I’m a huge Christmas lover. I love the whole holiday season so much that I jokingly tell people that I’m part elf. I love the music, the food, the decorations, and the celebrations. And I often talk about my Christmas spirit. But recently I started thinking more about what it actually means to have Christmas spirit. Honestly, if you went and asked ten different people what “Christmas spirit” is, you’ll probably get ten different answers. Because Christmas means something different for pretty much everyone. Some people may love the scents of the season…like pine needles, homemade cookies, and cinnamon. Others love the music of the season. And others may connect the spirit of the season with all of the decorations that they put up in their homes.
But Christmas spirit isn’t about the music, the food, or the decorations. It’s about people…and how you treat them during the holidays. It’s about kindness, compassion, giving, love, and community.
It shows up in the little moments of kindness
I think there are a lot of people who think that Christmas is about the expensive gifts and grand gestures. But the most special moments of Christmas spirit are actually found in smaller moments of kindness and caring. It can be as simple as letting someone with two items cut in front of you at the grocery store. Or going and shoveling your neighbor’s sidewalk to make it safer for them. It’s taking time to do something that doesn’t cost any money…but can be meaningful to the person on the receiving end.
Having the spirit of the season is a call to be present and to pay attention to people in the world around you. And it asks you to choose kindness even when you’re tired or stressed.
It’s bigger than December
I created my blog because I realized something important. Having Christmas spirit isn’t tied to a date on your calendar. You can have it all year! You can be generous, patient, and caring in February just as easily as you do in December. Nobody’s stopping you from being the kind of person who checks in on a friend in July, who leaves a big tip in April, or who forgives someone in September.
And that’s really the whole idea behind Christmas Spirit All Year. It’s not about singing carols in the summer heat (but I’m all for going caroling to celebrate Christmas in July!). It’s about holding onto the best parts of the season, the giving and the kindness. And it helps us to focus on the idea that people matter more than schedules 365 days a year!
A gentle reminder
If your holidays have felt more stressful than magical lately, that’s okay. Christmas spirit was never about pulling off a perfect season. It’s not a performance. Nobody is grading your decorations or your baking. You already have everything you need to carry it, because it lives in how you treat people, not in what you buy them.
So wherever you are in the calendar right now, you can start today. Send the text. Hold the door. Say thank you like you mean it. That’s Christmas spirit, and it’s yours to keep, all year long.