Christmas Journaling Topic #1

My friend Lucie over at What makes me happy has a great list of Christmas Journaling Topics if you want to join the Christmas blogging but are having a bit of a blogging writer's block.

Courtesy of http://fineartamerica.com/featured/holiday-spirit-melissa-stinson-borg.html

Topic #1 - What does it mean to have the "holiday spirit"?

I'm always in the holiday spirit.  The holiday spirit is in the senses.  I'm naturally attracted to things red and green and to things that glitter and sparkle, to things that smell of cinnamon, bayberry, spice, and holiday baking, to the taste of all the delicious holiday goodies that are there for sampling, to the strains of everything from Deck the Halls to Silent Night, and to things that feel Christmasy - cold snow, warm mulled wine, sticky toffee, and lush velvets and cashmere.  I'm on sensory overload!

The holiday spirit is in the times spent with loved ones, family and friends.  I often wish I had a big family at Christmas - having everyone around the dinner table and around the tree on Christmas morning but I also love to have a quiet celebration with just my immediate family.  I tend to have both - a gathering for friends, usually a Holiday Open House, and a cozy Christmas Eve and Day, just the three of us.  I think that is all going to change next year, though, as we move close enough to my sister and her family to spend Christmas together.  I loved Christmas 2008, the last Christmas my Dad was with us.  We traveled to Oregon and had a wonderful family Christmas.  We trekked into the wilderness for a tree, enjoyed festive lunches out in between shopping sessions, decorated the tree together, ate traditional holiday meals, sat quietly as Uncle Paul read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to my nephews who were 4 and 5 at the time, and opened gifts together on Christmas morning.

The holiday spirit is expanded exponentially in giving.  I love to shop for special things for my family and friends, and I love it when someone says, "How did you know that is just what I wanted?".  I love to give to charitable institutions - it's a time for generosity, for being thankful for your blessings by blessing others.  It's a time to give not just of your money, but of your time as well.  Soup kitchens and organizations that provide and deliver gifts to children in difficult circumstances are just two places that always need extra hands during the holidays.  It's extra heartwarming to give of yourself at Christmas - in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, don't forget that a smile or a hug or just holding open a door for someone laden down with packages may mean so much.

The holiday spirit is all about memories.  I try to make a special memory every year - it could be a new tradition, reviving an old one, or enjoying a festive celebration or event with family and friends.  It's something that will evoke a "Remember when..." memory in years to come.

What does it mean to have the holiday spirit?  It means to be surrounded by the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Christmas, to be surrounded by family and friends or keeping in touch with them from afar, to give of yourself and your resources unconditionally, and to make memories to be enjoyed for many, many years to come.