Getting in the Holiday Spirit

[Alysser]

Definitely the music and the decorations, especially the older music like Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby. I love gifts as much as the next person but I really do enjoy the time I spend with my family on holidays.

[chocolatepuppy]

I love Christmas! I got my tree up and decorated, front porch lit up. I don't like 'starting' Christmas until at least Thanksgiving Day. They've started playing Christmas music on the radio. That gets me in the mood.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Starting my Christmas cards which I'll be doing today and tomorrow. I also enjoy watching the "Hallmark" and "Lifetime" channels because they have many heartwarming Christmas stories.

[Freedom]

It's an interesting question. Some years, I have a difficult time getting into it. This year, I have even surprised myself, I have the cards for the swap done and mailed -- which means I got the dogs dressed and photographed ages back! Put the tree up, started decorating that and the house.

The music definitely helps, but I won't listen to it before Thanksgiving.

The dark evenings surely help with the mood, and yet as I said at the start, some years it doesn't work. Hm . . ..

The smell of the evergreens in the shops, oooh, LOVE that! I do miss having a live cut tree in the house for that reason. But it is just not practical for now, Dad can't help me get it in and up and I can't do it alone.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I love Christmas music, and around Thanksgiving I usually pull out my sheet music and play some tunes on the piano. We usually put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving, too.

[mrspunkysmom]

For the past 10 years or so I have had difficulty getting in the spirit for any holiday, including my favorite, Halloween. Life has been Hell.

This Fall is the first time in years that I have felt upbeat. So let's see if I can get up a few decorations and perhaps deck some halls?

I'm a formally trained musician, so usually the music gets me in the spirit for Christmas. I feel bereft when it stops on Dec. 26th.

[Karen]

I'm a formally trained musician, so usually the music gets me in the spirit for Christmas. I feel bereft when it stops on Dec. 26th.

I'll tell you a not-so-secret - the Charlie Brown Christmas CD and the Muppet Christmas Carol CD are in my car all year round - we have a 6-CD changer, so they are always ready at the touch of a button!

[Freedom]

The music stops on the radio on the 26th; but I keep my Christmas CDs loaded and play them straight through to Epiphany. I barely turn the radio on at all during the "Twelve Days of Christmas."

Commercialism has it all backwards. The Christmas season STARTS on Dec 25th!