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Kaitlin Gee-Akwada: How to Avoid Being a Scrooge this Christmas
If you’ve ever read Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the name Ebenezer Scrooge should ring a bell. The protagonist is a miserly old man who blatantly hates Christmas. “If I could work my will,” said Scrooge indignantly, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.” However, after being visited by three Ghosts of Christmas one night: Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Ebenezer reforms himself and vows to honour Christmas wholeheartedly.
Christmas has largely become a family-oriented tradition. From attending vigils on Christmas Eve, preparing meals together, and singing Christmas carols heartily with all family members, the celebration is undoubtedly a family affair. However, in some homes, it is easy to forget what a joyous time of the year it can be, especially with financial demands, social obligations, and the general expectation to be merry all through the season.
If you’re looking for ways to dust off the bah humbug! mentality this season, here are six ways to embrace the true essence of Christmas and have a pleasurable celebration:
Count your blessings
Invest in a gratitude journal and pen down the things you are grateful for each day. Shift the focus away from the things you lack for a second. In the words of Eckart Tolle, “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
The perfect Christmas does not exist
There is no such thing as the perfect Christmas. Christmas is all about giving and sharing. It is also a time to spread love and forgive past hurts. Christmas does not have to be perfect, but it should be memorable.
Begin a new Christmas tradition
Give the monotonous Christmas celebration a makeover. If your Christmas celebration has always revolved around a constant cycle of things, start new ones. Make this holiday season special for you and your loved ones by starting a new Christmas tradition. It could be as simple as changing the meal plan or even incorporating some fun activities into the agenda.
Share love
If you love someone, let them know. Christmas is also a time to unburden your innermost thoughts and feelings. “If you love someone, you say it, right then, out loud. Otherwise, the moment just passes you by,” Julia Roberts said. Share love and make people happy this Christmas.
Do something good for someone
Spread positivity this festive season by doing something good for someone without expecting anything in return. A wise person once said, “one life touches another and another, the next.” If you know someone who is spending Christmas alone, do something nice for such a person to restore their hope in humanity.
Turn up the holiday music
What’s Christmas without holiday tunes to rekindle your Christmas cheer? Listen to the good ol’ classics, with a cup of hot chocolate. As Mildred L. Jarrell has wisely instructed us, “Let us have music for Christmas. Sound the trumpet of joy and rebirth and let each of us try, with a song in our hearts, to bring peace to men on earth. Here are some of my favourite Christmas tunes: “Last Christmas” by Wham! “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Michael Bublé, “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” by The Jackson 5 and “O Holy Night” by Mariah Carey.
In the words of Ruth Carter Stapleton, “Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.” Don’t be a Scrooge this Christmas. Spread love to where it has been forgotten and spread light where it is needed the most.
Happy holidays!
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