Decorating for Christmas
Put up a Christmas tree and decorate it. You can choose between a live tree or an artificial one. Then, string lights on the tree by moving from the bottom up, wrapping the lights around each branch. Add garlands to the tree, such as ones made of tinsel, popcorn, or cranberries, by wrapping them around and around the tree. Put your favorite ornaments on the tree, such as Christmas balls, stars, or really any small trinket. To finish the tree, place a tree topper at the tip, such as an angel or star. You can decorate your tree with family heirloom ornaments or try something new by decorating a tree with Star Trek or superhero-themed ornaments, little trains, or Disney characters, for example. Ornaments can be homemade or store-bought. You can even use things like candy canes! Bringing evergreens into the house during winter actually predates the Christmas holiday. It was a way to bring life into the house. Decorating an evergreen tree as a Christmas tradition began in Germany in the 16th century.
Hang stockings over the mantle. Traditionally, kids would hang their actual socks (stockings) over the mantle and St. Nickolas would fill them with coins, foods, toys or other small trinkets. Now, stockings tend to be decorative, but you still hang them over the mantle for Santa to leave toys and other small gifts in. If you don't have a mantle, hang them off of your television console, on a stair railing, or anywhere that's near your Christmas tree. The stockings were hung over the mantle because that's where they'd put them to dry after a wet winter's day.
Brighten your home with Christmas lights. Try lining the roof of your house with lights or threading them through bushes or around your trees. Hang them up around your porch or make a boundary around your yard. Inside, try hanging them on the mantle, across bookshelves, or along the length of a wall near the ceiling. You could also wrap them around a handrail on your stairs along with some fake evergreen garland. Always plug your lights into exterior GFCI outlets—do not run an extension cord from an outdoor outlet through a window. Be sure to use extension cords that are of sufficient size to support the load of the lights. You'll see a wide range of extension cords if you go to a home improvement store—some are very thin and meant to be used inside only, while others are rated for outdoor use. Most outdoor extension cords come in 3 sizes: 16-gauge, 14-gauge, and 12-gauge (the lower the gauge, the more current/amps it can handle). You can't go wrong with a 14-gauge cord in most cases.
Add a nativity scene to focus on a religious Christmas. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth, so nativity scenes are traditional. Nativity scenes depict the birth of Jesus, including Mary, Joseph, the 3 wise men, shepherds, and all the animals that were in attendance. Baby Jesus is placed in a manager. You can place small ones on your mantle or in other areas of your home, or you can set up a life-size one outside.
Put out poinsettias, evergreens, and mistletoe. These plants have come to be associated with Christmas over the years, so you can usually find them all over at Christmas time. Set out poinsettias in pots around your house, and you'll have an easy, festive Christmas decoration. You can also put up an evergreen wreath or decorate with fake evergreen garlands in your home. Mistletoe is traditionally hung in doorways. If 2 people are caught under it, they're supposed to kiss! Mistletoe also predates the Christmas holiday, but it has long been associated with it. Keep in mind that these plants can be poisonous for pets, so keep them out of reach!
Make decorations to put around your home. You don't have to spend a lot of money to decorate your home for Christmas. Try making paper snowflakes, creating paper chains out red and green paper, or stringing garlands out of popcorn and cranberries. You can also collect pine cones and evergreen branches to place around your home. Oranges are often associated with Christmas, so place some in a bowl. You can even stud them with cloves to make pomanders. You can also spray paint regular tree branches with gold, silver, or sparkly paint, then place them in vases. Candles are also used commonly for Christmas decorations. The traditional Christmas colors are green and red, but you can also use white, gold, and silver, or really any colors you want to make your home festive. You can also make ornaments out of things you have around the house, such as paper or fabric.
Getting into the Holiday Spirit
Put up an advent calendar to count down to Christmas. An advent calendar is made up of 25 spaces that lead up to Christmas Day. Each day, you open the door, space, or present corresponding to the day. Many advent calendars have small treats in them, such as pieces of chocolate, small toys, or stickers, one for each day. Others may have quotes or sayings in them to get you in the holiday spirit. While advent calendars were traditionally for kids, you can find many adult-themed calendars these days, such as ones with small bottles of wine.
Turn up the Christmas music to put you in a festive mood. Whether you like traditional Christmas carols or hymns or more contemporary Christmas music, Christmas songs are often ubiquitous this time of year. Usually, all you need to do is tune into a local radio station to find some Christmas tunes! If you don't have a local radio station playing Christmas songs, find songs online. You can use streaming music services to listen to them.
Watch classic Christmas movies to learn the meaning of Christmas. Classic Christmas movies are sure to put you in the Christmas spirit. They range from fun and silly to more serious, but most of them focus on the meaning of Christmas, either in a secular or religious sense. For some silly, fun movies, try Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or even White Christmas or "Miracle on 34th Street." For some more serious movies, opt for one of the many versions of A Christmas Carol or try It's a Wonderful Life.
Read Christmas stories with your family to enjoy quality time with each other. Plenty of stories focus on Christmas and spending time reading them with your family is a great way to get in a festive mood. Try reading a little bit of a longer story each night, for instance. Of course, you can go right to the source and read the story of Christmas in the Bible. You could try classic stories, such as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol or fun children's stories and poems, such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas or 'Twas the Night before Christmas.
Visit outdoor displays of Christmas lights and decorations. If your country celebrates Christmas, then you'll likely find plenty of places to see Christmas lights and decorations. Many towns put together light displays, but even if yours doesn't, try driving or walking through neighborhoods to see what individuals put up. Top off the evening with some hot chocolate and marshmallows!
Reflect on the reason for Christmas. If you're not sure what Christmas means or you're rusty on the background, do some research. In the Bible, you can find the Christmas story in Luke chapters 1 and 2 and Matthew chapters 1 and 2. Consider reading these chapters aloud as part of your family's holiday. You could also look up videos about the birth of Jesus. You'll find many that depict the nativity with scripture as the primary text.
Attend a Christmas Eve candlelight service. Many local churches will have candlelight services on Christmas Eve, usually late at night (around 11 p.m.), that mainly consist of a short sermon, scripture readings about the birth of Jesus, and Christmas hymns. Don't worry if you've never been before. Churches expect visitors, especially on special days like Christmas Eve. Ask your friends if they know of any nearby services or if you can attend one with them.
Enjoying Christmas Traditions
Go Christmas caroling. Christmas caroling is when you go to other people's homes and sing them Christmas songs. You can also sing carols at your home or go to a senior living center to sing for them. All you need to do is learn some Christmas songs and gather some friends. For song ideas, try ones like "Frosty the Snowman," "Holly, Jolly Christmas," "Silver Bells," “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” “Jingle Bells,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Let it Snow,” or “It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas.”
Help young children believe in Santa. Kids usually stop believing in Santa around age eight, but younger kids will love the story of Santa. Explain who Santa is and how he is going to come visit your home on Christmas Eve. To complete the tradition, have them leave cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve. When they are asleep, drink the milk and eat the cookies, leaving some crumbs as evidence. Have your kids leave carrots out for the reindeer and when they're asleep, nibble on the carrots, leaving gnawed pieces behind.
Make Christmas cookies and other holiday baked goods. One classic Christmas cookie is sugar cookies cut into Christmas shapes, such as candy canes, snowmen, stars, and gingerbread men. Then, you can decorate them with icing and sprinkles. Other fun options include gingerbread men, molasses cookies, and thumbprint cookies. You can also make yule logs, fruit cakes, or an apple pie. Mincemeat pie is also traditional in many countries. Making decorative houses out of gingerbread, icing, and candy is also a tradition.
Enjoy Christmas dinner with your friends and family. Traditional Christmas foods include things like turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, and rolls. However, more important then the food is gathering together with your friends and family to eat. If you're looking for festive drinks, try drinking, eggnog, sherry or mulled wine. Don't forget to include some traditional desserts. Don't be afraid to invite more than just your family. Think about people you know who may be alone on Christmas and ask them to come. Set the table with a Christmas theme with folded napkins, table runners and beautiful plates.
Giving to Others
Give presents to friends, family, and people in need. Giving Christmas presents is a tradition this time of year. Kids usually get toys from "Santa" on Christmas Day, but it's also customary to give gifts to others you love. Presents don't have to be big or expensive. Even giving a chocolate bar, baked goods, or small handmade gifts is welcome. It's also a good time of year to offer gifts to those in need. For instance, you can give toys to toy drives for families who are down on their luck or send packages to troops overseas. For a bit of fun, try opening one gift on Christmas Eve. Books or pajamas make good Christmas Eve gifts. However, while gift-giving is fun, there's no reason to get into debt for it. Make sure you spend only what you can afford.
Mail greeting cards to friends, family, and those in need. Sending Christmas cards is a tradition this time of year, and it's a way to let people know you care. Include a little note about how you're thinking of the person and wish them well. You can also send Christmas cards to nursing homes or troops overseas to let them know they're remembered at Christmas.
Donate to your favorite charity. Charity is a hallmark of Christmas, and one way you can participate in that is to pick a charity to give money to. Some common charities that people give to at this time of year include food banks, homeless shelters, and other charities that serve those who are in need. You won't have to look hard to find someplace to give, as many charities put up donation centers and boxes this time of year. You could also buy groceries anonymously for a family you know is struggling.
Give your time to charity and neighbors to spread Christmas cheer. You don't have to give money to help out this time of year. Offer to hang Christmas decorations for a neighbor who can't do it or send them baked goods. Collect food, blankets, coats, or other supplies for local charities, or volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen on Christmas Day. If you want to keep Christmas going throughout the year, try volunteering your time once a week.
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