With the mass consumerism that has taken over the holiday season, it can be easy to forget what Christmas is all about. First and foremost, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ a Jewish preacher and religious leader who Christians believe was the Son of God who died so that humans could be forgiven for their sins and allowed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Some believe that Christmas was a converted pagan holiday that celebrated the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest time between the sun rising, and the sun setting and the sun winning over the darkness. Some also say Christmas was invented to take place of the pagan festival of Saturnalia that celebrates the Roman god Saturn or their Sun god Mithra.
No matter what you believe in, these celebrations were a time to show charity and goodwill, as well as to eat, drink, and be merry with family and friends.
Not maxing out your credit cards to buy up the latest “it” items.
So, if you’re looking to take the holiday season back to its original roots, here are a few ways you can do that and celebrate the way our grandparents did.
1) Share and Give to Charity
Share what you can with others and give where you’re able. And that doesn’t mean emptying out your bank account and handing it over to a charity that you don’t know much about. You can buy a toy for a child in need, empty out your closets and donate warm blankets, or collect coats for a local shelter. Send care packages to soldiers fighting overseas who won’t get to spend time with their families over the holiday or help out an elderly person in your neighborhood. You can even invite someone over for a holiday meal who might otherwise spend it alone.
2) Use Cash
The holiday season should uplift your spirit not dig you deep into debt. Using cash makes you more conscious of exactly how much you are spending and helps you to stay within your budget.
3) Share Memories
The very best part of the holiday season is the memories you create with your loved ones. Whether it’s an ornament or decoration that you put out each year, playing games, going caroling, or telling stories. Whatever is it you should always remember the fun times you had during the holidays rather than the presents you received.
4) Bake From Scratch
Baking something from scratch and using recipes that have been passed down really puts some love into the sugary goodies you’ll be feasting on with your family. If you don’t have any traditional recipes that have been passed on to you, start some of your own!
5) Don’t Buy New Decorations
Use the decorations you already have or consider making your own from scratch. Homemade decorations offer a more special and homey look. You can find 55 ideas for DIY ornaments here.
6) Mail Holiday Cards
While many people will send greetings on the computer nowadays, but it’s nice to receive and decorate your home with cards from people you love. So you’ll want to do the same for your family and friends. Whether its a photo card of the family or a postcard make sure you get to the post office and send those out.
7) Get Gussied Up
People have traditionally worn their best clothes to celebrate the holiday season. It just makes it feel like a special day. It’s also fun to have special Christmas PJs to make the day stand out from the rest.
8) Make Your Own Gifts
Some of the most special gifts that you can give are made with your own hands and the love in your heart. You can also save money this way while still making something your friends and family will actually want. You can find some ideas here.
9) Spend Time Together
Make sure you don’t spend too much time slaving in the kitchen or cleaning up after your party. Stop and make sure you get to interact and spend time being present with those you love.
10) Handwrite Thank You Notes
Handwriting notes really shows your true love and gratitude for your loved ones. And it’s something you can do while you sit down and watch TV night. It’s also really fun to pick out nice cards.
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