Happy Holidays?
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| Enjoying Holiday Lights at Luminaria |
Joy?
Every couple of years, I find myself struggling to get into the Holiday Spirit. It has nothing to do with what is going on in my life; it is completely random...
Living in Utah, I am conditioned to expect a White Christmas or at least snow during December.. Some years, it even snows on Christmas! :). The weather this year absolutely got to me, dreary, grey and blah, but then at last moment, and while I was driving home, it snowed on Christmas Eve.
I still struggled with Christmas Spirit throughout the entire season, however. I even began joking that I liked my Grinchy status, so I did something kind of different.
I made Christmas Agreements. If you have ever read the book "The Four Agreements" by Miguel Ruiz, you'll know exactly where I am heading with this. I do 4 Agreements every month, so this wasn't too far out of the realm of normal for me. I agreed to 4 Christmas activities this month.
#1. Do something for someone else...
I wish I had taken a photo of the 70 plus stuffed animals that my mom and I knitted throughout 2017 and donated to the Utah Highway Patrol for their Teddy Bear program, but I didn't. :(. Trust me when I say that they were cute and it felt really good dropping them off! We also donated to the Road Home Shelter about 40 scarves, hats and gloves. We enjoy knitting and this was a fun and easy way to give back...and plan to repeat this in 2018.
#2. Do some sort of Christmas Activity...
There was massive debate and decision making to be done. How much money to spend, if any at all? Inside or Outside Activity? Play, concert, or other art type event? Decisions, decisions....
The winner.... Luminaria at Thanksgiving Point. I will admit as I purchased the tickets, I was questioning my choice, but it won because I had never done it and the reviews from people who had gone were positive.
It was cold and a bit windy the night I went, but this was a beautiful thing to do. You walk the gardens of Thanksgiving Point that have been transformed into a enchanting light display. There are different sections and even fires throughout to warm your hands. The craziest part, as you were walking in different sections, they had added scents! In the Peppermint Alley area, it smelled like peppermint; in the Woodland Forest, pine; Candy Cane Lane, sweet candy (not my favorite...but still cute). You can even meet Reindeer.
I'm not sure I'll go every year, it is about $20 per person, but I'm going to keep it in my Christmas rotation.
I still struggled with Christmas Spirit throughout the entire season, however. I even began joking that I liked my Grinchy status, so I did something kind of different.
I made Christmas Agreements. If you have ever read the book "The Four Agreements" by Miguel Ruiz, you'll know exactly where I am heading with this. I do 4 Agreements every month, so this wasn't too far out of the realm of normal for me. I agreed to 4 Christmas activities this month.
#1. Do something for someone else...
I wish I had taken a photo of the 70 plus stuffed animals that my mom and I knitted throughout 2017 and donated to the Utah Highway Patrol for their Teddy Bear program, but I didn't. :(. Trust me when I say that they were cute and it felt really good dropping them off! We also donated to the Road Home Shelter about 40 scarves, hats and gloves. We enjoy knitting and this was a fun and easy way to give back...and plan to repeat this in 2018.
#2. Do some sort of Christmas Activity...
There was massive debate and decision making to be done. How much money to spend, if any at all? Inside or Outside Activity? Play, concert, or other art type event? Decisions, decisions....
The winner.... Luminaria at Thanksgiving Point. I will admit as I purchased the tickets, I was questioning my choice, but it won because I had never done it and the reviews from people who had gone were positive.
It was cold and a bit windy the night I went, but this was a beautiful thing to do. You walk the gardens of Thanksgiving Point that have been transformed into a enchanting light display. There are different sections and even fires throughout to warm your hands. The craziest part, as you were walking in different sections, they had added scents! In the Peppermint Alley area, it smelled like peppermint; in the Woodland Forest, pine; Candy Cane Lane, sweet candy (not my favorite...but still cute). You can even meet Reindeer.
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| A real live REINDEER! |
#3. Have a Holiday Movie and Christmas Tradition Night
Charlie Brown's Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty, White Christmas, and yes even the Nightmare Before Christmas and Die Hard.....all shows that just say Holiday Spirit. Over the past couple of years, I have found them all on DVD on sale, because I forget to record them or I'm not home when they are on. Full proof watching, right? Well.......last year, I think I only watched White Christmas.... Hence, the Agreement....
Now for the Tradition, every year as a kid, we would make Pomander balls...Oranges with whole cloves pushed into the peel. Smells amazing, yet I vaguely remember very sore fingers from the cloves. I had clementines on hand and will never go back. Same smell, thinner peel!!!
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| See the pomander balls? and guess what, I made that wreath! |
#4. Go Downtown.....
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| Christmas Lights in the Relective Pool |
Salt Lake City is known for its Christmas decorations with Temple Square being the crown jewel. I have a tendency to avoid large mobs of strolling people, so I haven't been downtown to see the lights, window displays, and decorations in YEARS. The really sad part, I can be downtown, even with traffic in under 10 minutes from my house.......oops. It is incredibly beautiful and yes, it can be crowded, but it is so worth it. I parked in City Creek Center's lot and because it was under two hours-free parking. I need to do this every year....
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| Busy but not Crazy....and absolutely Beautiful. |
I completed my Agreements for Christmas and you know what, it ended up being a Merry Little Christmas after all......
Melissa
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