grinch-like aura. However, for some reason, the holidays had lost their touch. Everything that led to each holiday kind of just dissipated into a general feeling of "Well, this is a nice day off." No amount of preparation could get me in the holiday spirit, I couldn't get myself to enjoy any movies, decoration, or general activities that would make any person start to get excited for the holiday. For some reason, all of the preparation just felt hollow, a tradition that just lost its touch.
I am constantly trying to get in the mood for holidays. This year for Halloween, I tried to watch all of the movies, color the pictures with the kids I work with, and bought a costume early for both me and my dog so we could match. I went to Halloween parties, made plans, anything and everything I could do and yet, Halloween came and I couldn't quite think of it as any day other than just Tuesday. Even as Thanksgiving passed, I still just felt like I was having a family dinner with no special connotation.
Now it is nearly Christmas and I find myself trying one last time to get myself in the mood, but even though there is a general stress of gift giving, I wonder how this year I could make christmas different. So I started to brainstorm what the Christmas spirit is about and analyze why I found it so very difficult to get invested in.
For years I have continued to participate in general holiday traditions but I have found myself more stressed about trying to get in the spirit than actually being in the spirit. So I decided that for once (instead of being a grouch) I would listen to Christmas playlists, watch the movies, hang up some lights, make some cookies, and just relax and enjoy the holiday instead of worrying about not being Christmas-y enough, because what is most important in trying to be in holiday spirit, is to stop worrying about what you're not feeling, and let yourself do something special and feel good about it.
Maybe the holidays won't ever be like when I was a kid again, or they won't be as exciting until I have kids of my own, but for now, I am going to drink hot chocolate, go see some lights, and remember that Christmas (and any other holiday) doesn't need to be stressful. So I hope that if you're a grinch like me, that you can try and enjoy this holiday too!