It's that time of year (finally!). People always ask "what's your favorite season?" Generally, you think Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter; well mine is the HOLIDAY SEASON! It begins October 1st and goes until January 2nd and encompasses Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, My Birthday (a very special holiday to me), and New Years. Many people wonder when is the most appropriate time to transition in to the Christmas holiday. I say you can start November 1st. There is so much good cheer, and I know I'm not the only one who has invested hard earned dollars on my holiday decorations and want to get the most out of them.
Not everyone is the same though, and we Christmas enthusiasts should be mindful of those not quite in the Christmas spirit yet. It's understandable that some might want to get through the Thanksgiving holiday before jumping in to Christmas full force. But I don't think the holidays are mutually exclusive. They share a lot of the same themes: being thankful and generous, spending time with friends and family, and both center largely around food.
Here are a few things you can do to transition in to the Christmas season without going full Christmas ahead of schedule.
1. Start listening to Christmas music on your commute. There are so many great Christmas songs and one month just may not be enough for you. This is something I start right after Halloween. One idea is to listen to full albums including original songs that you normally don't listen through as the holiday nears. We all have our favorites (some of mine are Blue Christmas, Merry Christmas Darling, and anything on the N'Sync Christmas album), a lot of times I fill up my Christmas playlists with the classics but skip over the lesser known and original songs by current artists. The time between Halloween and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to tune in to those songs. This way you don't get burnt out on repeating the classics over and over and over until Christmas rolls around. A few albums I love right now that have a good mix of classic vs. original are:
2. Get out a few smaller decorations, think scented pine cones and a few mantle pieces. And go ahead
and hang that wreath! It's perfectly acceptable to get a few things out and make the most of the season. Build on the decorations each week leading up to Thanksgiving and try to hold out on putting up the tree and stockings until Thanksgiving is over. Here's an example I pulled from Pinterest of subtle decorations for this first part of the month (original source: The Fashion Heels blog)
3. Start planning your holiday party with friends. Now is the time to lock in a date and get it on your friends calendars. The holiday season fills up fast with family obligations and company holiday parties. If you're planning to have some friends gather for a holiday party, the first week of November is the time to inquire about available dates and pencil something in. You can hold off on an official invitation for a few weeks but get the plans moving early! Pinterest is also a great source for holiday entertaining ideas and invitation designs!
Happy holidays everyone, and remember that the spirit of the holiday is grounded in good cheer, it's the time of year to cross your T's and dot your I's and stay off Santa's Naughty List!
