Many people might think of the winter holiday season and imagine a big dinner table, music playing in the background, and family and friends in every corner of the house. It is a special time, celebrated not only with decorations in the yard and scattered across mantlepieces but with reuniting with people you have not seen all year.
In essence, the Christmas spirit is connecting with family, old friends, and enjoying each other’s company the whole holiday season. It brings warm smiles and hearts to each home, reminding us all of everything we have to appreciate. This year, don’t let that feeling and that appreciation fade with the ending of Christmas!
Reunions with old friends and family does not have to just come once at the holidays, and this year we should all resolve to keep this aspect of the Christmas spirit alive year round.
The reunions do not have to be as big and extravagant as your typical Christmas dinner. In fact, it is unlikely that you will have the space, time, and scheduling flexibility to make something like a second Christmas happen at another point in the year. However, there are many ways you can continue to keep the Christmas spirit burning all year.
If there are people you enjoy seeing around the table, do not limit yourself to just December! Find ways to connect with them throughout the year, even with just a simple email or card in the mail (who doesn’t love getting a letter?). If you are able to take a weekend day to have a potluck, go for coffee, or have an entire getaway trip, you won’t regret it.
Christmas cards sometimes include summaries of your year, your accomplishments, and general updates, but why only send this once? A whole year is hard to squeeze on the back of a card, especially with multiple family members. If you have your recipient list saved from your holiday cards this year, send out a summer update card with new photos to stay connected! If cost is an issue, you can always take advantage of free e-cards or even making your own handmade card on a design website. Using email could also keep things more casual, if you want to avoid the formality of the holiday season.
There are many ways to keep the Christmas spirit alive during the year, and we should all commit to keeping it going into 2023!