It's almost Christmas.

I’ve been spending this Christmas season feeling a bit '"off" and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I chalked it up to the fact that I’m not a cold weather person. Plus my late grandmother’s birthday is on Christmas day, so the season always has a bittersweet feeling to it since she passed away. 

But this Christmas season felt bittersweet in a different way. This year, I decided to investigate why. I wasn’t buried in a mountain of deadlines, so I had plenty of time to sit and reflect on Christmases past. What exactly was it about Christmas as a kid that made it so magical?

Was it the seemingly endless line of Christmas displays? I absolutely LOVED to drive past the houses in my area, just to see all the lights hung up and the inflatable decorations set up on my neighbors’ lawns. 

There are less houses that put Christmas lights up outside. I mean, electric bills are really high nowadays and those classic multicolored C9 bulbs take a lot of power. Also the cost of living is higher, so people are working a lot more. Maybe people are just too tired and stressed to put up decorations. 

As a kid, the Christmas spirit seemed to materialize around us. We didn't necessarily have to do anything.

That’s when it suddenly dawned on me: it’s OUR turn to stoke the Christmas spirit. We’re the new adults. Here I am, at my big age, waiting for the Christmas spirit to descend upon me. I’m sitting here still thinking kid Christmas thoughts when it’s now my job to get the Christmas-ing started. 

I'm still not sure what made Christmas so magical, but now, as an adult, we have to make it "work." We have to put up the lights. We have to plan the Christmas parties. We have to play the Christmas music. We have to drive to the Christmas-y spots. We have to get the ball rolling. 

So, I put on my big girl pants (literally, they’re high waisted and they have buttons, no zipper), I brought the Christmas decorations inside from storage, and I slowly put up string lights and LED candles inside our windows. 

And what do you know… I felt a little bit Christmas-y. 

Here’s to more active Christmas-ing in the years ahead of us,

Alleanna

P.S. - Here's a playlist of the Christmas songs I've been keeping on repeat. Merry Christmas!