Does this make me a Grinch?

Christmas is only two days away and holiday season is in full swing. And yet, I'm just not feeling it. Maybe it's the fact that it's the end of December and it's currently raining outside instead of snowing, so it doesn't really feel "Christmasy" at all (rather dreary, in fact). Maybe it's the fact that we've been getting holiday commercials shoved down our throats since before Halloween this year (at some point they're gonna start airing commercials before the 4th of July, I swear. This year the first holiday commercial I saw was in SEPTEMBER). So I guess I'm kind of just over it. I stopped putting on the radio station with all the Christmas music a good two or three weeks ago. The same movies are on repeat on ABC family, so I'm over that, too.

It's not that I don't enjoy Christmas; in fact, it's one of my favorite holidays. But I really feel that this holiday is becoming over-commercialized (actually, it's way beyond that at this point) and it's losing its luster. Part of me just wants the holidays to be over with already.

I started thinking about things I've done this month, or even in the past, that helped make Christmas feel a little more special. One thing I did this year was a holiday card swap with a bunch of bloggers and I really enjoyed spending the time to write each individual card and personalize it. I like spreading cheer, especially during this season. Last year I put together a little goodie bag for my mailman because I know how hard they work this time of year. It's little things like that that really put me in the holiday spirit and looking back now I definitely wish I had done more. I think next year I'm going to make an effort of volunteering places and doing kind things for strangers (like say, buying someone's coffee or putting extra coins in their parking meter). Obviously, you can do this anytime of the year, but there's something about doing it during the holiday season that makes it even more special.

As a society in general, we need to start remembering what Christmas is actually about. Spending time with friends and family, but also spreading love and joy to strangers. It's the little things that count. I hate how commercialized this holiday has gotten, but there's really nothing I can do about that. What I can do, however, is change how I celebrate this time of year. Hopefully by reaching out to strangers and doing kind things, it will in turn affect other people and they will do the same for others.

"Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." -The Grinch

Happy Holidays ♥︎