Find your holiday spirit

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December 11, 2008 • Kirsten Morrell  
Filed under Features

Here are ten ways you can find your holiday spirit:

10. Drink a hot beverage by the fire.  Drinking something warm has always been a long-standing pastime during the holiday season. Huddled next to a roaring fire with a mug of hot cocoa or tea in your hand can be sure to get you into the holiday spirit.

9. Play outside. When it snows, it snows. There’s always mountains of snow and millions of ways to use it. Making a snowman, or snowman family, can be one way to use the snow. Make a snow angel. Snow angels are easy to make and they’re fun to make. Sledding is also a fun way to play in the snow.

8.  Do your holiday shopping. When you’re shopping for your friends and family, it can be stressful. There are always too many people and never nearly enough money. This year put a budget on everyone’s gifts or make their gifts. This way you can really get personal and into the spirit.

7.  Look at different houses Christmas lights. Neighbors usually have fun and creative ways of putting up their Christmas decorations. Visit other houses in your neighborhood or take a ride around town. Seeing the lights will give you ideas, and get you thinking about the holiday.

6.   Do something charitable. Throughout the season most charities look for an extra hand. Help a homeless shelter in the kitchen or go to a retirement home and visit. People love seeing someone filled with the Christmas spirit and love seeing them help out. And, doing something for charity will fill you with joy. Perfect for the season.

5.  Listen to Christmas music. Listening to holiday music is a perfect way to get in gear for celebration. One radio station or another is always stationed to play all holiday music and nothing else. This year that station is Lite 95.1. If you have digital cable the seasonal music channel is 940. And of course, there are always your old CD’s and your music on your iPod.

4.  Watch Christmas movies. Most channels on the television play some sort of Christmas special. ABC Family presents the 25 Days of Christmas starting on December 1^st and playing until New Years. They have a line up of different holiday favorites played each night. Making popcorn and getting a Christmas movie (such as Elf, Miracle on 34^th Street, or The Santa Clause 1, 2, and 3) will make you want to sing Deck the Halls and make a snowman.

3.   Help put up the Christmas lights. Christmas lights are a fun and exciting way to getting into the season. Help decorate your house with lights and put in creative ideas. Then when it gets dark enough to see the lights best, get your family to go outside and look at your lights. Seeing a job well done will put a smile on your face.

2.   Buy and decorate a Christmas tree. What’s a Christmas without a tree? Go with your parents when they get the tree and help them pick out the most perfect one. When you bring your tree home, help decorate. Find some old ornaments from when you were little and some from now and put them on. That’ll give your tree your family’s personal style.

1.   Visit Santa! Santa always comes to visit Bend. When he’s in town, go visit. If you have younger siblings, take a picture with them. An outing with your friends to see Santa is fun too. Celebrity Santa will be visiting Friday Dec. 19, 2008 to Tuesday Dec. 23, 2008. Try and guess who the celeb of the day is and tell Santa your Christmas wish.